SUVs are trucks.
I am looking to replace my 2002 Yukon XL(which has been having lots of issues) and right now used car inventory seems to be low and prices high. My 19 year old has been saving up and searching for used cars for about a year now and he says that prices were a lot lower a few months ago.
It’s good that I am currently working from home because it looks like it might take some time to find what I am looking for in my price range.
Probably because more people are moving into the lower price part of the car market that includes more used cars, more people who would otherwise “upgrade” are keeping their current cars (keeping them out of the used car market), and some low price new cars have been discontinued over the past few years (so buyers in that price range look for used cars instead).
That is probably true, but it is certainly making things difficult. I have found 3 different ones that I was going to look at but they sold before the weekend(2-3 hours away and I can’t get there in time after work during the week). I was looking for a smaller SUV(but not the tiny ones) but want to stay under 65,000 miles and under $20,000. The real problem comes in the fact that I want leather heated seats, which I have had for over 20 years and don’t want to give up. I was thinking Mazda CX-5 grand touring, but they are in short supply in my region right now.
My son is looking for a mid-sized car(I think) but wants something newer and lower miles.
https://www.hertzcarsales.com/used-cars-for-sale.htm?start=0&geoRadius=100&geoZip=38801 indicates that if interior room is your priority, $17k-18k plus whatever tax will get you a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan (minivan). Hot seats are optional, so you may have to look on or near the HVAC control panel to see if the controls for that are present.
It’s really a shame Acura discontinued the Integra/RSX. That was definitely a guy’s car, and a pretty sweet ride too. The type-R version of those old cars are turning out to be classics with used prices going up instead of down.
Integras, once very common, became fairly rare only a few years after the end of production (the RSX did not seem to be as popular), probably because so many of them got crashed or stolen. For the 1999-2001 Integra in 2002, https://www.iihs.org/media/1674bcb6-c9db-4ca1-a74d-80ff3be98f43/cFeVtQ/HLDI%20Research/HLDI%20composite/ictl_0902.pdf lists an insurance loss rate for theft at 881, or 8.81 times the average vehicle.
@saillakeerie yes I get that they are built on the same frame,etc so are technically trucks, but where we live, people do not refer to SUVs as trucks. So if someone where I live is talking about a truck, they usually mean a pick up truck.
@4kids4us I agree that most SUVs aren’t “trucks,” but in my FJ you really get bounced around. A person that drives a Tahoe wants a tall, massive station wagon.
I might be wrong, but I don’t think the newer small suv’s are built on a truck frame. My 2002 yukon xl was the same frame basically as my 1999 Z71 extended cab pickup. The smaller suv’s like equinox, cx-5, etc. don’t seem to be built on a truck frame though.
I am aware of that, but I really don’t like minivan’s and have even passed on some suv’s(dodge was one) because they look too much like a minivan. Honestly I loved my 99 Z71 extended cab and have enjoyed the yukon xl but am trying to be practical and get something with better gas mileage. I don’t think I can push myself as far as a minivan or really small car though, too much of a transition.
I had three minivans…but no SUVs or trucks. We needed a people mover when we had the vans. Lots of car pool gigs. The SUVs that seated more than 5 people were the size of a small school bus, and I didn’t want that. We had smaller vans (Mazda, Nissan and Caravan before it grew).
We now have two wagons…V70 Volvo and Subaru Outback. And a Volvo sedan.
Kids are both car drivers (Camry). But one wants a small four wheel drive SUV when she replaces her car.
Re: the DMV…in CT, they extended the requirements for renewals and transferring from OOS. That helped. They are now doing appointment only. Our kid said she did registration and license transfer in under an hour. The DMV workers said the appointment thing has worked out very well.
For license renewal here, I go to AAA. I do everything else online.
@GKUnion glad you go it all done!!
My son finished his driving school driving hours last week and was green lighted to sign up for his driver’s license road test.
The school charges $175 to schedule the test and do a 60 minute driving test “boot camp” just prior to your appointment. They have the inside track when scheduling tests because they get designated blocks, so they were projecting mid-October for his appointment.
That seemed silly to me, both financially and in terms of scheduling. Friday I signed into the road test scheduling portal and found all calendars for all locations booked solid through October, and into November. Since I figured out the system for getting grocery deliveries, acquiring Clorox wipes, toilet paper & paper towels during a pandemic, I decided I could crack the driving test code.
I stayed up Friday, and as the clock turned to midnight I signed back in. Interestingly, the next available day in November came online for appointments, but no September/October cancelations populated. When I woke up Saturday morning I checked again…nothing…but it was early. I checked online to see what time the brick and mortar locations opened on the weekend. At exactly 9 a.m. I logged back in, and what do you know, an appointment this coming Wednesday morning opened up at a location about 30 minutes away! I scheduled it immediately.
I walked into the kitchen to let my wife know how awesome I am. When I told her she looked at me and said, “That’s the first day of online school you dummy.” Oops. Thankfully, it’s a half day, so he’ll get two classes in at home and part of his third class in while I drive him to his test. I guess it’s better than missing a full day…