If all goes as planned with my surrogacy, and if (when) I get pregnant next month, then we will be buying a new (used) car for our family. We have been making d0 with my husbands old 4 passenger Nissan for about 6 months now. We haven’t gotten another desperately needed car because we didn’t have a down payment and we really did not want to have car payments. Especially not big car payments that would come with having no down payment.
So here we are now and I’m prematurely shopping for vehicles. Because, well, I’m a girl and I like to get my hopes up and torture myself by shopping with no money. LOL
Actually, Let’s call it “research.” I’m just gathering data so that we can make the right decision when the time comes.
Yeah…that’s what I keep telling myself.
Anyhow, we’ve been talking for a long time about when we get a new car, then we were going to get a big 4 door Ford F150. Something like this:
We have an active lifestyle that involves lots of camping. Here are the great and valid points for getting a truck like this.
- Big enough for all of us. For a long time. Plenty of room for the boys to grow.
- Room enough for 3 booster seats/car seat combos.
- Room for camping gear.
- Can put a quad or other ORV in the truck bed.
- Large enough to pull a future trailer.
A good, all around truck for my family.
But.
Isn’t there always a “but?”
I used to have a Jeep Wrangler. It is the favorite car I ever owned and I wish to this day that I still had it. It was just plain and simple, FUN to drive. I had mostly written off owning another Jeep for a long time due to them being only 4 passengers and well, we are a 5 person family. But then they started producing the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. A 5 person, 4 door, convertible Jeep Wrangler. YAY!
This is the vehicle that I want. Points for the Jeep:
- Seating for 5. I checked the specs and there is room along the back seat for 3 boosters.
- Better gas mileage than the truck
- Easier to drive (not as big).
- Less likely that I will back it into another car in a cramped parking lot.
- Comes in 4×4 so we could easily take it around in the desert.
Now, there are some points against my beloved Jeep that my husband points out.
- Won’t haul a trailer. Well, it will pull 3500 pounds. So it won’t pull a big trailer, but we can’t buy a big trailer right now anyways. We could, however, pull a smaller flatbed type trailer and put quads and camping gear on that. It could possibly even pull a tent trailer at some point.
- Not as big, not as much cargo space. A truck, we could put quad/camping gear in the bed and not worry about pulling anything. The Jeep would have to pull a trailer to go camping just about anywhere.
SO, what would you get? The car that you really really really really really really LOVE and want or the one that is probably a bit more practical for the long term? Oh, and once the Jeep is paid off, we could always look into getting my husband his truck. Later.
I know the feeling!!! I am always looking for a 2 door BMW or a yellow Beetle …but only in my dreams! I drive an old car and I am too practical so I will drive it even if most of our staff drives a hummer
……. I know you can afford it….and maybe you deserve a new car???..but at the end of the day ..think of the bad drivers around you and the increasing cost of insurance !!! – Belinda
First, I’m just GREEN with envy that you’re transferring so soon!! I have to wait till END of September! Second, i’d go for the truck. Because I’m a truk person and the jeep, while super fun to look at, isn’t exactly what your family NEEDS, while it is what you want.
Please, never get any car like either of these. Think primarily about maintenance costs and gas millage. You should end up with something lower to the ground and lighter. A sedan. Me, I’d get the practical car over the car I “want” any day. I’ve had too many friends with go with the latter and end up frustrated with car trouble; it’s not worth the hassle, spend the extra cash on something that doesn’t devalue as fast.
Also change “due” to “do”.
I emailed you a “thank you” for your opinion.
You should change “millage” to “mileage”
How often do you go camping/drive around with the quad? If it’s every weekend, then the truck might make more sense. But if it is ten times a year or less I would not let it dictate my day to day life. Life is short, do what makes you happy. (within reason, of course, but I think the jeep may well be perfectly within reason!)