That New Car Smell
Ok, I got the new car bug. The last time this happened was in the spring of 2015. I did a bunch of research and bought the Jeep that has been my daily driver. It’s been my trusty companion and has taken me driving on the beach, and on various vacations. It helped me move to Delaware, full to the brim with cargo.
But my trusty ride developed some issues. The last time it was at the Jeep dealer for an oil change, they informed me that it was going to need $2,500 - $4,000 in work in the next few months.
I wanted to keep my old friend, but then I was reminded of the Sunk Cost Fallacy. This is basically means “throwing good money after bad.” So, I was weighing my options.
Then disaster struck in early February.
I was coming back from visiting Celeste in Maryland. It was a dark, rainy Monday night. Really crappy. Nobody was on the road. I was about half way home and had just turned onto Maryland state route 404, a four-lane divided highway, when a truck in the right lane suddenly pulled into my lane, forcing me into the median barrier.
The Jeep bounced off the barrier and basically every bit of the left side of the car was damaged. I even lost the license plate! But I was not hurt and was able to drive home safely. Unfortunately, the truck kept on going. It wasn’t road rage that I know of and I wonder if he even knew what he did.
State Farm has been excellent, especially since this is my first claim in over 30 years.
The body shop, on the other hand, not so much. They’re very nice, and friends who have used them have attested to their thoroughness and quality. But it took almost five weeks!
Anyway, I got the Jeep back and it seems fine. But it’s tainted; soiled in a way.
So, during the five weeks of driving a bland white Chevy rental, I shopped for a new car. The Wrangler was fun but at my advanced age I figured something a bit more mature and dignified was in order. Not harrumph territory, but something that would better fit my butt.
No, not a boring sedan or wimpy hybrid. I wanted a true SUV that can handle sandy beaches and whatnot, but with a little comfort. So, I ruled out another Wrangler and the new Ford Bronco too.
The GMC Yukon is really nice and capable, but OMG are they pricey. A decent one is $80K and a top model is almost $100K. Whoa, not on my retirement income.
I started looking back at Jeep and felt like the Grand Cherokee was the best fit. A lot smaller (and cheaper) than their $110K Grand Wagoneer, but more room than the regular Cherokee.
I found one I liked and drove it home last night.
My old Wrangler was pretty well equipped but new cars nowadays have all kinds of features that were unheard of even a few years ago. My new car has “adaptive cruise control” which I’d read about but never experienced. Basically, you set your speed like any other cruise control but instead of constantly maintaining that speed, if the car in front of you slows down, you automatically slow down. When it speeds up you speed up. I tried it last night and it makes driving on the highway with the cruise control on so much easier.
Anyway, only 72 easy payments and she’s all mine!
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A small anecdote on the popularity (or lack thereof) of electric cars.
I visited two Jeep dealers in my search and I was floored by the number of electric versions sitting on the lot. Of the models that have both gas and electric, easily half were electric. Lots of inventory.
While chatting with the salesguy about discounts (I made a really good deal on mine) he bragged that last week he got a customer a $20K discount on an electric Jeep. $20,000!!! I said that this must because EVs aren’t selling. He told me that they’re selling the hell out of them. I guess so if they’re discounting them by 33%!