New Car thoughts

[LuvOrlando]

We've always been a Jeep family. My Grand Cherokee Laredo, which I really loved, was totaled at the beginning of the 2020 catastrophe so we never replaced it. At the moment, we are considering new vehicles and considering Jeep, Cadillac or Lincoln. Love Jeeps but they are pragmatic and we (read DH) are thinking maybe shifting towards a bit of luxury might be nice. Although, maybe Jeep CAN be luxury and it's just that I tend to go with rejecting fancy so I maybe could use a new perspective. I went to look at the lots on a salesperson free Sunday recently. I'm a bit iffy on the Lincolns because they only had 4 on the lot, so probably just enough to keep the franchise sign lit so parts are probably tough to get & who needs the headache. Cadillac and Jeep dealers seem well stocked so I'm leaning towards one of those. As a "we" we are probably leaning into Cadillac, but I've never owned any other SUV than a Jeep. Thoughts?

 

[MillauFr]

No way I would buy a car made from an Italian company. Their quality issues are well known and go back for decades. I would look at Acura or Lexus.

 

[White Cat]

Cadillac has huge depreciation when purchased new.

 

[Orion Nebula]

Just make sure that giving up being a "Jeep" family will be something that will make you happy in the end. You LOVED your Laredo, it's not always easy to find a car that fits you perfectly. Going from a SUV to a Sedan is going to be a big change and I personally would be worried six months down the road longing for my favorite car.

 

[boop0524]

My family has always been of the opinion that cars are not an investment therefore we don’t buy luxury. What we will do is upgrade to nicer features instead. We sometimes buy new but not always. Just depends what we’re in the market for. I am often shocked at what some people will pay just to have a luxury vehicle. (Our friend paid more monthly for his vehicle than we did for our house!) Simply not worth the name or the hassle of owning it to me. Just my two cents

 

[LuvOrlando]

Just make sure that giving up being a "Jeep" family will be something that will make you happy in the end. You LOVED your Laredo, it's not always easy to find a car that fits you perfectly. Going from a SUV to a Sedan is going to be a big change and I personally would be worried six months down the road longing for my favorite car.

I think you are right. A sedan is a tough sell for me so are likely still looking at a SUV, I like the substance behind them for bad weather in the Northeast and general safety. My Jeep was totaled when a 2 week new driver who didn't understand that some intersections with arrows do not stop traffic on the other side tore through and T-boned it, she sheared off the front of her car. My kid was able to turn away to reduce the force of impact so no-one was hurt but the collision turned the front drivers tire under itself flat, so it looked like a turntable. I miss my Jeep but it saved my kid so it did what it's supposed to do.

The luxury side of it is probably more about safety features and really just comfortable seats. It's amazing that some cars feel like fabric stretched over a lawn chair, how much could the stuffing really cost?

 

[easyas123]

I've got a Lincoln. It's been a perfectly comfortable, fine running vehicle since I got it. Can't complain at all....it's my first Lincoln, I'll probably go with something else next time though. I'm about 62K miles in with this one, had it for almost 2 years. Haven't had a single issue.
I got a Lincoln after getting my last car totaled - when finding out I couldn't replace it I just went in a different direction. I had the same brand of car for three cars prior and kinda wish now I had stayed with that brand, but not because there is anything wrong with the Lincoln.

 

[Kennywood]

When choosing a new vehicle, we've always relied on Consumer Reports. We've never had any problems with any of the vehicles we've chosen.

 

[fla4fun]

I wouldn’t necessarily rule out a car just because there weren’t many on the lot. Maybe they are just popular and hard to keep in stock because they sell well.

Personally, I don’t have experience with any of the three you mentioned. However, I recommend you look online for some forums for owners of the car types you are considering. Those forums are usually very candid about the pros and cons, and you can learn a lot. We were a Ford family for decades, with both my dad and grandpa buying Fords. But when the only Ford left was the Mustang (which I didn’t want) I had to look at other brands. I wanted a small wagon format, so I narrowed down my choices by options with 40+ mpg, and then went to user forums to research my remaining options. It became pretty clear that a Toyota Prius v was going to be the best fit for me, and I have not been disappointed.

If you love Jeeps, and can get the Jeep model you will be happy with, it might still be worth looking up a forum, especially if they have done a major remodel, as sometimes when they redesign a vehicle it triggers some issues the prior model didn’t have. I did end up waiting a year to buy for that very reason. They had just done a redesign to address a specific safety issue (new IHS test) and I never buy the first model year after a redesign.

Happy shopping!

 

[Squirlz]

Cadillac has huge depreciation when purchased new.

Sometimes you get lucky. I could sell the Cadillac I bought new for 70K 10 years ago for at least 80 today. But that's a fluke.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I do love my Jeeps, this is from the Compass, how stinking cute is this?

But on the flip, I hit a nail while on a 3 in Massachusetts 3 days ago and while I'm glad the sensors alerted me I was horrified to discover the vehicle doesn't come with a donut. This is not a thing I thought to ask, it is not a thing I ever thought of as "optional." It was a slow leak, thank goodness. It was boiling out, AAA was a 3 hour wait and I was in an unfamiliar town, not strong enough to work the particular air pump, we are down a car so I was stuck & near tears. A very kind man at the station putting air in his tires offered to fill my tire and I was able to get it back to our place and to the tire shop. Not exactly Jeeps finest hour for me, what kind of fool idea is it to leave out a spare tire? I'm conflicted

 

[fla4fun]

I do love my Jeeps, this is from the Compass, how stinking cute is this?

But on the flip, I hit a nail while on a 3 in Massachusetts 3 days ago and while I'm glad the sensors alerted me I was horrified to discover the vehicle doesn't come with a donut. This is not a thing I thought to ask, it is not a thing I ever thought of as "optional." It was a slow leak, thank goodness. It was boiling out, AAA was a 3 hour wait and I was in an unfamiliar town, not strong enough to work the particular air pump, we are down a car so I was stuck & near tears. A very kind man at the station putting air in his tires offered to fill my tire and I was able to get it back to our place and to the tire shop. Not exactly Jeeps finest hour for me, what kind of fool idea is it to leave out a spare tire? I'm conflicted

Many cars no longer have a spare. That was one of the reasons I bought the car I did, since it does have a spare. Most of the cars without a spare just give you a can of Fix A Flat, but whenever I have had a flat, it’s been too big a hole for Fix A Flat to fix. I need a real spare. If you do too, make sure you ask to see the spare before you sign on the dotted line. Don’t assume, even if they say it has one.

 

[Cadiewampus]

Many cars no longer have a spare. That was one of the reasons I bought the car I did, since it does have a spare. Most of the cars without a spare just give you a can of Fix A Flat, but whenever I have had a flat, it’s been too big a hole for Fix A Flat to fix. I need a real spare. If you do too, make sure you ask to see the spare before you sign on the dotted line. Don’t assume, even if they say it has one.

I didn't know this was a thing either. We generally buy used cars two or three years old and have always had spares. This last trip for a car for our youngest son to the Hyundai dealership the plan was a used one as well. We ended up getting him a new elantra though because of the deal. Anyway it does have a spare but when he told his brother about the car his older brother advised his wifes car did not come with one. Weird thing is she had bought an elantra as well but it was a couple years old.

 

[JimMIA]

I leased a new 2021 Cadillac XT-6 in January. Prices and leases were pretty high, but my old lease was up.

I turned in a Buick Enclave (my 4th of those) because it was a little too big. I wanted something slightly smaller, but still with enough room for DD to haul some friends, college move-ins, etc. Plus I like the much better visibility of an SUV. I actually liked the styling of the XT5 better, but it just didn't have enough room for our needs.

I really like the car so far, despite the fact that these smart cars are smarter than I am, lol!

I think the main differences I notice with more lux cars like the Enclave and XT6 are the seats, sound systems, and interior appointments. The seats are thicker, more sturdy, and more comfortable that regular cars. They also have more bells and whistles, but to me comfort is the big draw.

I have also had 0% problems with these GM SUVs over the last 12-13 years. No service problems whatsoever. None -- but I guess that's one of the benefits of driving a new car every three years.

 

[Darcy03231]

I went from a mid-size SUV to a sedan. While I drove the sedan for 10 years I never really "loved" it. When it came time for a new car I went back to the SUV. I have the Jeep Renegade and I can say I've been very happy with it.

 

[Dan Murphy]

considering Jeep, Cadillac or Lincoln. Love Jeeps but they are pragmatic and we (read DH) are thinking maybe shifting towards a bit of luxury might be nice.

Keep in mind that the Cadillac vehicles are generally pretty much the same as the high end Chevy and Buick vehicles and Lincoln's are higher end Ford vehicles which are substantially lower priced. Generally made on the same assembly lines.

 

[tvguy]

Do a little research on why buying any car right now is probably a bad idea. Most of the dealers here have almost no inventory, and prices are high because they are marking up both new and used cars a lot. I'd wait at least a year.
I wouldn't worry about parts for a Lincoln, they are just a Ford so there will be plenty of parts. Well, except computer chips, but that is why some automakers like GM have shutdown production, they can't get chips.
Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram , VW and Nissan are the three brands my mechanic says run from, but if you like them, and are willing to take the risk, fine. He has a love hate relationship with Subaru. He finds them very reliable, but when a part fails, it is often hidden, requiring a lot of disassembly to get to them.

 

[emilymad]

Many cars no longer have a spare. That was one of the reasons I bought the car I did, since it does have a spare. Most of the cars without a spare just give you a can of Fix A Flat, but whenever I have had a flat, it’s been too big a hole for Fix A Flat to fix. I need a real spare. If you do too, make sure you ask to see the spare before you sign on the dotted line. Don’t assume, even if they say it has one.

A lot of cars now have run flat tires so you don't "need" the spare. This is what my car has and there wasn't an option or space to even add an option of a spare. I haven't had to test out luckily but definitely something to keep an eye on if it is important to you.

 

[tvguy]

A lot of cars now have run flat tires so you don't "need" the spare. This is what my car has and there wasn't an option or space to even add an option of a spare. I haven't had to test out luckily but definitely something to keep an eye on if it is important to you.

My daughter has a Ford Fusion Hybrid, no spare. The gasoline only Fusions have a spare and there is a place for it in the Hybrid, so that will be her Christmas gift this year. She has had one flat tire in 3 years, and we were able to pump it up and it held long enough to get to the tire shop, or would have had to been towed. Not a better idea in my book. You save some weight and fuel, but if you are like my daughter and have a flat tire at 2 am when you need to get to work, not sure it is worth the fuel savings.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Inventory on new vehicles is tight right now due to the chip shortage. Ford (Lincoln) seems to be concentrating resources on F-150s which is likely why you didn't see many Lincolns on the lot. Long term it won't be an issue but if buying today it might be.

My personal ranking would be 1. Lincoln 2. Cadillac and 3. Jeep but that is based on really broad assumptions of the entire model lineup. Individual models vary and I could prefer the Cadillac to the Lincoln in that segment.