The urge to make poor decisions is growing strong!
I really have no interest in buying a new car. I’m down to my final year of payments on my 2015 Mazda 3 and I am still pretty happy with it. I just hit 32.5k miles yesterday so it still has a ton of life it in, but also probably some routine maintenance in the next year or tow. I just had to replace the rear brakes and rotors to pass inspection. And there is something to be said about not having a new car, I care enough anymore to park in the back of public lots and worry about small paint chips.
BUT a highly incentivized Alltrack is tempting! And there just happens to be a still new 2019 SE with a manual at a local dealer. I bet I could hunt down an additional Friends and Family discount as well. It comes pretty well equipped considering the Alltrack falls in that semi-luxury segment VW seems to like to fail at, the only negative package wise is it isn’t Great Falls Green.
Aside from being a new vehicle, the Alltrack would give a few nice improvements over the 3. Apple Carplay, AWD, higher ride height without being a CUV, more trunk space, and better roof rack options.
But again, it is of course a VW and I have along and tumultuous history with the brand. VW has really stepped their warranty game up the past few years, but I would have no one to blame but myself if I got burned on some stupid problem like the sunroof or something electrical. And then there is also residual value.
I used to not make car purchase decisions based on long term financial considerations, but at this point in my life that is all I think about when making large purchases, especially with the unpredictability of everything. But the urge to buy something fun and unusual is still strong.