The trick to buying any vehicle, imo -- whether it's used or new -- is to do your research so you know what you're talking about, instead of being at the mercy of the dealer's staff. Because, as you can see from the posts here, when it comes to product knowledge, professionalism and even ethics at times, the winds are high and variable once you step foot on their lot. That said, here's my story.
Been in sedans my whole life, but I've always had a not-so-secret crush on
old school utilitarian military-type vehicles that can go anywhere and do anything. But I've never owned one. Spent the past 20 years in Honda Accords -- first two I bought used, and the last one, my loyal and indestructible 2005 5-sp VTECH Nighthawk Black Pearl EX.
[Aside: They're great cars, if you've never driven them -- well-engineered, solid mechanicals, reliable, comfortable, pretty good looking (except now every sedan looks like an Accord). Almost bizarrely good in ishtty weather for a FWD. I'll miss the damned bulletproof Honda MT that shifted like butter, and the legendary low-end torque that let you accelerate from 60 to 80 when you needed to without feeling like you were driving into the wind. If you're ever in the market for a solid car, do yourself a favor and put the Accord on your list of things to check out. If they made a 4X4 lifted Accord, I probably would have bought one!]
Only thing I didn't like was how low the darn thing rode. As careful as I tried to be, I managed to scrape the bottom a number of times, and the front and rear bumpers hang so low that they are always exposed to damage -- those things are like ding magnets, and as soon as they get marred, it takes away from the overall appearance of the car (and they cost a fortune to repair!). One day a few years ago, when I was going out for a hike and was maneuvering the Accord down a lumpy dirt road at under 5 mph felling like I was going to shake it to pieces, I had an epiphany: If there is an obstacle or road condition that I could easily traverse on foot, I really ought to be able to drive over it in a roughly ~30K vehicle! So began one man's quest to get off the ground.
I'll admit -- I was excited by the idea that I'd get a Jeep. They are cool looking, you know? (who doesn't love Jeep porn?) Until I saw the prices.....holeee crap! I had no idea. Since any vehicle I bought would need to be my DD, I need to have a 4-door and the new Wranglers were just out of my range. Wasn't deadset on new -- I'm all for letting someone else take the depreciation hit -- but even used ones were pricey, imo. If I'm gonna spend over $20K on a vehicle with 50K miles on it, I may as well see if I can swing a little more money and go new.
It wasn't helping that I haven't purchased a vehicle in 10 years, and haven't had a car payment for five! I definitely had moments when I was thinking, "yikes! maybe I'll stay in the Accord! it only has 125K on it...probably another 10 good years in it...I'll just have to drive slower..." And it is at moments just like these where, fortunately, The Universe steps in to provide guidance to wayward seekers. I was continuing to do my research, and I kept seeing these Nissan things showing up. Caught my attention. Better price, people seem to love them, and they look like they can do anything except go topless -- and do I really have the time and patience for all of that take me apart and put me back together stuff? It's a vehicle, not a woman!
So I started researching the X. I liked what I was reading, and I liked the pictures I was seeing. I liked the vids I'd seen comparing them to other 4-wheelers. This thing was different -- kind of a nerdy badass vibe to it. And you don't see them everywhere around here, which appeals to me. While driving around NEOH to visit family over the holidays, I did a few unscientific surveys -- the ratio of Jeeps to Xterras around here is about 10:1. No lie. I have no idea who all these people are who have the bucks to drop on loaded Wranglers and Cherokees, but Ohioans in these parts do love their Jeeps. And I'm stunned by how many that appear to be driven exclusively as grocery getters! For all that hardware and all that money, the most action they see is driving over an empty juicebox in the school parking lot! It's madness, I tell you. Madness.
Long-story short (if that's possible at this point in this post -- sorry!), I went to a dealer, told them I wanted to drive one, and they had a MT Pro-4X on the lot.
Yep. The X pretty much had me at "dam! we're looking at everyone's
roofs out here!" The thing felt solid as hell, and it was fun to drive. Spent a few weeks waiting to see if I could get some year-end action happening on the dealer side, but nothing was happening. That part of the vehicle-purchase experience sure has changed -- no one seemed terribly interested in negotiating and, while all the dealers I visited were friendly, and not pushy at all, they also didn't seem to really care if I stayed or went. Then again, by choosing the X as my vehicle of choice, I think I pretty much landed on what's basically a specialty vehicle -- meaning, you either want it or you don't, because there's not really anything else out there like it. Like, you're not gonna find good beer for five dollars a six-pack -- but, if you like beer, you're gonna pay for the good stuff.
In the end, I went back and forth with myself about whether to go AT or MT, and whether to be sensible and go with the S or just spend a little more and get the Pro-4X. Last dealer I met with actually spent time with me, knew the vehicle and -- pretty much unlike everyone else -- followed up. I told him I wanted to wrap things up, because I was tired of looking (true -- my research was beginning to look less like shopping and more like full-blown obsessive-compulsive disorder!), winter is here, the Accord was due for the 120K maintenance and it was time to renew the registration.
On my end, I was like, screw it. I work every day. I take care of people -- I want the Pro-4X. 6-speed. Night Armor. With the big-ass Hankooks. Nailed it at $28,695. Picked it up Friday. Not crazy about the 6-yr note, but...yeah...I pretty much love it! :happy8: