53° and Cloudy
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The reason:
At 86,000 miles, our 2017 VW Passat Premium blew its tranny and needed an air conditioning compressor.
The considerations:
- Go down to one car. Dismissed because it is too cold for a bike. I still might upgrade my e-bike.
- Fix the VW. Work valued at at least $6,500 on an 8-year-old car valued at about $10,000 makes no sense even though we just put $1,800 into a turbocharger and battery.
- Buy another Subaru. We drove a slightly used Crosstrek as well as an Impreza hatchback and a Toyota Corolla Cross. Nice but expensive and we didn’t really need two SUV’s.
- Buy a 10-year old Lexus RX350 fully loaded with 41,000 miles on it. Beautiful vehicle in mint condition. But 10 years old and we really didn’t need another SUV.
- Buy a 3-year-old Camry or 2024 Prius. Made sense but: The Prius was too small and didn’t seem to have good visibility. The Camry was nice but expensive. It had heated and cooled seats.
- Buy a 2025 new Toyota. $5,000 more expensive than a used Camry but with a full warranty. They only come hybrid now. 46 mpg according to the sticker. 37 mpg in our first tank. Dual climate control, adaptive cruise control, leather seats, premium sound, surprisingly peppy.
- Lease: Never a consideration because it is nothing more than a high cost loan you can refinance or pay off in 3 years. Buy the car you can afford today.
Where to buy:
Inventory everywhere is limited. Negotiating seems a thing for the past. Looked online at CarMax and Carvanna.
Northtown Subaru: Had a good experience in 2024 buying a Forester from Northtown Subaru Sheridan Drive. That was our first stop.
Basil: Had a bad past experience shopping at Basil so did not consider it.
West Herr Subaru: Made an inquiry on a car at West Herr Subaru in Lockport. West Herr does the no negotiation internet pricing thing. Within minutes of an inquiry my phone was blowing up with text messages. We visited and drove a Honda Civic hatch and a Toyota Cross. Hated the Toyota. Honda was OK but not perfect. The 80s are gone but we got a fleeting “when you find a deal, let me try and beat it!” At least she didn't hit us with "how much payment can you afford?" or "what do I have to do to sell you a car today?!" Last week my phone rang again with eager internet boy making sure we bought a car because he wanted to sell us one today.
Jose’s Car Corner: Intrigued by his Lexus RX350. He had two. Reasonably low mileage. Both 10 years old. Toyota luxury vehicle. Drove both. Very tempted. Body style is today the same. Super comfortable, peppy and convenient. And it is a Toyota. Jose is a great guy with a good reputation.
Maguire Toyota: Made an appointment to drive a 2022 Camry XSE. Ignored in the showroom for at least 10 minutes. Finally paired with a salesperson Bre, who was very nice. “Toyotas sell themselves.” Drove it. Nice, comfortable. Peppy. Low miles. Drove a Prius as well. Felt small, a bit weird and hard to climb in and out. Left with no decision. Two days later, browsing online I saw the all-wheel-drive 2025 Camry XLE on their Website. It was at least $2000 cheaper than a comparable Toyota at any other WNY dealership. I called, told them we wanted the car and made an appointment to drive it before buying. I did all the paperwork, insurance and plates before seeing it. The only slightly annoying thing was a call from the salesperson on the bottom line trying to sell us an extended warranty. “I’m not interest.” “Can I ask why?” she said. “Because it is a Toyota with a full warranty. It sells itself.”
The VW’s end
We sold it for $1,000 to a mechanic who will fix it and flip it. He can make $2,000 or $3,000 in profit, not a bad deal. I went to drop off the title and collect payment.
I gestured out the window at our new car. “I guess I won’t see you for 5 years, maybe more,” he said. We shook hands and parted.
