Selling your SUV?

In My Humble Opinion
1

In this time of of higher gas prices, I am curious if any SUV owners are looking to sell their SUVs.

This is directed at the folks who are the sole driver of an SUV as a commuter vehicle, not the folks who churned out six kids or have a real job that requires an SUV.

Do you think anyone would actually bite the bullet and buy that behemoth?

2

I drive a Cevy Avalanche everyday…I was thinking about selling it soon for something more economical. It’s a definite possibility.

3

Well, I just bought an SUV, so there are still buyers out there.

Then again, I don’t commute in it. It’s a second car, and is just used when I need to haul/tow stuff. And it’s a Rav4, so it’s pretty fuel efficient as SUVs go.

4

Thousands of people buy brand-new SUVs everyday. I don’t think a used one would be hard to sell.

5

Yes I am. But then again, i was already thinking about it months ago anyways. Going way smaller, Ford Focus, Mazda 3 series, etc…

6

No, I am not considering it. I drive about 25,000 a year too. An SUV is what I want and partially need. Even though gas prices have gone up a lot, it is not enough difference for me to think it is worth it. Plus, mine is paid for so I would lose money if I bought a smaller, newer car.

7

Hah, it’s people like you that show me that the economy isn’t doing that bad if you can afford such a leviathan and its upkeep! Last week I saw four SUVs tanking up at a Conoco (usually they have the most expensive gas compared to everyone else, even for regular). Either they don’t know better or just don’t care about the price. Most likely it’s the latter since I like to believe people are smart enough to shop around.

8

To buy another? Yes. Mine is 12 years old. I’ll probably hang on to mine for another few years or so. My Wife drives one too(it’s a 2002).

My next vehical will be an SUV. To replace the one I have. My Wife also drives an SUV.

We have not ‘churned’ out any kids. And we have real jobs that don’t require an SUV except to be at work everyday.

Understand that an SUV is much more than a way to carry around the kids you ‘churn’ out (could you be more insulting?). And understand that the people that you see commuting in an SUV most likely use them for many other things that you have not thought of.

9

apparently the administration is going to require new “efficiency standards” for SUVs and THAT will increase their popularity … once that kicks in, the roads will be swarming with em!

10

A large SUV costs about 50 grand. Do you really think someone who can afford that is going to worry about paying a few extra bucks a month to put gas in it?

11

Which just shows how much you know about money.

What’s better:

-Selling your new bought SUV at a HUGE loss to get a NEW more economical car that gets better gas mileage. (Think 10 grand loss in the SUV, plus a 40% drop in econocar value when you drive it off the lot) To save $50 a month.

-(ignoring your previous car) Spending an extra $3000 on a hybrid that gets better mileage, but takes 5 years to recoup the extra cost. To save $50 a month.

-Just keep what you’ve got and spend an extra $50 a month.

Any time you have to TURN a car, you lose. Better make it count.

And lemmie bring something into focus: For something that isn’t a necessity, Every dime spent more than rollerskates is ‘wasted money’. When you do your math, be sure to include depreciation, repairs, interest, and insurance in your calculations.

The Wife and I have four cars. An AV, a PT Cruiser, and two Vettes. She drives 8000-9000 miles a year, I now drive, maybe 2000 miles a year.

I don’t much CARE what gas prices do, I primarily commute in a Bus. But boy are the weekends fun!

12

Uh, yeah. A RAV4 is surely a leviathan. http://www.edmunds.com/media/2003/frankfurt/04.toyota.rav4/04.toyota.rav4.f34.500.jpg
:confused:
We normally commute in our Subaru Forester, another “leviathan” SUV, and aren’t planning on selling it.

13

I agree that many people don’t think the money thing through at all. Like I said, my SUV is paid for. If I got a more fuel efficient car, the payments would run $300 dollars a month or more.

I spend about $350 a month on gas. Even if I got a car that used half the gas (doubtful), I would still spend $175 dollars a month on gas. $175 extra a month is still a lot less than $300 and I still get to drive something with room, utility, and is fun to drive.

14

Like others, I’d just be trading in my fuel costs for a car payment. So, no.

15

Selling our Ford Exploder for a Toyota Highlander 4 cylinder, or a Jeep Liberty Diesel.

Mostly selling it because the Exploder is getting old, and things are starting to fall apart.

16

Hardly. I mean, I’m doing ok, but this is a 9 year old car. I needed something that could tow a boat, and I figured an SUV is better than a truck because I can cart around more passengers if necessary.

17

You’ll get my SUV when you pry it from my cold dead hands!
I didn’t want an SUV, I was going to buy a car. But then I thought about it. I road trip…to some pretty remote places. I haul bikes, kayaks, furniture, very small rocks (and some larger ones too), camping gear, people, stuff, etc. You still can’t do any of that in a little coupe. I live in a snowy part of the country so the AWD, truck tires, and high clearance are all bonuses. And, like Unintentionally Blank, I commute by bus. I’ve purchased about 23 gallons of gas since July 1 and still have 3/4 of a tank that could last me until mid-September, depending on what I do on weekends. Higher gas prices have cost me, ohhh…about $5 since July 1. I guess its time to trade in my behemouth!

18

I have a huge 50,000 SUV (GMC Denali) . I got about 12,000 +/- off the price (after purchase) with the now defunct infamous SUV tax credit when I purchased it in 2003, and I currently owe about 15K on it. At around 12-13 average MPG it’s a huge gas hog, but it would still be more expensive (for now) to get a new vehicle. Plus many SUV owners have a secondary backup vehicle (Honda Accord sedan in my case) we can drive if gas gets too oppresive.

It is breathtaking to watch those numbers spin on the pump these days!

I think I’ll get a motorcycle. I’ve always wanted one and you can get a decent one for around 10K.

19

I just traded in my 2001 GMC Yukon XL - the second biggest of the SUVs (Ford Excursion is bigger and I’m not sure where the Hummers fall and I won’t include those commercial trucks the pro athletes are driving these days.) for a Chevy Malibu Maxx. Yes, the gas was a big part of it. Even buying regular grade gas, I could not fill up the Yukon’s tank as two of my local stations automatically cut the pumps at $60.00. I wasn’t spending a ton on gas as my commute is less than 5 miles a day, but the gas prices were making me cringe. However, gas was not the only consideration:

  1. The payments on the Maxx are slightly less than my payments on the Yukon had been. The dealership I bought the Maxx from was offering $2,000 below the employee discount price.
  2. The Yukon had served its purpose. I have two kids under the age of 5 and for the last few years we’ve needed the Yukon for strollers, playpens, groceries etc. The kids are now big enough that they don’t need those things (uhhh - except groceries. They still need those I guess.). Also, when we bought the Yukon, we had planned to have a third child. A vehicle that big is necessary for a family of five if three of the five are in car seats. But, we decided against kid #3, so no need for the large vehicle.
  3. The front passenger side power window motor crapped out. The truck was out of warranty, and I didn’t feel like having it fixed on a truck I didn’t want anyway.
  4. I really wanted XM or Sirrus in my car and wanted factory-installed, not aftermarket. I have an irrational hatred of FM modulators and cassette tape converters.
  5. I was sick and tired of parking the Yukon. It was a pain in the ass.
  6. The aftermarket DVD player in the Yukon was hit-or-miss in transmitting the audio (see #4). When the kids were real little, they were happy just watching the video and didn’t seem to notice or care if the audio to their Sesame Street DVD was replaced with whatever was on the radio or just left silent. Now they are at the age where they actually want the audio too. The Maxx has a factory installed DVD system which should cure this problem.

All in all, I enjoyed the Yukon, but I was ready for a change.* The gas prices were the straw that broke the camels back.

  • This will be an unpopular statement on this board where average auto retention seems to run 10 years at least, but I don’t like to keep a car more than 2-3 years and I’d had the Yukon about 2.5 years. In the past, I’ve managed my addiction by buying only used cars and letting someone else take the depreciation hit.
20

I drive a distinctly un-macho Hyundai Santa Fe and I haven’t even considered trading it in for a sedan. My regular commuting vehicle is a 1995 Infiniti J30 and it uses more gas, and requires the middle level of octane. Compared to that the Hyundai is downright economical.

I just plain like riding a bit higher and like the feel of an SUV. I haul dogs around, but I don’t go offroading, haul kayaks or go camping often. I don’t plan to give up my SUV for the same reason I don’t take sponge baths to conserve water, or turn down the AC to save electricity. I can afford the cost and I feel that the slight difference in gas costs is worth it. In fact it isn’t even really close.