Looking to possibly replacing my '08 Toyota SUV.

[John Schmidt]

It's the Limited model, has most of the extras offered in 2008 and I bought new Labor Day '07. Actually the only new car I've ever bought but got a deal where I couldn't say no! That came from a classic "bait & switch" deal that came back to bite them since my wife and I caught it right off and called them on it. There's more to the story but not why I'm posting.

I've reached the point in life where I'm not really interested in the utility offered by the SUV I now have which has given great service over the past 16 yrs. and 93k miles. But, the car is getting a bit long in the tooth and since moving to the Green Bay and their "wonderful" highways & byways throughout the area, it has developed more rattles than in the prior 12 years in Florida put together. To get it back to acceptable condition for another 30k or more would take well over $2k, now needing rack & pinion replacement, new shocks all around, new window rubber, plus a number of other smaller issues...including repairs to the front seats. It has a full leather interior but the front seats are showing wear. The car runs fine but is coming up on what is to be considered a tune-up. Just changing the plugs is a major expense due to the transverse mounted engine which makes access to the rear side plugs impossible without some disassembly.

So, I've been doing some window shopping, looking at the Chevy Colorado P/U or GMC equivalent among others. Going back to the "utility" factor, I'm not looking at those seriously although I have also looked at other models/makes of SUV's. Now, I've always kinda wanted a Mercedes and I'm thinking if I could find a decent one for an acceptable price, I just might spring for it. At my age(85), I feel I deserve a little comfort...and they do make a trailer hitch for the various models, sort of a side benefit for towing the trike. In my browsing, I stumbled across a one owner 2004 SL500 with just over 22k on the clock. It appears to be in immaculate condition, is a dry country car(SW area), and located fairly close so could go take a look. I wouldn't trade my Toyota, would sell it on the open market locally and use that for part of the investment. That car has been listed by the dealer for ten months now so the price might be negotiable. I know little about those cars so would have to depend on others for advice. So, I'm looking for opinions and suggestions...I'm still tossing around the idea of keeping the Highlander and investing in some major upkeep. I'm just not certain how long I'd want to keep it and if I did make the repair investment, I'd have to run it a few more years. If my health continues good, I have maybe another 10 yrs. driving...possibly longer. One doesn't know until "that day" when you have to turn in the driver's license I guess. I'm definitely in no hurry to buy, I'll just watch and see what comes up. Another side benefit of the MB...it's smaller that my SUV and will make it easier to get two cars in the 2 car garage. Before May 16 this year, I only had to worry about one car and one trike...now with the trike going in storage for the winter it's two cars cuz there's a lady in my life again. Her AUDI SUV and my Toyota SUV simply won't fit. Such difficulties I do face! 

[Thunderbolt]

Hey John, glad you are still looking down the road.....  We have a 2016 Highlander that I traded a Toyata Avalon in for after the other half said it was too low to the ground and hard to access because of height.  So the point is don't buy anything that is too short.

[cookiedough]

i would not buy a mercedes car, any expense is insance pricy needed and sits too low to ground to get in and out easy.  

I would go honda ridgeline for more utility use and still ride very nice and somewhat decent bed space.  tad short around 5ft long, but is a nice and wide bed and useful.  Even has a huge storage area under the bed for your party days carrying tons of beverages of your choice with ice as well for partying or Valk gatherings drinks for all.  

Honda ridgeline is easy in/out perfect height and comfier inside and rides 10x's better than any gmc canyon or chevy colorado truck.  tons more reliable as well with peppy V6 engine that gets say 25-26 avg mpg on the hwy. vs. a V6 colorado at most 22 mpg.

I should have bought a honda ridgeline though new before the pandemic they were offering deep discounts on them 3 to 4 years ago and now no rebates or discounts new. 

Same as me looking for a good used aluminum trailer 7x14 size NON to be had for under 3 grand.  So, I might as well go buy new next weekend or so 3500-4100 in price since for 600 difference new vs. used sorta makes sense to buy new unless 2-3 years old used ones that difference in price.  I just bought a used 2012 can am commander 1000cc limited 10ft long to join my stable of a 2008 can am outlander max 2-up 800cc 8ft long and will need all of that 14 ft long (ATV sits sideways upfront) trailer for sure with about 4 inches to spare in between the two.  Tight fit but will work since a 7x16 trailer like that goes for another 800 bucks and includes dual axles which I do not think I need although will be maxing out that 2300lb. payload capacity for sure if bring both along

[f6john]

Treat yourself John. Get something you both will enjoy and go for it. You’re right about the 10 years, as my mother is 95 and still drives herself around locally. That low mileage Mercedes could be fun and could be a headache. I already own enough headaches all self inflicted and I’m 15 years behind you. About all the assistance I can offer!

[old2soon]

     DITTO on the INSANE COSTS related to Mercedes Benz! Friend of mine here in Mo. and a friend of BonBon-daprezs Wife-both had horror stories of those Huge Expenses for ANY repairs.
      Thuderbolt-Thanks fer the heads up on the Avalon as I Reeally looked into purchasing one EXCEPT I've never took one out fer a test ride. My 06 Pontiac Grand Prix sits low nuff fer me as it is. RIDE SAFE.

[John Schmidt]

Hey John, glad you are still looking down the road.....  We have a 2016 Highlander that I traded a Toyata Avalon in for after the other half said it was too low to the ground and hard to access because of height.  So the point is don't buy anything that is too short.
[/quote
Iris is right on target, I recall when Rita and I were car shopping she went around the lot, opened the door and put her butt up to the front seat. If it wasn't just butt high on her it didn't pass. Granted, getting in you have gravity helping. But getting out, gravity is your enemy. Heck, with my old recliner I'm getting to the point I have to "double hump" it a couple times to get up and out.

[cookiedough]

IMO John 93K miles on a 2008 toyota SUV is nothing even if you have to spend 3 grand on suspension work etc. the engine/tranny will easily give you 60 to 100K more miles of service more than likely.  Yah, it may show some rust am sure since 2008, but sure beats 30K or so for a newer vehicle and although a newer vehicle is nice to have and you may have the money, is it worth it to you? 

My mother in law was in same boat during first part of pandemic having a low mileage 2006 buick rendevous SUV MINT shape NO rust on body paint near as new condition as a 2006 with 110K miles could have on it.  IMO NOTHING wrong with it ran well, etc. but her being age 78 at the time wanted something 'more reliable' even though never had many major issues with it besides sway bar links breaking on her while driving rusting away.  She even had nice tire tread left on it would go another 30K miles on tires if she EVER drove it more than 3-4 miles per day is all in town driving is all.  I wanted to buy it for 3500 since that is all the dealer gave her on a trade and should have, but wife said no we already have 5 vehicles total in our stable for 4 drivers in family.  I should NOT have listened to her since within 1 week the dealer sold it for 5500 bucks no problems.   Still be worth 5500 today since near pre pandemic pricing was much lower than after pandemic pricing and that was near 3 years or so ago. 

She had the money to buy new so she did to feel 'safe' and bought with HUGE rebates pre pandemic mostly a 2020 hyundai tucson sport trim SUV for a great price 25K out the door pricing msrp was over 32K.   those days of GREAT deals are long gone now though so IMO keep what you got and spend the money on trips and wife and enjoy traveling etc.   I think you would get more enjoyment out of traveling or sight seeing places vs. on a newer vehicle???  Only way I am getting rid of my 2014 hyunda sonata is if I had to spend say 4-5K on it for repairs not worth it then but I know I need new CV axles in front making noises now but 400 bucks or so is better than 4K repairs right or buying something else near new for over 20K...  Once vehicles start though nickle and diming me to death, then time to get rid of it. 

[John Schmidt]

I decided to keep the car and drive it another year barring any major breakdown...which I doubt will happen. Now, being somewhat of a pragmatist, if a deal should come my way that I can't pass up, I would then take advantage of the situation. But for now, it runs good...shifts good, got an oil/filter change and a car wash Saturday and as is often the case, it seemed to run even better. Psychological...yes, but still makes one feel good about their decision. The car wash took out the last remaining pieces of the rubber weather strip that rides against the glass when rolling windows up/down so the new parts are to be delivered in a couple days. An obvious improvement in its general appearance, next I'll order the replacement struts all around, then have my local mechanic tackle the rack & pinion replacement in the spring. Thinking about giving my granddaughter some extra spending $$ and have her detail the car, biggest part of that job would be the front seat area. Once I made the decision to keep the car another year, I had no emotional misgivings so guess it was a good one. 

[old2soon]

     John as you are Already well aware Routine Maintenance IS the key to longevity of most if not all mechanical things. I learned some from Dad and some more from Naval Aviation. As I've stated John You  already KNOW this!    RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

With cars/trucks my motto has always been..... better the devil you know. 

The only good car/truck, is a paid off one (and having it in reasonable repair, if not perfect).

I've read all our insurance rates will be going up... just like everything else; so a newer car will be even higher rates. 

I just washed my 2500 Dodge Promaster.  I call it the USS Yorktown.  After about 5 years of use, I finally got out the big manual and learned how to set my clock.  It had been 10 minutes off for years.  Not that I often care what time it is. 

[John Schmidt]

With cars/trucks my motto has always been..... better the devil you know. 

The only good car/truck, is a paid off one (and having it in reasonable repair, if not perfect).

I've read all our insurance rates will be going up... just like everything else; so a newer car will be even higher rates. 

I just washed my 2500 Dodge Promaster.  I call it the USS Yorktown.  After about 5 years of use, I finally got out the big manual and learned how to set my clock.  It had been 10 minutes off for years.  Not that I often care what time it is. 

I agree with you re. a paid off vehicle. This car is the only new one I've ever bought, all others have been used but carefully searched & researched first. I've never been sorry with any of my purchases and was able to pay them off rather quickly. I recently was looking at a 2019 Lexus IS300 with 19k on the clock, asking price was just under $30k. Had all the extras Lexus offered and immaculate so wanted to talk to the PO, but the dealer didn't want to divulge that info so I walked away from it. They drove me crazy the next couple weeks with other offers until I finally got it across to them I wasn't going to deal with them. I finally got a VIN from a sales girl that called so followed through on that, seems it had been in a couple accidents...the last one almost got it totaled. Glad I didn't move on it. What I now have will suit me fine, as long as the heater works for 7 more months. 

[Jess from VA]

I had the same issue with a Dealer who didn't want to divulge the prior owner (PO). (actually a sound policy)

I said... look, call the guy up and ask his permission to give his number to me.  I want to talk about this vehicle with him.  It looks immaculate, and I bet he'd actually like to talk about it.

They did so, and the PO did want to talk (he was proud of that car), and we did so, and I bought it.

Many rules are good ones, but that doesn't mean there aren't times the rule can be broken (to everyone's advantage).

Now in your case, since the car had been in accidents (and almost totaled), the PO very likely would not have wanted to talk about the vehicle.  And it sounds like the dealer was doing his best to hide the accident history. 

[cookiedough]

not necessarily the case on new vehicles being insured costing more than some used vehicles.  Insurance companies thrive on all the new BS techy 'so called' safety features vs. older cars not having them, thus some new vehicles cost less to insure than older ones that are worth well under half of the new vehicles and even some say 9 years old vs. new, as evident on what I have.

sounds like your 2008 toyota suv is worth hanging onto awhile longer with minimal repairs.  I have a 2014 sonata 124K miles and have a rattling all the time is the 2 front axles in the middle joined together in a connector area that has freeplay in that area.  I jacked up the car both front wheels and can get that knocking noise to reproduce easy just moving the frontt wheels in/out easy enough.  Am going to get it fixed before winter since even if 400 bucks is still worth more to me than blowing 30K on a new vehicle.  Now if the engine or tranny fails costing 5K or more,  then probably dump it.

[Psychotic Bovine]

If you are looking at Colorado or Canyons, check out the Tacoma.  I've had mine a year now, and just took a trip to Georgia for vacation.  23 mpg is a pleasant surprise for highway mileage.  This is with the 46 and 4wd.  It's a TRD Sport.  Not overdone with all the bells and whistles, but cloth seats, decent navigation system, and probably the best headlights of any vehicle I have owned (led).