$45k for new car? Good Idea?

Used vehicles are still over priced, although the prices have been coming down with Manheim auction data from the spring to summer showing a drop in prices. Subaru will want MSRP right now. In a year, they may have enough inventory to start offering some incentives and dealer discounts. But not right now. I had my Subaru in the shop recently at the dealership. They had 3 Outbacks and 2 Ascents on the lot. Pre-pandemic, they would have had 50-60 on the lot.

If you want all wheel drive, the Ascents is the best deal out there for a 3rd row SUV. Honda Pilots with AWD are about 8-10k more and aren't any better. Same for Acura, VW, etc.

Interest rates on auto loans are not very good but are not that bad if you have good credit. But I am not so sure rates are so high as to merit dumping your entire emergency fund into a vehicle. If you aren't going to put a lot of miles on it, the only really good deals out there right now are leases. I normally find leasing to be a horrible idea unless you want to always drive the latest luxury vehicle and have no issue with money. But leasing right now is not a bad idea as it allows you to sit out the current pricing environment and put the risk of a huge drop in equity (in case inventory finally snaps back and prices drop) on the lessor. But if you drive more than 10k a year, it is not worth it.

I'm a little out of the loop on newer Subarus, but read up on their CVTs and the state of some of the flat 4 and flat 6 engines. I know for a bit they had their flat 6 sorted out and had no head gasket issues, but that was in the 2000s. Zero idea if they ever solved all the problems that come with a flat engine, and I doubt they're doing a dry sump like Porsche. It's rare I hear someone say, "Boy I love this CVT," they're just not as good at going offroad and there's a million horror stories out there for CVTs in general.

If you plan on keeping it for many years, it could mean some major major service within 100,000 miles.

Do you really need one row of seat for each of your kids?

I'm a Subaru fan, but of their older Legacys in a manual transmission, not any of the new ones with CVT (not sure if your 13-year old Subaru had the CVT). If I made as much as you did, the Acura Integra Type S would be near the top of the list if I wanted a new car. My parents got a similar (but smaller, as cars of that era were) 5-door liftback Integra back in 1987 as I was graduating high school, and that was big enough as a family car for four. The auto journalists are giving the new Integra Type S the highest praise if you have any interest at all in something sporty.

theautopian.com

2024 Acura Integra Type S First Drive Review: Miata-Level Fun That Brings The Noise - The Autopian

Emme Hall

Naysayers might think the Acura Integra Type S is just a Honda Civic Type R in J. Crew chinos and driving loafers instead of a flat-brim hat and a Mugen hoodie. And while not exactly wrong, that doesn’t tell the whole story....

Link:www.theautopian.com/2024-acura-integra...

Nice humblebrag!

If that's the take-home and you feel like you need LRC's advice for this, you really should just kneel and put your palms together each night, raise your grateful eyes skyward, and pray to your god, "Please never let me live in a true meritocracy!"

Almost got me

2.5/10 , for the distractions

It's very hard to go wrong with the Ascent. And with your salary you really shouldn't be worrying about this. My family has owned Subarus for at least 15 years, so I'm a bit biased, but this doesn't sound like it should be a hard decision.

If you make 24k/month, I'd suggest looking at luxury brands. FWIW, we own a 2020 Ascent Touring. No issues. We actually prefer the CVT since there isn't any acceleration lag vs. traditional transmissions.

You have all that saved and make all that each month but are coming here for advice on how to spend it.

$45k for a subaru? At least you make enough that you can still afford plenty of vape juice and flat brim hats after your payment.

Americans must always be upgrading to larger cars. Always. This is why a vehicle that was designed to carry a grimy 6-man highway paving crew and their equipment is now used by dads to commute to the office.

One of the dumbest decisions you could possibly make. You'll lose 20% of the car's value the moment you drive it off lot and you damn sure had best not have a car payment, if so, it will be beyond dumb. Good luck.

Likely a troll, but for others...

Tesla Model Y, hands down. Best value for the money.

"I make a gazillion dollars can I afford a modest car?" I mean, are you really asking if you can afford a below average MSRP car when you make north of 400K? Really?

Buying an exclusively gasoline fueled car in 2023 seems like a bonehead move.

You could spend less on a 3 row Tesla model Y, which is now the world’s best selling car, or roughly the same on a PHEV Pacifica minivan or Rav 4 Prime.

If you keep it for 13 years that is less than $3500/year. Subarus hold up very well as you can attest. Buy new.

If you are keeping a car that long then I say optimize it and get one that is already 2 years old. To me once you are holding onto a car that long things like depreciation really do not matter.

4 people can mean a lot of gear being hauled around.