My Wife No Longer Wants a Tahoe. Now She Wants an LR4.

crunchy bird man wrote:

Judgemental? So this is something new on Letsrun?

Anyways... Get used to it.. is right. Cars depreciate like crazy. Why would you choose to be the sucker who absorbs all of that depreciation AND pays interest on the car loan? 5 years is NOT long term value IMO. If you peruse the used car scene you can find some great cars that have held up twice or three times that long at a fraction of the price.

But more importantly... why buy a landrover OR a tahoe to drive around? Is the illusion of "safety" that these cars provide worth the money? Are the aesthetics worth the money? Is the carbon footprint of the car worth the money?

Don't worry... I am judging all of you fuel wasting, suburban luddites.

Yeah, but no one cares about you. You're like an atheist: you spout off at the mouth all day long and you're the least liked demographic on the planet.

Most people would rather be judged and hated by you than liked by you.

Just sayin'

Auto Advisor wrote:

To see just what a waste of money the LR4 is, let's do a comparison with the Toyota Highlander.

Toyota advantages:

-Highlander costs half as much. Do whatever you want with the extra $30k.

-Has great resale value. In five years, the $30k Highlander and $60k LR4 will be worth the same amount.

-Toyota is the most reliable make out there. Range Rover is by far the least reliable.

-More interior space

-Better gas mileage

-Safer

LR4 advantages:

-Nicer interior and lots of electric gizmos to play with, until they break.

-Impress the neighbors (at least in your own mind. In reality, for every person who is envious of you there are two people who think you're an a-hole for driving such a pretentious vehicle. Be prepared to have your car keyed and get cut off in traffic a lot.)

This. Exactly, and any others along these lines. Maybe you've got more money than you know what to do with but there are vehicles that will give your wife the room and performance she's after for way less money.

Seriously wanna know....

Kids college paid off? House on track to be paid off? Second mortgage? Credit utilization?

I am still a poor dad so I just wanna know how people who buy these cars are doing these days

llalalallalala wrote:

Seriously wanna know....

Kids college paid off? House on track to be paid off? Second mortgage? Credit utilization?

I am still a poor dad so I just wanna know how people who buy these cars are doing these days

Thanks so much for all of the replies. I consider all of the points and you have made me think more about this decision than I have in the past.

Just to answer the question(s) above (since it is relevant).

No current car payments. I would consider financing this one if the rate was fairly low, mainly so that I could keep the capital invested elsewhere. That is obviously a quick numbers game of "where is the money better utilized."

Kids are still young and attend a fairly expensive private school. They will go to public High School and then I have accounts established for their college educations. I contribute a set amount to these accounts on an annual basis, as do both of their grandparents. The plan is for them to have $100k for college expenses, each. If they need any more than that, they can take out loans. Sounds like a ton but you just never know...

No second mortgage but my current mortgage features a great interest rate and the payments are very reasonable. We have no interest in moving, ever. I could obviously work to pay down the mortgage quicker, but honestly, I am the type of person that sees enjoying life as a priority. So in other words, I am not going to eat beans my entire life so that I can die with an extra $100K. Granted, I consider myself very reasonable and tend to spend money on things like education and travel rather than tangible stuff.

So I can afford this car, but I have never been the type of person to buy an expensive car in the past. I would never buy myself an expensive car.

I look at it like this: When I proposed to my wife, the last thing I needed to spend money on was a diamond. WTF? Why spend all my hard-earned money on a rock when I was (literally at that time) eating beans for every meal, right? But it was important to her and I guess it shows that I am willing to sacrifice. So in a marriage you find that you often disagree about things. I respect that she needs a bigger car and I do enjoy a bigger car when we travel, especially with the dogs.

When it comes down to it, most of the larger SUVs are pretty expensive. The Pilot is really the outlier, and that is what would make sense to buy... but she isn't feeling it. So I am stuck...

I think I will pass on the LR4 based on some of the comments here, but I do think it would be preferable to the Tahoe.

Husband Against Tahoes wrote:

The plan is for them to have $100k for college expenses, each. If they need any more than that, they can take out loans. Sounds like a ton but you just never know...

If for nothing else, I am going to argue that you should scale back on the luxury car to put more aside for college. It sounds like your kids are still more than a decade away from college and most respectable universities are in the $40k - $60k range now. You can expect that to go up by the time they get there. Even state schools are starting to exceed the $25k amount. You are effectively making the decision for them now that they each have to take on $60k - $100k in debt for a bachelor's degree at an unknown interest rate in the future. That sounds like a terrible deal for a young adult trying to get started. I'm not advocating that we coddle our children, but if you have the ability to set more money aside, why wouldn't you forego some unnecessary luxury for your kid's future?

You sound like a sucker. Let me guess. Your wife doesn't work does she?

You make a good point, and I have to admit that I am hesitant to write anything on here about money due to the viscous responses that follow. but to your point, lets just say that the kids are going to be fine with their college education. They wont have loans. We can leave it at that.

To the guy asking if my wife works. Yes, she works hard raising the kids. I am not a sucker and I don't view my wife as a competitor. I am interested in what she wants. I don't want to make a stupid purchase, but I want to make her happy.

Got ya. Well it sounds like you are ahead of the game... I'd just get her something that has decent resale value. Best of luck

Impossible to believe anyone here has even been on a date with a woman, much less has a wife.

0/10

tra-la-la-la wrote:

Impossible to believe anyone here has even been on a date with a woman, much less has a wife.

0/10

?

I have a wife and a 2 year old.

Husband Against Tahoes wrote:

To the guy asking if my wife works. Yes, she works hard raising the kids. I am not a sucker and I don't view my wife as a competitor. I am interested in what she wants. I don't want to make a stupid purchase, but I want to make her happy.

Called it. If buying expensive things for your leech of a wife makes you happy then good for you. I guarantee she'll be asking for a new, bigger house in a few years. I've seen this a thousand times with friends.

Congratulations on eliminating the Tahoe. It's a boat. Next, take a test drive in the Ford Escape. My runner buddy loves her Escape and she could easily afford any car she wants. Oh, and her previous car was a minivan and she likes the Escape more.

argh wrote:

Called it. If buying expensive things for your leech of a wife makes you happy then good for you. I guarantee she'll be asking for a new, bigger house in a few years. I've seen this a thousand times with friends.

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We bought a Buick Enclave last year and have been really enjoying it. It should be on the list for what you've been looking at.

I'll repeat that others have said: do NOT buy a Land Rover. (If you need an example of a Land Rover's true cost of ownership, check out Doug DeMuro on Jalopnik. He's got a Rangie, but it will be pretty much the same with an LR4.)

If your wife really, really wants a Land Rover and will throw a hissy fit if she doesn't get one, consider a lease where everything (service and repairs) is included. Leasing isn't always a smart option, but for luxury cars like the LR4 isn't not a bad idea. Sure, you don't have an asset when your lease is up, but you also don't have a severely depreciated rolling piece of junk full of electrical gremlins.

Has she seriously considered what she wants out of a car, or is she just blinded by the badge and the size? If she wants a luxury SUV, you can't go wrong with the new Acura MDX. It's essentially a Pilot but with smoother lines and leather.

It's not your wife's fault she wants a luxury SUV. It's because of the snooty suburb you guys moved to. Remember, not so long ago she was fine with not even having a car. But now when she goes to play tennis all the other housewives have fancy cars, and she feels embarrassed by her perfectly nice minivan. The solution is to give the minivan flames and a spoiler. Then all the snooty housewives will ostracize her, and she can find some real friends instead.

Auto Advisor wrote:

It's not your wife's fault she wants a luxury SUV. It's because of the snooty suburb you guys moved to. Remember, not so long ago she was fine with not even having a car. But now when she goes to play tennis all the other housewives have fancy cars, and she feels embarrassed by her perfectly nice minivan. The solution is to give the minivan flames and a spoiler. Then all the snooty housewives will ostracize her, and she can find some real friends instead.

I love this website. I was hoping for a good mix of actual advice and comments like this one.

We don't live in a suburb, though my wife does play tennis.

She doesn't NEED an SUV - for the record - she just wants a larger SUV and they all happen to be rather expensive. So we were looking at the Tahoe and it is more expensive than the LR4, which is why I started the thread.

In the other thread, I explain more about what I am willing to buy and not willing to buy.

Basically, I don't want to spend over $60k. And I would prefer to spend less than that, but we have two large dogs and two kids and it can get crowded pretty quick in most mid-sized SUVs. We have been in a minivan and it has been great, but my wife needs a new car and this has been a dilemma that LRC has been graciously helping me battle.

If it were me, I would get the Pilot. For the record, we test drove a Touring edition Pilot that was just as nice as some of the luxury SUVs. It was about $50k but I imagine I could get it for closer to $45K.

I was hoping the LR4 would be an easy switcheroo where I could avoid the Tahoe while still making the wife happy (since she prefers the LR4). In her defense, the thing is beautiful and it is fun to drive. I just don't want the hassles that apparently come with it.

I don't want to lease: kids and dogs make that pretty obvious ;)

I am going to delicately push for the Pilot and see what happens. I will report back.

Thanks for all of your help. You guys are underrated.

Husband Against Tahoes wrote:

If it were me, I would get the Pilot. For the record, we test drove a Touring edition Pilot that was just as nice as some of the luxury SUVs. It was about $50k but I imagine I could get it for closer to $45K.

Please take $10K off of each number. I am drunk, apparently. Looked at WAY too many cars of late.

Don't understand the need for the big SUV. Mazda CX-5 is a really fun to drive, responsive car with enough room in the back for stuff. You can get a loaded package for 30K. My wife loves her bigger CX-9, but the safety ratings are not great there. Seriously- take a look at what Mazda is putting out. Great gas mileage vehicles that are fun to drive- polar opposite of a Tahoe, or even a Land Rover (bad choice- you will regret).