Considering a new car . . .

Well, here's the update on the car:

I've test driven what I consider my 3 options -- 1) Honda Element, 2) Chevy Silverado 1500 3) Dodge Ram. I've gotten a price on the Chevy, and I'm going to see what Dodge can do this week.

I went back to Honda on Friday to check out the Element again. The look has really grown on me. My salesman was busy with some other folks, so I got the opportunity to really mess around with the Element -- I'd been wanting to do this for some time. I love the customizability. SO easy to put up the seats or to open doors, make bed, etc. Really quite nice in that regard. However, it has a few things that I dislike and will likely keep me from buying it. First, the drivers' seat is too small. Not that the seat is small, it's just that my knee just about hits the steering wheel, and my other knee just about hits the dashboard. Even with the seat back as far as it can go, and the wheel up all the way, it's too short. Second, there is no sunroof for the 2WD version. If I'm going to get one of these, I really want a sun roof in the back, so when I sleep in it, I've got some good ventilation. I didn't even test-drive it again because of the drivers seat thing. Since I can't really get one of these for under 20K, I figured I would relegate this to the bottom of the pile and look at the rest of the vehicles again.

I went to a Dodge dealership and was greeted by a flim-flam salesman. Dude was a complete snow job. I did get to test drive the one I wanted -- Ram 1500 with Hemi Engine. HOLY CRAP that thing can fly. I didn't get to take much of a test drive though, it was fairly short and not overwhelmingly impressive. The truck sits pretty high, and it has some blind-spots. I hated the mirrors. However, I just *LOVED* that engine. I also like the look of the Dodge better, plus the 70K mile warranty. Now that I have the price on the Chevy I want, I'm going to challenge Dodge to beat it. I will take another test-drive though. However, there's no way I'm going back to that same Dodge dealership as before. That's okay, there are plenty others . . .

The Chevy has probably become my top choice, but the price is a bit steeper than I'd wanted. The first Chevy I drove was a 4.8 Liter V8. Good power, acceleration, etc. I wasn't blown away by the acceleration, but it was good. The interior is basically the same as my Father's Chevy, and it's comfortable. Today I got to take an extended test drive of the 5.3 Liter V8. It can fly almost as well as the Hemi. I loved pretty much everything about it -- Texas Edition (towing package and some other stuff) plus Bose soundsystem. Now, I know enough about audio to know Bose is mostly just a buzz-word with overpriced products. However, the audio ROCKED!! I was blown away. The truck drove well, but the brakes were a little mushy. The dealer had one exactly like this in Green -- the EXACT truck I want. Got the price -- around $25K after discounts and stuff -- much higher than I was expecting. That price is as low as it's gonna go too, because this is GM Employee discount price -- 4% over Dealer Invoice.

Basically, I love the Chevy. The thing is, it's gonna cost about 6 to 7 grand more than the Element because to make it do what I want it to do I have to buy a Truck Cap and get the bed sprayed. Then I need to rig up a bike transport inside there, although that'll be easy and cheap. It has some definite advantages. I think the Chevy will have better resale value than the Element. The thing is, the Element is cheaper by a fair amount. The Element does have a definite advantage in friendly usability though. I can open the back and have a nice little party behind the back with radio playing. I used to do that a lot with the Suburban, and I don't have that with the truck. The truck has more uses though. I can tow stuff if needed (yeah, right . . . ), and I could fit one of those campers on if I wanted.

I'd say it's about 70% that I'm going with the Chevy. I love the Element a LOT, but I think I just get more with the truck, despite the extra cost. I am disappointed with the gas mileage difference, plus the added pollution, but I estimated that the difference in gas would be about 500 gallons per 30,000 miles and about $800 to $1000 during that time. Not too bad, but still that is expensive. It's a rougher estimate because I did it in my head during church (boring Homily). Anyhow, I still need guidance lest I royally screw up. I think this may be the biggest DECISION I've ever had to make. Going to college wasn't really a decision, I didn't have many options. Getting a job wasn't a decision, I had to choose between Dallas and Houston, and in the end Houston was a fairly easy choice. The purchase and cost of this vehicle will shape the next few years of my life financially.

Considering I may only drive this for a year or even only two, I'm thinking perhaps I should just up and lease the damned thing. The mileage requirements will be a problem, and I'll need to look into it further, but it may be a better deal for me to do this. I don't really know. Anyhow, any input is welcomed! THANKS!

<i>edit:</i> BTW Soybean Fanatic, that is the ugliest vehicle I've EVER seen!

 

Because I'll be joining Americorps or something like that for a while. It'd be better to just sell the truck and put the cash in the bank so it can gain interest, rather than just sit there in a depreciating asset. When I return to the states, I will then have a vehicle with my Oldsmobile, plus some cash.

Thanks for the heads up Bart_z -- Edmunds is a great site that I am very thankful for!