OK, this is ridiculous because I don't have the cash yet, but am banking [scuse the pun] on getting something next year. I also don't really have a budget but I'm gonna set myself one of around ~$400 per month. So this would either get me a 2-3yr lease or a 5yr loan of around $20K. (I think)
The one thing I prefer about car ownership, is owning something interesting. I hate cars that become appliances, they must have a soul. Now given that I have two kids some of my choices are limited by my situation, so no two seaters for example, but there are many interesting cars out there, I just need to find one.
Much as I like brand new cars I am swayed towards getting something used, just so I am not paying for the depreciation and then ending up with nothing at the end of it. But for my budget I can’t seem to find anything exciting… The lease always seems the easy way out.
Lease Car: Easy, WRX 265, job done. It just ticks every box. The only other car I would consider new would be the Genesis Coupe but apart from the smaller back seats to fit the kids into I think the depreciation would be heavier.
Used Car: Well the list of “interesting” cars is endless… (bear in mind some of these will be over 5-10yrs old)
Audi Estate (A4/A6 Avant)
A8
BMW 3 series wagon (or 5 or 7 series)
Range Rover
Lexus something?
Subaru Legacy Wagon? (Although Mitlov put me off)
80’s Merc (SEL, SEC, E500?)
Volvo wagon.
Something domestic of which I currently know nothing about? Like that Lincoln MKVIII RR had. Something big and wafty like a 3yr old Buick? A big truck would be fun! (bear in mind a lot of the domestic stuff you would consider boring is pretty interesting to me, OK maybe not the Buick, but they are reliable!)
Ideally I want something large enough to fit a lot of photography equipment in, lighting stands etc. so a wagon/estate would be perfect. If it's a coupe it has to be a hatch. Plus a big engine, RWD and a manual transmission would be preferable. The one thing with some of the older cars I have listed is that I don’t know what was sold in Canada and to what degree, so some of them are pretty hard to track down. This is where you guys 'n' gals can really help me out.
What are the best websites for used cars,
www.autotrader.ca doesn’t seem to have much, and what about classics? Also should I consider importing something from the US?
Ideas on a postcard please..
P.S. The reason I would like to stay away from a lease is that I want to get to the point where I can switch cars relatively often with no large financial penalty. I figure if I can buy something for $20K that has already depreciated, then maybe it would be worth $10K by the time I had paid for it. Then every year or so I can add some money to that pot and get something faster. And you people know what it's like, even that new car loses it's shine when you get to 2-3 years of ownership no matter how good it is... car people just yearn for something different.
In the UK I had 3 new cars in the space of 6 years, and paid for it. For some reason moving to Canada has made me more fiscally responsible!
