Car Buying

The More You Drive It… The Less You Like It

We spent the morning test driving a new or different mid-size SUV to replace the 2-year-old Hyundai Tucson she bought back in June of 2023. While the Tucson is a great example of the class of vehicle that is the go-to for many people it is just not a standout. And Sally has come to not like it so much and has come to coin today’s title as her mantra for the car. And after driving it these past few weeks I have to agree with her on that sentiment.

And I feel a little responsible for her owning such a meh car, because I steered to Hyundai in the first place because of my good feelings for the 2010 Hyundai Sonata Donna and I owned from 2010 to 2016.

Like last time we began with the Subaru Forester and once again it impressed and unlike last time we got a salesman that was personable and helpful. Had we got him last time she might be driving a Forester right now, but who knows, maybe after 2 years she might have the same sentiment about the Subaru.

We skipped the next-door neighbor Honda dealership because in 2023 it didn’t impress. Trying to redeem my previous car advice misadventure, I steered her towards the Mazda dealer and a CX-5. We were greeted by a salesman whose name was Brian, so I knew we were in luck. Looking online prior to coming, I had eyed a dark blue S Premium, so Brian pulled up for us. I drove first and this would be my choice, even with the slightly noisier engine than the Subaru. Half way around our loop we swapped drivers and Sally took over. This car had a lot more amenities than the similar Premium Forester. The heated steering wheel in the CX-5 was almost enough to sell the car to her. Almost.

We had mentioned that we were going to go test drive a Toyota RAV4, but our ever intrepid salesman mentioned he could save us a trip if we wanted to test drive a used one that he had on the lot. What the heck, why not. It was a color, red, so that as good, but it was the base model, so forget heated steering wheel, it didn’t even have heated seats. I drove the whole loop and Sally judged from the passenger seat. Her conclusion was that she liked the feeling of heft compared to the Mazda and the current Hyundai, but the price of a two-year-old RAV4 didn’t make sense as far as a road trip car that lacked refinement.

Once again, our ‘johnny on the spot’ Brian said he had an S Premium used that might work as it was pretty much the same car as the new one (the only thing that was missing was the HUD.) Sally once again just rode shotgun on the loop. And once again, I liked it better than her. And because she’s buying it, I think there won’t be a Mazda CX-5 in her garage.

After driving around all morning we opted to head home and get lunch before trying out any more cars. After a quick lunch we both at each other and said, almost in unison, “No more test drives today.”

The Subaru and Toyota felt the best to her because of the smoother shifting and feel of weightiness, the Mazdas fell behind because of the lighter feel, similar to the Hyundai, and the physical shifting gear feeling. Today is a short day because I’m flying out this afternoon, we have tabled any other car test driving until I return in April. I think we may need to test the Honda CRV again because it an all-new model since the 2023 and also test the Nissan Rouge that we skipped last time because both these vehicles have a CVT transmission which will hide that shift feel of the Mazda.

Adios Casa de Sally

Having guided our host through the gates of car buying hell, we packed the Mini and headed north on the long awaited return to home.

Monday we test drove the front runner, the 2023 Subaru Forester, followed by a 2023 Honda CRV (Honda shared the lot with Subaru) and although Sally swore she wanted new, a 2020 Honda Passport was taken for a short drive. She liked the heft and acceleration of the Pathfinder, but she didn’t like the low gas mileage. The CRV was an underwhelming drive and to get the stuff she wanted it was going to be over her spending cap. The Forester remained the favorite. Tuesday we started at the Hyundai dealer to try out the 2023 Tucson. After a 10 mile test drive, this vehicle jumped to the head of the class, so much so the Nissan Rogue that was possibly next, was skipped.

She really wanted a black car, her current car a 2002 Toyota RAV4 is that color and she likes it. Also a black car diminishes the prominence of the ugly black plastic cladding that is ubiquitous these days. None of the new cars tested were black and there were no black cars on the lot. The Subaru salesman on Monday said he would email her if any might be in their pipeline, but he never did. That and his ineptness in name remembrance and constant sniffing while along for the test drive killed the Subaru sale. Sally even said if the more personable and professionalism Honda salesman could sell her a Subaru, the Forester would have been her choice.

The Hyundai dealer had a still unprepped brand new Tucson in Portifino Gray (see yesterday’s post) on the lot and she though maybe if she could get it ready later in the afternoon and she could test drive it, that might make the sale. They called at 4:30 and we went back to take that test drive that included a trip right back to Casa de Sally for a test fitting in her garage. Ding, Ding, ding we have a winner. They worked up an offer sheet and she said all she needed to do was contact her insurance to see what the coverage would be like. That happened this morning and when we left she was text bargaining with the salesman over the usual dealer added options and their extra markup crap. If all goes well Sally will be driving a new Hyundai Tucson before we get back home on Sunday.

Car-y Truck or Truck-y Car?

We have been tossing around the idea that we need a different vehicle to take advantage of the outdoor activities that abound in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The lowered Miata is a no-go on anything but a nice smooth road and the Mini has a bit more ground clearance, literally like maybe an inch or so more than the Miata’s three.

We don’t want to do serious off-roading like rock crawling or anything, but we do want the ability to turn down a forest service road and drive a few miles to a trailhead without poking a hole in some vital bit of our car.

Our first thought was Wrangler. We had a real nice experience with a Rubicon we borrowed from Crazy Dave’s Car Rental. So much so, that we currently have a ginormous 5-gallon water jug in the living room we have been tossing change into labeled “Jeep Jar.”

But the Jeep is probably more hardcore than we need. A mid level SUV is not the most desirable vehicle on my list, but would be a good compromise. Donna has always wanted a small pickup for its utility, but today’s small pickups are anything but small.

An intriguing option is a couple of new vehicles that are just appearing on the market that are a mashup of a small SUV and a pickup truck, AKA Trucklets1. They are the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Below is a video from my new favorite car guys comparing them both:

The Everyday Driver guys did separate reviews of the two crucks2, so here are their takes on the Santa Cruz and then the Maverick.

17.8 mile drive take a walk at the Running Y Ranch.
Times Miata Driven since 01/01/22: 13

 

Not Crossing the Rubicon


When mulling Option #3 from Wednesday’s post I thought, hey wait a minute, I know someone who has one, I’ll ask him. So on my morning walk on Friday I walked over to his house. I got a quick Jeep primer and then a surprise; he offered to let me have his for a couple days. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I said, “Mmmm, OK.”

First off, this jeep is practically brand new, with a mere 9300 miles on the odo, and still has that telltale scent. It is also optioned very nicely too. With the hardtop on, the A/C on, SiriusXM playing and ensconced in some comfy leather seats you are in a very modern vehicle. Definitely not your father’s Jeep. Make no mistake, this is a very large ride. When in traffic you look down on cars and see eye to eye with today’s 4-wheel drive 1/2 ton pickups. In spite of the size it can feel very car-like in its handling though, with its fairly short wheelbase and 4,000 lb weight it feels quite planted on everything except very sharp corners.

Donna and I have put it through the paces. We tooled around some county back roads listening to Channel 14, The Coffee House from outer space for hour or so. We did our weekly grocery shopping in it, in the afternoon. We took the front 2 panels of the hardtop off, rolled down the windows, opened the back window and went for an evening drive. Not Miata-like, but it did feel fairly open and was an enjoyable ride. Probably a lot more convertible-ish if we could have taken the whole top off…

Today we went over to Goodwill to get rid of some stuff that has been collecting dust in the attic for the last dozen years or more. Almost all of it would have fit in the Mini, but two trips would have been necessary. The Goodwill folks didn’t want all of it, so we just drove the Jeep to one of the local County Drop-Off sites. Tonight we are going to take another opened up evening drive.

Tomorrow morning I’ll hose off the dead bugs, vacuum the dust out of the back and fill up the tank before returning the Jeep back to Crazy Dave’s Car Rental. We did learn that the Jeep really isn’t for us, at least not this Jeep, it is too big and too refined. If we do ever get to Oregon, we might get one from a couple generations back (a later year TJ maybe) when they were a bit smaller, then we can use it to bomb around on Forrest Service roads and get out in nature.

Alternative Daily, Alternative Daily, or Alternative Daily?

Ok, so what if we chuck the whole ‘has to be a Miata’ thing? Really, the biggest thing we would miss would be the convertible aspect. What other convertibles are out there that are around the same price as a Miata?

Option 1) How about a Mini Cooper? We’ve already own one, they’re small, fun to drive, good on gas, so a sort of known quantity. The least expensive model is called Classic and like the Miata’s Sport model only comes in roughly the same 4 colors; Pepper White, Chili Red, Moonwalk Grey and Midnight Black, with grey being the only color that doesn’t cost extra. Adding just heated seats and a wind blocker gets us to a list price of $28,500.

Option 2) Pony car maybe? This is a large car compared to the Miata, it is more than a half a foot wider, nearly 3 FEET longer and weights one and a half times one at 3,600 lbs. A Ford Mustang comes in 10 colors though with only 2, Ruby Red & Orange Fury, with a $500 up charge. I’ll take my Eco-Boost in Velocity Blue. Still, even with adding zero options, the car is listed at $32,385.

Option 3) If we do end up living in Oregon, how about something more attuned to the open spaces of the wild west? Maybe a little 4-wheel drive action to handle the 12″ of snow they average in January? A Jeep Wrangler is the answer. It comes in 11 no cost colors, I’ll take it in Bikini Pearl thank you very much. Adding only the black tubular running boards to the Sport model brings the list price to $29,935.


–I’m actually starting to dig this option–

Daily, Daily, or Daily?

Ok, here is where we are at, the CTBNL is still in the shop. I don’t know if they are still trying to fix the ‘I don’t like to run in the heat’ problem or they just haven’t got to it yet. Either way, with Donna’s complete lack of faith in the car and her vow never to get back into it, what am I to do?

Option 1) I have actually been given permission to go ahead and price a shiny new 2019 Miata. A base car runs around $27k and comes in 4 “colors”; Black, Ceramic (a semi shiny really light gray), White and Red ($600 extra.) My thoughts would be to get the white and add some stripes, similar to the CTBNL, only red instead of blue. The little negatives are no glove box, unusable cup holders and the droopy looking rear view. The BIG negative is a $400 car payment for the next 5 years.

Option 2) Buy a used NB. There was a nice 2003 Shinsen Edition for sale in Huntsville, AL on the M.net Forums, but between when I looked at it this morning and now, it must have sold. Should I try to recreate the Emperor? There is a very stock looking 2003 Garnet Red for sale in North Carolina on the forums as well. Only $5k. The big negative with this one is it has 108,000 miles on it. But if the ad is to be believed it has been very well taken care of.

Or Option 3) Just keep the CTBNL if the fix turns out to be another bad Cam Angle Sensor or another random $100 sensor and slowly try to get Donna (and me too) used to trusting the car again?