About Me

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Why an SUV? The Decision Process

I never thought I would buy an SUV in my entire life. So, what got into me? Linda asked me my criteria and since it took me a lot of research and quite some time, I decided to share my decision process.

First of all I started looking for small cars on the market. The selling price is a factor but I concentrated on total cost of ownership in the long run. There are many variables affecting that, such as gas per mileage, yearly tax, routine service, cost of spare parts, cost of new tires.

In this country diesel is cheaper than regular gas so, the car needed to be a diesel. The yearly tax is based on the age of the car plus the engine size. I checked the tax table and decided that the car should have a maximum of 1600 cc engine. For Americans that is not even an engine I know, but the gas prices in this country are 3x what they pay.

Then I looked up service charges at 15,000-30,000-45,000-60,000 etc. kms. along with spare part costs. It was such an eye opener to see how small cars were not necessarily inexpensive. Tire costs vary due to size. (My new car is expensive in that respect.)

At that point I became skeptical about small cars especially in the gas/mileage department.

Then I decided that I need an automatic car. I can drive a stick shift but as I age, it is so much easier. At that point I realized that there are not many automatic small cars with diesel engines. Then mom said she hates to get in and out of cars because they are so damn low. She even brought a thick pillow to the VW Passat, my company car that I am driving. She sits on it. I do not think it works well because after all, it is a pillow.

Mom is 75 and is getting old. So, the travel we can do together is somewhat limited to perhaps the next 10 years, may be less. I want her to be comfortable.

This way,, I started looking at crossovers and SUVs. I do not need a 4x4 since they tend to consume more gas. However, all the available options were beyond my budget. I decided that I could buy a gently used, new-to-me car below 50,000 Kms.

After looking at used cars every night online for quiet a while, I found that Nissan Qashqai, Renault Kadjar, Jeep Renegade were possible options. I found a couple of cars that were worth looking at and sent the links to a friend of mine who is very knowledgeable and who has quite a network of technicians and car salesmen. He researched the cars and told me that the new Ford Kuga (Escape) has a better 1.5 TDCi PowerShift engine. Since Ford sells many cars in Turkey the spare part industry is pretty good and this engine is fairly new with pretty good gas/mileage. The routine services are very inexpensive compared to most cars.

This way, I added the Ford to my list and started following sales ads. That is how I made my decision.

Due to a change in tax law, since this car was a 2017, the yearly tax is lower than the same exact car that is a 2018. With about 6,250 miles, it is practically new. That was my bonus. It is the simplest version. For instance, it has parking sensors at the back, none in the front. It has a screen and bluetooth but, the screen is not a touch screen. However, all the standart features are pretty good and I will not miss anything.



8 comments:

  1. Your reasoning is solid and works for YOU (and your mom). I have to say that while at the moment I can't afford to run an SUV (higher tax & petrol costs, plus parking the darn thing!), I do miss the one I had in Canada (a Kia Sorento). I loved being higher off the road, the solidity of it, and the more powerful engine. Of course, it cost more to run in gas and eventually the maintenance costs caught up to me a bit, but overall I was thrilled with it. I have a little compact car here which is just fine, but I am keeping in mind that I want something a bit roomier and more solid and reliable. Nice choice! xx

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    1. A friend of mine used to have a Sorento. I loved that car too but at that time I could not afford one. Gas costs too much in Europe and I think it is most expensive in Turkey.

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  2. I will be 72 in Sept, so I know all about the getting old bit. I am tall, so no need for a pillow. But, exbf sits really low in a car and needs a pillow. It seems for us it is a choice of the problem of climbing out of a car or the problem of climbing into an suv. Even being tall, I have problems climbing into and out of his suv. I sort of fall out of his SUV! If you are driving, it seems she can travel as long as it does not exhaust her too much. She is only three years older than I am and probably in good health.

    It sounds like you did a thorough job of research. That is practically a brand new car, so good for you. Now, I have to ask--what color is it?

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    1. It is white. I have been driving a white car for the last three years and I was pretty sick of it but alas! Did not have a choice.

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    2. BTW, mom used to be 5'7". She is now a little shorter I think.

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  3. it sounds like you've made a good choice. DH has a van that uses diesel. Its a lot cheaper than regular petrol. And it will be good to be able to take your mum out and about. the research does pay off in the long run

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  4. I do buy 95% of my fabric online. I do have a couple of local stores I get from when I need something right away. I tend to use Canadian sites also to purchase fabric, rather than buy from the States or overseas.

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