Ok...we have 2 cars 1997 Nissan - 136,000 miles and a 2002 suburu waon 70,000 miles.
Both are paid off and were bought used. They also only seat four due to our very large britax carseats in the back. WE love to keep our cars until they die but now with children I worry about the safety. I also keep dreaming of a minivan due to the convenience and safety and ability to seat grandparents when we go out on trips and vacations rather than always taking two cars. We test drove the sienna van and I love it ...but after reading dave ramsey's why not to buy a new car thread I have decided to take a cold shower! But now I am wondering when is a reasonable time to get a new car? We have only house debt. and a loan from dh's parents that we will start paying back when I start work in 2 years. What are you thoughts? We were thinking about selling the Subaru and almost paying cash for the van??? any thoughts appreciated! We were thinking about getting the base model...new for around 21,000 (hoping for this out the door price in the Fall)....Seems like the used ones cost as much as the new ones. Any thoughts????

First i have to say I LOVE MY SIENNA!!!!

I would say if your cars are running fine and they are safe i wouldn't go and buy another car just so you have more space for grandparents and etc...... Enjoy not having a car payment now and when your children grow bigger or you have another child then look into getting a new van.

Just my opinion though!!

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Jodie....Wife to Andrew (1995)
Mommy to Riley (2000) and Wyatt (2003)

I would keep the cars for a bit and start making a monthly car payment to yourself and then use it towards a down payment when you finally do decide to buy a new car.

We're struggling with this ourselves right now with our Subaru but it is having car problems - luckily we have a friend who fixes it all the time but we still are making payments on it. HOpefully I can get it paid off by next spring but we'll see.

We are in the same situation. Have older cars, need more space for a growing family. Plus, all of DD's cousins are around her age and I can see us taking them to do things together and we would need multiple cars for that now. But I'm not ready for that car payment. I don't know when I will be, but not quite yet. We had originally talked about this summer, but I want to get a little more cash saved first. I have no idea when the right time is, you have to decide when it is right for you. I sure do enjoy no having a car payment!

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Mom to Kaylee (10/2006)
Waiting on our second bundle of joy to arrive January 2009!

I totally agree! You might even save enough to pay it outright when the time comes, esp if you trade in a car.

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If you need to get in touch with me, my email is teach1107910@yahoo.com.

I also am dying to get a new, larger vehicle. My current car is a 1999 Nissan Maxima with 130,000 miles. It drives fine, we just REALLY need more space. We can pay cash for a new car, my husband just doesn't want to do it right now and it's driving me crazy. He isn't the one driving two kids around with instruments, lunches, hockey bags, baseball bags, etc. That's why he says we don't need a bigger vehicle. He wants to keep this one for at least another 2 years and I honestly don't know if I can stand it.

I mean, what are we scrimping and saving for? We have no debt except our mortgage and that's by choice. I don't mind living tight as long as we get what we need. But he can't be budged.

Buying a new car is a personal choice. It never really makes sense to buy a car, especially if one is taking out a loan, too. Either you can handle the payments or you can't. I do agree with you, with the big two hot mini-vans on the market - Toyota or Honda - it doesn't really benefit you to buy used.

Personally, I wouldn't sell the Subaru to get the van. I'd sell the older car and bite the bullet on the price. If you keep the Subaru, then you'll end up with two very good cars instead of one good one and one that will need to be replaced soon.

The decision maker for me was your comment about your in-law loan. Personally, I wouldn't be making any big ticket purchases until that loan is paid - no matter what THEY say about it. I'd pay them off first, then get the mini-van when you start working.

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"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

My advice is don't sell the Subaru. They last forever with little maintenance. They are like little tanks. They aren't the prettiest cars, but they are reliable and go forever.

My husband and I have purchased a couple of one year old vehicles that were rental cars for that year. You can buy them from rental car sales lots or large car dealers buy them to sell. Rental cars have their maintenance done on time. You can check the car's maintenance record to see if it's a lemon. We have generally saved about 35%-40% off the new car price by buying a one year old ex-rental car. I would never buy a brand new car. It is like flushing money down the toilet. A car is a depreciating asset. You generally lose about 20% of a car's value by just driving it off the lot after you purchase it new. If you had to resell a new car soon after you bought it for any reason, you would lose thousands of dollars.