Avery'sMama
CPST Instructor
When choosing to purchase a new to you, used car, what are your primary considerations? How old of a car/high mileage would you finance?
DH and I are in an on-going dispute on this. We've comfortably made a car payment around $275 for our entire marriage, first on his car, then on mine. Both are nearly paid off, well one already is, and it's time to decide what we are doing.
He is of the opinion we should replace one of them with a cheap as possible car. Let's say $7k to $9k. I am of the opinion that if we should either save the car payment for a while, and put down X when we need to replace the car, or get another loan before baby comes, with the goal of keeping the payments at or below where we have been, but get a nicer, newer car. I have no interest in going from driving a 2004 with 130k miles, 90k of which *I* put on the car, to driving a 2005 with 90k miles, none of which I know the history of! I've got (will have) four kids to keep safe in my car.
DH currently drives the older car, with more mileage. It's a sedan, seats 5. Baby #4 is on the way. So we are debating buying him something that will seat 7, likely a cross-over, or replacing the van with a newer van, and either selling it, or having DH drive it, so both of our cars seat our whole family. I WOH, and he does child care pick up usually, I do drop off. Only having one car that seats everyone will be a PITA.
So, DH wants an older used sedan with less miles than his (currently 180k), for under $10k. I want a newer cross-over, SUV or mini-van (really, I want a new van) that will seat 7+, for probably $15-$20K. Or, I'm OK just waiting for a while and saving while we aren't making a payment to put more down. The problem, of course, is that who knows when one of these cars will go, and then we'll be buying in "crisis mode."
What are your thoughts? Would you really finance a slightly newer, slightly better, but still older car?
DH and I are in an on-going dispute on this. We've comfortably made a car payment around $275 for our entire marriage, first on his car, then on mine. Both are nearly paid off, well one already is, and it's time to decide what we are doing.
He is of the opinion we should replace one of them with a cheap as possible car. Let's say $7k to $9k. I am of the opinion that if we should either save the car payment for a while, and put down X when we need to replace the car, or get another loan before baby comes, with the goal of keeping the payments at or below where we have been, but get a nicer, newer car. I have no interest in going from driving a 2004 with 130k miles, 90k of which *I* put on the car, to driving a 2005 with 90k miles, none of which I know the history of! I've got (will have) four kids to keep safe in my car.
DH currently drives the older car, with more mileage. It's a sedan, seats 5. Baby #4 is on the way. So we are debating buying him something that will seat 7, likely a cross-over, or replacing the van with a newer van, and either selling it, or having DH drive it, so both of our cars seat our whole family. I WOH, and he does child care pick up usually, I do drop off. Only having one car that seats everyone will be a PITA.
So, DH wants an older used sedan with less miles than his (currently 180k), for under $10k. I want a newer cross-over, SUV or mini-van (really, I want a new van) that will seat 7+, for probably $15-$20K. Or, I'm OK just waiting for a while and saving while we aren't making a payment to put more down. The problem, of course, is that who knows when one of these cars will go, and then we'll be buying in "crisis mode."
What are your thoughts? Would you really finance a slightly newer, slightly better, but still older car?