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6+ Passenger Vehicles That Are Easier On The Budget

I’m writing this post now because I’m currently looking for a 6+ passenger vehicle. I had a certain budget in mind when shopping.  I thought my demands were fairly simple.  I want to be able to fit at least 6 passenger comfortably, I wanted some cargo space when all 6 people were in the vehicle, I wanted it to be a safe vehicle, and I wanted it to be within a certain budget I had in mind.  I didn’t think my budget was unreasonable for a used vehicle either. I also preferred an SUV over a minivan because of the weather we can get in Pennsylvania.

When I looked over 6+ passenger SUVs this is what I found out. The most affordable ones have little to no cargo space when the 3rd row seats are in use. Which doesn’t make sense to me because wouldn’t 6 people have more stuff on a trip than 4?

Then it seemed the ones that could accommodate 6+ and have all the cargo space you wanted were half the price of a small house.  So I kept searching and searching.  We were hoping to find a used vehicle with less than 35K miles on it.  After much research on safety, cargo space, and seating capacity. My top 3 in the SUV category are the Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Honda Pilot.  I’ve found a lot of good deals on them within a 50 mile radius of my town.

Hand Putting Deposit Into Piggy Bank

If you are looking for mini vans or considering, I did look at those too. Actually the mini vans now a days are really nice inside, offer a lot of amenities, and a good number of them are AWD so it woudn’t be too bad for the winter.  I currently own a 2006 Chrysler Pacifica.  I LOVE it. It’s AWD and has done great in our Pennsylvania winters.  I was kinda sad that they stopped making them. BUT I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials. The Chrysler Pacifica is back with the 2017 model and yes I did check it out because I love mine so much. Won’t be able to find any used right now but even the new ones are fairly reasonable for a brand new vehicle.  The Kia Sedona is probably the most affordable of all of them, even brand new. I could get a brand new Kia Sedona for less than a 2 year old GMC Acadia with 35K+ miles on it.  Then there is the Honda Odyssey.  A very nice looking mini van but the pricier of the 3 mini vans I narrowed down too.

Also if you own any of the vehicles mentioned in this post I would LOVE to hear your experience with them, negative or positive.

 

 

When Is A “Used” Car Considered “New” And The Benefits Of Buying One

For Automakers, car dealers, banks, and insurance companies this info isn’t shocking. In fact, it’s daily knowledge.  For someone like me who is currently shopping for a “used” vehicle it’s all in the definition.

car blue

So maybe I’m browsing dealerships and see a car I really like. It has 1000 miles on it and is listed under the “new” vehicles.  But..but it has a thousand miles on it…isn’t it used? Actually as I found out, a car can actually have up to 10K miles on it and still be categorized as “new”. How?, you might ask.  The term “new” basically means the car was never titled to anyone else (this includes being titled to a rental car company or used as a business vehicle).  This car could have been used as a demo car or a test vehicle by the automaker or dealership.

If you find a car like this there’s a lot of benefits to buying it.

  • price is less than buying the same vehicle fresh off the assembly line.
  • Quite often it’s still covered under factory warranty but, always check the terms
  • The dreaded “new car depreciation” already happened.
  • still plenty of life and mileage to go through
  • may qualify for dealer incentives
  • You’re the first titled owner so if you sell it you can list it as “one owner”

There are also Certified pre-owned vehicles that can also be a good deal. They are used vehicles that have been inspected, refurbished, and certified by a manufacturer or entity authorized to certify a vehicle.  They can include extended warranties, special financing, and possibly other incentives to buy.

Thinking of Buying Your Teen a Car? Consider this

Your teen is turning 16. Maybe you’re seriously considering buying your teen a car but can’t decide which route to go. Do you get a new car or a used car? Maybe they passed their drivers license test and you’re ready for them to start driving themselves so you can get some of your free time back. Here’s some financial aspects to consider when making your decision.

It’s not a secret that insuring a teen is EXPENSIVE. The reasons for that are pretty obvious: lack of driving experience, maturity, and statistics.  Now I don’t want to scare you (I’m sure you’re already a little nervous) but the fact is teens are more likely to be in a fender bender than those 20 years of age or older.  According to the CDC website that rate of accidents is at it’s highest within the first 30 days of licensure. Being a higher risk means higher rates.

car accident cartoon

The next thing to consider is what kind of car.  Again, the insurance factors in. You might think a cheaper car equates to cheaper insurance. Not necessarily according to a report done by CNBC.  It turns out SUVs and trucks are usually cheaper to insurance than coupes and sedans. Why? Because a larger SUV is less likely to sustain as much damage in an accident when compared to a smaller car.  At the top of the list for vehicles that are cheaper to insure are the Ford Explorer, GMC Sierra and Toyota RAV4.  In fact, some of the worst cars to insure are the Ford Focus, Chevy Cruze, and Hyundai Elantra.

You can contact your insurance agent before buying a car your teen has their eyes on and have them run the numbers.

Since driving a car is a big responsibility consider having your teen help with the car payments and/or insurance payments.  Make sure they know how to change tires, what to do if they are in an accident, and have them learn how to do some of the basic maintenance of the vehicle like changing the oil, topping off fluids, and changing bulbs. It’s a good way for your teen to know the cost of driving and take more ownership of their own ride.

This post is sponsored by CF Search Marketing.