Hi everyone. Today I have some lighter topic at the time of coronavirus and many human rights demonstrations. As many might say I have probably had nothing better to do, than persuade myself that we need a car. It was unFIRE like and not really supported by Mrs Why925 but she gave up. Probably she wanted me to slowly relax and start talking about something different than cars. So there we go. Wasting hard earn money on WANTs which we really did not need. But I have done it and hopefully if we keep car long enough the financial damage should be just superficial.
We had this beautiful family 7 seater Mazda CX9. Best car I have ever owned. The quality of the workmanship, space, safety (one of the safest SUVs), nice leather seats, the solid way how it drives (bit firm, but I happen to like that connection with the road) and powerful V6 with close to 300 horse power. I had it for 3 years and did only 30000km. No problems whatsoever. Only annual service. Car was a very good value too. I bought it 6 years old when it depreciated from about $62000 to $24000.
The only things I did not like was the fuel consumption. I knew it but I still did not like it. In the country I was getting average 13l/100km while in the city was almost impossible to push it under 17l. It was no biggie but annoying. Second thing I got disappointed with was Mazda 4wd on demand system. I have intentionally picked 4wd model as I knew I will live in the country and the roads are there not always perfect. But the only time I have really needed it was when I got stuck on very, very mild slope on wet grass. Only one wheel was spinning and computer never transferred power to the other wheels. Not sure why but it happened few times, luckily always on my property, where I could easily sort it out. Anyway. Would I buy same car newer model again? Well thirsty engine was changed and they have added extra sensors to improve 4wd system. I think CX9 is probably best car in its category for last decade and I would pick it up again, if I have not lived on the rural property. And wife really liked, it which is a dealbreaker.
Anyway, so car was getting bit old. Good km (only 100,000km) but at 9 years old I have started wondering, what will go wrong. It is a luxury car and spare parts would not be cheap. 95 years old father of my mate says, that you sell the car when everything works perfectly. And he is not wrong. It is real hassle to sell it, if just one thing is not OK. Also I wanted better fuel economy, smaller vehicle (we used 7 seats only couple of times and 2.2tons car seemed to be bit over the top for daily commute) and better 4wd system.
I have had it listed on Gumtree (something like Craigslist in the US), Facebook Marketplace and some Buy and Sell local groups. It was actually not easy sell. It took me 7 months and I got about $2000 less than I have originally hoped for, though the car was in perfect condition with all the regular service invoices available, logbook, no accident. Market was probably bit slow and I was not desperate and did not discount too much. But then one young family wanted nice car and the deal was done within couple of days.
At the end of the day I probably got a good deal. I got $15.5k for it but first, car unseen dealer’s offer was $11k and they sure would find something to pay the desperate seller only $10k. It just shows how large (and largely not really considered) expense car depreciation is. Everyone thinks about service cost and fuel. I know reliability and depreciation are dealbreakers for me. I have lost on CX9 about $3000 a year which was painful, but the first owner was bleeding $6000 per year for 6 years! Also on my 2017 Outback original owner lost almost $7k per year of ownership (he bought it new only in early 2018). In the outback case the loss is greater per year even while it is cheaper than CX9. Main driver of that is he kept the car only bit over 2 years. Depreciation is steepest at the beginning of the life of the vehicle.
After my research I have shortlisted 3 used 2015-2018 models. Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander and Subaru Outback. You might have noticed my bias to Japanese vehicles. All of them are at the top of their class and also quite capable offroad for SUVs. RAV4 is great vehicle with famous reliability but at this time of my life, it did not seem exciting enough. The only thing which failed Outlander in my view were quite ordinary reviews how it drives and weak engine. It was best priced, very reliable, good off road and even 7 seater (for some short trips). Now I think maybe at least I should have try to drive it but I just had to scratch my itch to own Subaru.
It seems that Subaru owners are very loyal, all models are equipped with excellent AWD system, look great outside and inside and are very safe. Subarus are very popular in the countryside where I live. I have focused on Outback Premium which has economical 2.5l engine (about 7.5l/100km), very large boot, leather interior and Subaru famous collision warning system. I have managed to negotiate 2017 model with 2 remaining years of manufacturer’s warranty from $30k to $27k. At that point the owner did not want to budge. It was not probably the very best deal on the market (within 250km) but I started to like the owners who were settled middle aged (like us) family who seemed to have no reason not to treat the car well. Also extra tow bar, cargo and car mats made the deal sweeter for me. I have learned that if you consider the owner of your selected vehicle mature driver, you have much bigger chance to get a good used vehicle. You definitely don’t go for the cheapest model around.
Don’t get me wrong. So far I was about 10 times lucky with our and family’s used car purchases, but as I will keep buying used cars in the future, my chances to get a lemon are unfortunately increasing. Especially considering lack of my mechanical skills. One way to minimise this, is to be buying car in slightly higher price category. Let’s say over $15,000 which are out of reach many hot headed learner drivers. Also it is good to have a mechanic to have a look at it. It is well spent $220 for mobile inspection. Make sure the owner serviced the car as required and has all the invoices and filled out logbook. If you can get a car which is still under warranty, that should help you to sleep better as well. Many cars have 5 years warranty these days and some even 7 years. Just make sure the vehicle was serviced as requested, so the warranty stays valid. And don’t forget to spend $10 to check the history, if the car was not stolen, has finance owed on it or it was in a serious accident.
Anyway. The car is beautiful, family loves it and hopefully it will serve us quite a few years. I would expect to sell it sometimes around 150,000 km.
