My wife and I discussed the Regal TourX over dinner.

"mazda616" (mazda616) 10/28/2019 at 23:34 • Filed to: Buick Regal TourX

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It’s not going to happen. Damn her and her being sensible. Sigh.

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I told her after my trade in of the 6, the Regal would be like 10 thousand. Or less. She said “Still feeling a no. If it was 0 thousand, then I’d say sure.” I said “‘0 thousand’ isn’t even grammatically correct.” Then, my two-year-old son started throwing food or something at the table and the conversation ended.

I even tried the argument that the TourX would fit two kids exponentially better than my 6, since we will be having another baby next year or so. No dice.

I mean, she’s right. It’d be silly. But , it would be cool. I just love a wagon. With heated seats and remote start. And Apple CarPlay! Maybe I should start a GoFundMe...

So long, TourX. I hardly knew ye.

Chariotoflove > mazda616 10/28/2019 at 23:47

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I really am sorry. Sure the car you have will do the job fine. Of course this new one would do the job better. But wives are seldom wrong when they insist on fiscal restraint.

Still sucks though. 

wafflesnfalafel > mazda616 10/28/2019 at 23:52

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Just a tip - I am most successful making bad decisions by not telling my wife.  

For Sweden > mazda616 10/28/2019 at 23:53

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We live in a society where wagon ownership is considered silly and impractical

bob and john > mazda616 10/28/2019 at 23:56

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so, your first mistake was telling the wife. 

facw > mazda616 10/28/2019 at 23:58

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The real problem is that Mazda doesn’t want Americans to be happy:

Nothing > mazda616 10/28/2019 at 23:59

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That’s always a let down. Strangely, my wife (mildly) accepts my propensity to swap daily drivers. She is not as accepting with the concept of the “third vehicle”. That’s one downside of selling the Cougar, but not having a replacement lined up. Absence has made her  heart grow fonder of not having a third car.

LJ909 > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 00:13

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And this is why, if you can, you have separate cars that you each have no say over whether or not you can get. Within reason of course. 

mazda616 > facw 10/29/2019 at 00:20

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I’d have bought one of these when I got my 6 four years ago, if they were available here. But, Mazda’s sales are crashing even on their SUVs, so there’s no way they could sell a wagon.

mazda616 > wafflesnfalafel 10/29/2019 at 00:20

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I’d rather stay married than have a wagon.

mazda616 > For Sweden 10/29/2019 at 00:25

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She did ask when I became a 90-year-old man, since the car I’m pining  over is both a Buick Regal and a station wagon.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 00:28

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But she got to trade her perfectly good car for something she didn't need... Why can't you?

mazda616 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 10/29/2019 at 00:30

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I would bring that up, but she might kill me.

wafflesnfalafel > For Sweden 10/29/2019 at 00:37

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I would argue it depends entirely on what you put in your wagon...

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 00:41

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Yes, it is always dangerous to be right about something in marriage 

Spencer Knight > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 00:59

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Maybe consider a new wife?  . Hey, I'm just spit balling here!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > facw 10/29/2019 at 01:11

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Same for the Ford Fusion Estate. What a gorgeous car. 

Svend > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 03:46

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Try again but call it an Insignia Coun try Tourer this time. 

Nom De Plume > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 10/29/2019 at 04:46

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I actually felt bad for laughing every instinct raised by the story was spot on. Knowing when to be right and stand up is tricky.

I own dead car brands only > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 05:35

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I absolutely love my TourX. It has the same space as my old 2015 Durango with exponentially better mileage and driving Dynamics. The brakes on the TourX is unlike anything I’ve experienced. You want to stop now , it will stop yesterday

redwagon > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 06:19

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O I get tire d of that. I don't like every Buick nor every Cadillac but I do like the TourX and I so like the ATS and CTS especially with a stick.  

shop-teacher > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 07:24

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Yeah, diein' ain't much of a livin'.

shop-teacher > Nothing 10/29/2019 at 07:25

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Yeah, same here.

shop-teacher > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 07:26

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Sorry to hear that, but let me put a positive spin on it. You like your 6, so pay it off and keep it. Enjoy the majesty of  no car payment. It’s glorious.

USUSGTO1 > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 08:09

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I have been trying to get my wife into a E400 wagon but she keeps saying no. She wants to go back to GLS.

We went from GL (1 kid) to Navigator L (3 kids, strollers, etc. ) and now back to GLS (no stroller) . A Wagon would be wonderful for her commute to downtown. 

Briester > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 08:15

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I’m a 34 yr old woman and bought one. I adore it. Black. And for TourX, my license plate  is T REXX....but still, I get the old lady comments. Sigh. 

mazda616 > shop-teacher 10/29/2019 at 08:31

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6 is already paid off, so that’s a plus for sure.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > facw 10/29/2019 at 09:43

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I’d buy one like tomorrow, not kidding.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 09:47

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Ugh, so close. Right car, right price, wrong time I suppose. 

mazda616 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 10/29/2019 at 10:05

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That’s what frustrates me. It’s so close, yet so far out of reach at the same time.

shop-teacher > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 10:24

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Then I shall offer the same advice that I offered Huzer (who didn’t listen, but what can ya do :) )

Stick and stay and make it pay. I’ve been driving this same truck for 13-1/2 years now. Are there other things I’ve wanted to buy in the meantime? Heck yeah, and the TourX is one of themI must say though, i t feels good to have a vehicle that is so exquisitely mine and has been for a very long time. That truck has treated me so well, for so long, it’s part of my family. It’s a cool bond that I could never have replicated, had I not suppressed my urges to jump ship every few years.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 10:28

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Could you wait it out a little bit longer and get a used one with similar options?

mazda616 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 10/29/2019 at 11:05

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I thought about that, and that’s what I will likely do. The only issue is that used ones are few and far between. This car in general is quite rare and it seems as though once people buy them, they hold on to them for a long time.

I was thinking I could trade my 6 and “get while the getting is good” (a.k.a. trade it while it still has some value). Right now, its trade-in value is hovering at around $12k. But, if Mazda drops the model from the U.S. due to falling sales  (which is likely), that’ll decrease exponentially.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 10/29/2019 at 11:40

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You can be right, just have to word it so you are wrong. 

Snuze: Needs another Swede > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 11:56

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Did you discuss that aspect with her? Granted you have a paid of f car now, so zero payment, but if trade in is $12k, and you said in a previous post you were about $24k OTD, financing $12k over a few years is a very low payment. On top of that you’re getting a warranty, and something more practical and utilitarian (i.e. more cargo room). You’d also mentioned at some point you were anticipating having more kids. If you wait till then, say a year or two, and then decide you need a bigger car to haul more kids and kid related accessories, the economics will be worse off in your favor - you may not get as good of a deal (price goes up) and your trade in will be worth less than it is now, so it’s a double whammy on the amount you have to finance.

Excel is your friend here. My wife is on one hand good financially, and on the other hand terrible at visualizing numbers. The reason she’s good at finance is, since she can’t visualize numbers, she just doesn’t spend any money unless she absolutely has to. She’s been a good influence on me to curb a lot of unecessary spending , but the flip side is it is hard to get her to move forward with necessary financial decisions (buying a house, buying a new car, etc.). When her Lexus got totaled she wanted to take the insurance money and buy whatever she could get for that exact amount. Yet she still wanted basically her Lexus at a minimum in terms of features (AWD, leather, heated seats, etc.) and better fuel mileage. We’d end up with some clapped out POS and it would fall on me to do the maintenace. So I did an analysis of alternatives - made a spread sheet showing her a few used cars that met her criteria and then researched the major issues on those cars (i.e. a used Subaru, gonna need a timing belt, that’s over $1k in service off the bat, etc. ). So I did all that math and compared it to a slightly used CUV (which, surprise, isn’t much cheaper than a new one), and then a new one with warranty ($0 in major expenses for the first 3~5 years ). Unique to our situation, we’d almost bought a truck before all this, so I had the idea to get a CUV that can tow (surprisingly few can tow more than ~1500 lbs) and a cheap trailer. So I did that math too. Once she saw the numbers it started to click. 

And that’s how I talked her up from a clapped out Forester to a new Terrain Denali.

Textured Soy Protein > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 11:59

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Is there any particular need for you to be rid of your current car at this moment?

Can you afford to spend more than 0 thousand? 

mazda616 > Textured Soy Protein 10/29/2019 at 12:08

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1. No.

2. Yes.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 12:15

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2018 was the first model year of it right? You’re getting really close to those 36 month lease turn ins. They’ll probably have 35-40k miles on them and used lightly.

Textured Soy Protein > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 12:18

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I’ve made some questionable vehicle purchases in my day and usually when I did, my answers to the questions above have matched yours. 

Future next gen S2000 owner > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 13:56

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As a TourX owner with twins, it fits a hell of a lot of gear behind the 2nd row. Also, you can fit a 6'0" adult in the front seat with a rear facing car seat. Twin stroller plus dog and gear is how we typically roll. Much better than a 9-3 which is similar in size to the 6 you have. Although the twin stroller did fit in the trunk of the Saab.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Snuze: Needs another Swede 10/29/2019 at 14:40

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Well done sir lol

mazda616 > Future next gen S2000 owner 10/29/2019 at 15:01

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I was thinking by looking at it that it seems incredibly spacious, way more so than my 6, and the 6 has a pretty big trunk itself.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 10/29/2019 at 15:02

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It was a fair amount of work to put together but I think the result was worth it. I laid out the cost case for used heap, newer slightly used car that’s almost as much as a new one (because in our market thats how they all are), new  car that meets her needs, and newer car that meets our needs. T hat’s ascending order from cheapest initial cash outlay to most expensive. But then we could sit there and play with the numbers real time like what if we buy the heap and something breaks? A transmission costs X dollars to replace. An engine is Y. I could punch the numbers in and she could see how the total cost of ownership would play out.

As I mentioned, Mrs. Snuze is very frugal, she’s only ever had 2 cars in 15 years of driving, both were used, and both ended up neededing fairly expensive repairs as time went on. So the idea of getting a new car that she’d keep forever, we’d pay off, and met all our needs began to grow on her. Admittedly I did have to nudge her over the hump, so to speak, long term it probably would have been slightly cheaper to get a few other cars we looked at and they may have still done what we needed fine, but I was like look, knowing you, you’re gonna own this thing forever, so treat yo’ self a little bit !

She also liked the idea of me not getting a 3rd vehicle for us. That clearly worked out well... *day dreaming about finishing my Volvo projects*

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Snuze: Needs another Swede 10/29/2019 at 16:31

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Yeah I do a lot of similar research with big purchases. What normally happens at our house though, is I do all the work and she goes, ok you proved it and never even looks at the paper. She tends to trust the work I put into it and knows that if I put it on paper I can back the numbers up. It’s a good exercise to make sure I am not overspending lol. 

Snuze: Needs another Swede > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 10/29/2019 at 16:36

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Thats awesome!

I’ve been wanting a Camaro pretty bad, basically for all my life. But now I feel like I’m on the precipice of being able to actually afford it. Like, total cost of ownership - the car, the insurance, the gas, and copious amounts of tires. And not have to skimp on other financial responsibilities. Yay for being an adult!

About 6 months ago I was talking about it and she goes  “Ok, fine, you want it, lets figure out how to get it.” I knew it was a trap, because I sat down and started working the numbers and... noooooope. Close, but not quite ready yet. But soon...

NoamChomskyExceptJacked > mazda616 10/29/2019 at 22:02

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I’d trade in your wife for zero thousand 

Pacer69 > mazda616 10/30/2019 at 08:18

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I say keep working on her. Nearly 9 months and 9k miles into ownership, TourX is one of my favorite cars in 35 years of driving. The utility and mpg are both truly impressive. The deals on them right now are ridic:  low $30s or less for a loaded AWD (amazing in snow, too) near-lux ride? Paid less for this than my ‘07 RDX Tech. Unreal.

Ash78, voting early and often > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 10/30/2019 at 09:57

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As a famous Zen koan once stated, “If a man is alone in a forest and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?”

Yes, that’s borderline misogyny but IDGAF because it’s so reliably accurate.

Ash78, voting early and often > mazda616 10/30/2019 at 09:59

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I am shopping ONLY wagons, so this just keeps coming up in my search. It’s so close to checking all the boxes, but not quite.

Then I ask myself “Should I really settle for something that’s halfway what I want, just because it’s a wagon and not a sedan or crossover?”

It’s a serious conundrum. I could probably take the plunge and shop crossovers, but I just can’t stand being yet another cookie-cutter. For as many carmakers and models as we have available to us, we all seem to be buying the same stuff.

mazda616 > Ash78, voting early and often 10/30/2019 at 11:02

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My thoughts exactly. With my toddler son and our eventual addition of another kid, my low-slung sedan is more difficult to live with. I don’t want to have just one car out of two that is easily usable, so I want a wagon-type body style.

I don’t want a cookie cutter crossover, like you say. My wife drives a gray Toyota Highlander and there are about 17,000 of them on the road, or so it seems. She says it doesn’t bother her, but I find it annoying being so commonplace.

If I do end up with a crossover as my next vehicle, I might stick with Mazda and get a CX-5 or a CX-9.

The Subaru Outback ticks a lot of boxes but they’re expensive even used and the Subaru dealer is an hour from me. And, they are quite slow with the four-cylinder.

Ash78, voting early and often > mazda616 10/30/2019 at 11:12

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Yep. I’ve got 2 kids (9 and 6) and they’re growing up fast, so I’m really close to buying an Alltrack to replace my similarly-sized 01 Passat Wagon . While it’s definitely on the small side, our rationale was that we want something useful, but not completely substituting for the other car (Odyssey, or in your case, Highlander doing the same role). Owning two cars with the same mission just felt sort of redundant.

Plus I want something the wife can drive half the time without feeling stuck in a van/crossover, something that’s still nimble and fun. Brand new 2019 models still get a 6-year warranty.

I just realized, too, that means the car will JUST be out of warranty when I’m teaching my son to drive. Whoa. But that issue also figures into it for us, the hand-me-down aspect.

I’d really like to consider an EV, but the field of options are still too slim, and long-term resale still too much of an unknown.

Being a car enthusiast and an analytical person -- but with a demanding aesthetic -- is a tough position!

Troy > mazda616 10/30/2019 at 14:14

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Git mine. So many compliments from strangers. Nice solid feel and I love driving it. 

mazda616 > Troy 10/30/2019 at 14:17

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Yours is the color I’d want. Red is my favorite.

Saracen > mazda616 10/30/2019 at 14:53

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I got an MDX for Mrs Saracen because she thought that the superior looking vehicles in its class (ahem, XC90) looked like a station wagon. I responded, yeah, it does, and that makes it far better looking than the typical cloud-shaped crossovers out there (our MDX A-Spec in Modern Steel is one of the better looking ones, but it still looks like a typical bloated crossover). That didn’t get me anywhere.

She also give me grief that I sold the 997 and want to spend so much money on an RS6 or 4S ST.

I guess I’ll never understand the aversion.  

Espada One > mazda616 10/30/2019 at 18:36

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We did it. Pretty much base plus sunroof. Two teens  and a dog. Best long-hauler I’ve ever owned.