I have a 2016 Nissan Rogue with about 66k miles. I absolutely hate it. I bought it back around the time it was brand new during the CUV craze and before I did research at how awful these cars truly are. During the time I’ve dealt with one single transmission failure which was fixed under warranty about 3 years ago, a problem with the power seat which I had fixed outside of warranty. The bumper is separating from the front. The dealer has tried to fix it 4 times. I finally gave up and just dealt with it.
I want out of it. Back then I wasn’t as much of an informed buyer as I am today. I was on an 84 month loan and there’s a little bit left on it to pay off, but surprisingly dealers are offering me a bit more than what I owe on it, and then is before negotiating. This was over 6 years ago and I did not make nearly as much money as I do now.
Right now I’m considering going back to a traditional sedan. I work from home, it won’t have a lot of miles put on it. I live in a warm climate so no AWD or anything is needed. I just want a dependable vehicle that is reasonably comfortable to drive that will last me a long time. My salary is about 110k a year with a 10% bonus depending on company performance. Here is what I’m considering:
2023 Hyundai Elantra SEL
2023 Honda Civic Sport
I really like the styling of both of these cars. The Elantra with the SEL trim gets me a little bit more features, but I love Honda’s reliability. I’ve read Hyundai can be so-so but it should be better than Nissan. I’ve been quoted about 27K OTD for the Civic and 25K for the Elantra. This is before my trade in added which will knock a couple more grand off. I also plan on putting maybe 2-3K down additional. I’d probably take out a 3-4 year loan on these to pay them down faster.
And here is my more splurge / comfort pick
2023 Toyota Camry XSE V6 – 36K OTD. They quoted my trade, this is before negotiations and some money down. I’ve kept quiet on that part so far until I decide what I want to go with. I like this car too, it has leather seats and the V6. I called my insurance company and the Camry with the V6 is only about $50 on a 6 month policy which isn’t terrible. I pay my insurance policy in full every 6 months.
I like naturally aspirated engines because they seem more reliable than Turbos. But I’m open to any other suggestions on other cars to try driving. But I’ve picked these 3 in particular for the specs and looks I enjoy. I didn’t consider an Accord because it has the 1.5T engine which I’ve read has oil problems from cold weather or shorter drives which I tend to do at times.
No dealers have thankfully charged any mark ups for MSRP. I’m thinking because it’s around December. Although the Honda place is charging some pro package carbon tint BS for 1.4k. I’m sure I could get that lowered with some negotiations but I don’t know. I’ve watched a lot of YouTube videos on car buying. I’m a lot more armed with knowledge this time around.
Looking for any advice or insight. Thank you.