Extra car for teen drivers

[rpaoness]

They have "only" an $800 dealer fee on top of registration and taxes. $10,700 for a 2015 w/ 144k miles (and no AMG?) isn't stellar...

[kevm14]

Is it worth spending a little extra and getting an 18? I think you said that was the facelift year with standard LED headlights (not necessarily because of that). Or at least a 2016 with CarPlay.

[rpaoness]

Ish? I've typically been setting search at $12k or $13k max, I have not seen many '16, '17, or '18, mostly '15's.

[kevm14]

I would say the 18 has more value and you should consider paying more, not just try to get the newest thing for the same money as a bunch of 15s. I mean it can be both.

Maybe said differently your budget for a 15 should probably be less than an 18. I know that makes searching a two step process because you need to consider a higher bracket and then 18+ (sounds dirty). But it could be worthwhile.

[rpaoness]

Almost all '18s have lower miles, ex. 2018 for $13k (+$800, +1300, so really $15.1k) with 78k miles:

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing

[rpaoness]

And not all have low miles... Here's a '19 with 133k for $13k.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing

[rpaoness]

I'm not sure I think 30% plus more is worth it for 2-3 years newer if I can find a '15 in good condition with "low" mileage.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing

Their site doesn't show the '15, but they have a '17 and a '19 also, both with "poverty" spec headlights, unless the '19 has dual-reflector LEDs:
https://www.paylessnj.com/inventory/?ma ... &model=gla

The '17 lived in FL and CA. 69k miles, $12.6k
https://www.carfax.com/vehiclehistory/a ... EJvxbuM_rw

The '19 was always in NY/NJ. 55.5k miles, $13.9k
https://www.carfax.com/vehiclehistory/a ... v5-1dSX6vM

[rpaoness]

If only I could make a decision... (and my latest thinking is that I might buy a Jeep Wrangler and a GLA250...)

The last '19 is down to $13600 with 55k miles. That seems like a really good buy if it's for real with that mileage. Seems like something might be wrong with it?
https://www.carfax.com/vehiclehistory/a ... __0qs11wgs

This Volvo dealer one is still kind of the opposite-end-of-the spectrum,$9900, with I think they said $800 dealer fee.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... =spotlight

[kevm14]

Wrangler?

[rpaoness]

Yeah - Cara had been lobbying for a Wrangler in my first discussions with her. She shifted off it as I described the Wrangler tax (kinda-stupid-high retained value), limited tech intro (Chrysler-ized semi-ZF 8-spd wasn't introduced until 2018), and poor driving characteristics. I still have a soft spot for it as a high school car since that's what I wanted in HS and had a Suzuki instead.

I wonder if I should just buy the Wrangler and deal with it. 2017 Manual 6-speeds don't seem to be stupid expensive, or I could get a 2017 w/ a 5-speed auto, or I could try to find the "cheapest" 2018 8-spd I can find.