The Burrito Bowls Are in The Market for a Vehicle

In case the vague title threw you off, this post is about purchasing a car with the goal of financial independence in mind.  What does that mean?  In a nutshell, our goal is to purchase the best bang for our buck without derailing our financial goals. Period.  We care about getting a reliable vehicle that will serve us for years to come.  Some have said we don’t care about looking cool or impressing the masses.  It is true we aren’t trying to get laid with our vehicle selection.  We’re a married couple, damnit,  we can get not laid on our own!

Ironically, the reason we are looking for a new car is we are expecting the arrival of Baby Burrito Bowl in December.  Our Honda Fit has been, and is, awesome.  However, I cannot keep all my tools in the backseat and have a carseat installed at the same time.  Mrs. Burrito Bowl is insisting on a carseat.

Being self-employed, I can get a tax break by writing off the vehicle purchase for my business.  That’s secondary but still, a nice bonus.

The Honda Fit would be perfectly fine for lugging around a tiny human but it’s not ideal.  It’s small and low to the ground.  It gets around 30mpg and performs surprisingly well in the snow but it doesn’t have AWD.  Once in Montana we hope to be spending more days up on the mountain, so having some sort of AWD or 4WD might be nice.

Everyone’s situation is different, so is what people need out of their potential vehicles.  Here are some of the criteria we’re trying to mesh into one car.

1) Price- We Want a Deal!

Being frugal AF, price is one of the biggest considerations.  We aren’t looking to buy a $70,000 huge truck because it could potentially tow a small town away.  Also, we aren’t looking to buy a $300 pile of human excrement just because it’s cheap.  We have a high end budget of about $15,000 but it would have to be the deal of a lifetime and fit the rest of our parameters for us to pull the trigger on spending that much.  Ideally we’re looking at spending between $8-12k.  $8,000 or less if I get my way, $12,000 or more if Mrs. Burrito Bowl gets her way.  So basically we’re looking at spending a little more than $12,000.  The Scrooge McDuck in me cringes at the idea of spending $12,000 but I enjoy being married. The struggle is real.

2) Reliability- We Break it Down, We Don’t Break Down

It seems like the flashier and/or sportier a car is the less reliable it turns out to be.  Maybe it’s just the more bells and whistles a car has the more potential there is for parts to break.  This is more anecdotal than scientific but it does seem like the boring plain Jane cars just keep going.

Side Note: This whole blog is anecdotal.  If you want scientific research you should read a book. Not one that I've written, mind you.

We want a car that will start every time. Our current Honda Fit isn’t fancy but we never worry that we’ll be stranded on the side of the road.  It gets us from point A to point B and that’s what we’re looking for in our next vehicle.

3) Longevity- Translation: We want our next car to last long enough that are future kids are eventually embarrassed by it

We want to find a car that is old enough that the new car depreciation is gone.  We also don’t want a car that’s got so many miles on it it’s a ticking time bomb.  We’re trying to find a car that would theoretically outlast our current Honda Fit.  Paying more money for a car that will give us less miles than the one we’ve got doesn’t seem very financially responsible.  Finding that sweet spot where we should have several years maintenance-free, but old enough that we aren’t paying a premium for that luxury, is what we’re going for.

4) AWD vs. FWD- Do you NEED all those tires spinning in unison?

Currently, we live in Portland, Oregon.  It rains here but rarely snows.  We don’t find ourselves going up to Mount Hood very often. Any camping spots we would go to we would be able to access with a front wheel drive vehicle.

In the few times we have had large amounts of snow our FWD Honda Fit has done remarkably well.  If you’ve never driven in a Portland snowstorm it’s a different animal.  They don’t plow the roads and the humidity causes the entire city to turn into an ice rink.  Plus, nobody has studs on their tires.

People who’ve never experienced it, and think it’s the same as 6 inches of snow in a dry climate, are dummies. That being said Snowpocalypse snowstorms only happen every couple of years, and usually only last for a few days. There’s really no need for us to have 4WD or AWD while we’re living in Portland….but….

We plan to move back to Montana in the next few years.  I think the average person wastes a lot of gas money going with a 4×4 when a FWD car would work for their needs 99% of the time.  When you find yourself really NEEDING 4WD you’ll be happy you have it.  At least that’s the line I always hear.

I think you actually NEED 4WD a lot less often than you think.  I grew up in Montana and drove FWD cars year round with little trouble, but back then it was just me.  I’m more worried about getting stranded with my wife and a child, or two, than I would be if it were just me hiking through the snow. Still, Montana winters are long and brutal.  How many extra MPG is worth taking the risk of only having a FWD vehicle?

5) MPG- It’s not you gas station attendant, it’s me

Currently my work pays for my gas. We will eventually be paying for our own gas, once again, and when that day comes we will be happy we didn’t go with a 13 mpg tank on wheels.

How many miles per gallon do we really need to get?  Should we go with a hybrid that gets 40-50mpg or would an AWD crossover that gets 25-30mpg be a better choice?  How often would we need the extra space of a Honda Odyssey or the off-road capabilities of an SUV or truck?

We’re used to filling up a small car.  Filling up a huge truck would be disappointing.

6) Spacious backseat for kids- OMG car seats are ENORMOUS

Apparently, thanks to the liberals, kids now have to be in carseats.  Thanks, Obama.  Back when I was supposed to be in a carseat you could fit like 9 kids in the back of your average sedan, no problem.  Almost as if they’re mocking us, carseat manufacturers have started making baby carseats comically large.  We were looking at carseats the other day that had guest rooms. Your kid has to get to like 50 pounds before their allowed to not be shrink wrapped in bubble tape every time you want to leave the house.

A small car may have the space for a carseat but they also sit lower to the ground. It’s hard wiggling a kid in and out of the back of a small car.  A mini-van would be the easiest for transporting kids, but are you allowed to own those if you have less than three kids?

Crossover’s or small SUVs sit higher, which makes it easier on the back, and they are easier to park than mini-vans….but a mini-van has one big benefit…

7) Lay-flat backseat for camping-We hypothetically LOVE camping

We don’t actually get out and go camping all that often. RIGHT NOW.  Thing is, if we had a way to car camp we’d be out in the boondocks every other weekend.  The problem with camping in Oregon is you have to reserve spots a year in advance.  We usually don’t know what we’re having for dinner, much less if we’ll want to go camping on a particular weekend sometime next year.

If we could sleep in our vehicle it would open up a world of boondocking possibilities for us.

We want a vehicle that we are able to sleep in.  A mini-van provides shit tons of room for our bodies and our gear.  Our Honda Fit lays flat and is almost enough room to lay down fully.  ALMOST. Another 6-12 inches in length and we could car camp to our hearts content in our current set up.

There are several high MPG cars that are just enough longer than the Honda Fit that car camping in them would be doable.  Prius V, Ford C-Max, and VW Jetta Sportswagen all have enough room to lay down.  None of them would be as good for car camping as a mini-van would be.  The question then is how often would we really go camping and is having that extra room worth the substantially less MPG we’d get from a mini-van vs. one of these high MPG cars?

8) Ability to Uber

Another thing we are considering is getting a vehicle that would allow me to Uber.  I’ve been considering becoming an Uber driver to supplement my income.  Our Honda Fit would be an ideal Uber car except it has a reconstructed title and at 2009 only has one year left of eligibility even if it had a clean title.  In order to Uber you need a clean title and a car less than 10 years old.  Once again, thanks, Obama.  We never had these restrictions when Bush was in office.

These are the parameters we’ve been trying to meld in our heads.  Size vs. fuel efficiency vs. AWD vs. price vs. reliability and longevity.  Normally when people shop for cars they already know they want an SUV, sedan, or whatever.  Then it’s a matter of brand and features.  For us, we’re trying really hard to make the smartest choice for pursuing FI. That could mean just keeping our old Honda Fit.  So don’t get too hung up on us getting a new vehicle.  We probably will, but like I said, we usually don’t even know what we’re having for dinner.

In Part II I’ll go over some of the different vehicles we’re considering and the pros and cons of each.

Purchasing a Vehicle with Financial Independence in Mind- Part II

Saying Goodbye to the D.I.N.K. Days

Single Car Blues- The Pros and Cons of Owning Only One Car

If you enjoyed this article please share it with your friends and enemies, especially if those enemies just foolishly purchased a vehicle WITHOUT financial independence in mind and you really want to rub it in.