A bit over a year ago I posted a hypothetical "what should I buy" thread:
https://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php?topic=103106.0I'm now just four months away from the end of the Clubman lease so it's time to get serious about a replacement. Unfortunately I have no idea what to do. As I mentioned we intended to do in that thread, we've moved downtown and gone down to one car. Before quarantine, I was walking to work and my wife was working at a school two kilometres away so we've barely been driving. We've been buying gas once a month, except in February when we didn't get gas at all. Between January 25 and March 10, we drove 388 km.
So I'm torn. I don't see much point in spending a bunch of money on a car that we're hardly driving. But we also don't know where my wife will be working next year. Her commute could easily jump to 25 each way instead of two. In the grand scheme of things that still isn't a ton of kilometres because we live close to all other amenities and frequently walk to get groceries, to go to restaurants, to visit friends and family, etc.
Some thoughts about what we could do, in no particular order:
Keep the Clubman - I actually still love the car a lot. The buyout is $23,xxx and it has 56k on it. I think that's a very reasonable price for the car. The issue is the running costs. It will need two new sets of tires if we keep it and I'm concerned about the cost of maintenance and repairs. Had to do front brake pads a while ago and the pads alone were hundreds of dollars and difficult to source. I don't imagine the massive front rotors are cheap either and they likely need replacement soon. The car has been quite reliable minus the fact that I got a new transmission under warranty.
Jeep Wrangler - Have always wanted a Jeep, might be a good opportunity to lease a new one for a couple years to get it out of my system. Can get a manual. Could be fun. Not convinced I'll love having such a non-sporty vehicle as our only car though.
Alfa Romeo Giulia - Love the styling, you can get a loaded 2018 for under $40k, supposedly drives amazingly. But the closest dealer is in Quebec City, my wife hates the looks, and there's no manual. So not a serious contender at all.
BMW 335i/340i - This is what I was set on getting when I got the Clubman instead. Could go for a cheaper, higher KM 2014 (preferably an M Performance) or a newer, CPO 340i. I'm particular about what I want - needs the right options, needs a manual, prefer a good colour (definitely no silver or grey, preferably not black or white).
VW GTI - Had a 2015 and loved it, wouldn't mind getting a facelifted 2018 or finding a great deal on a leftover 2019. Gains a few things over the car I had (more power, better infotainment). Easy to find one. Don't love the colour choices, would probably just get another red one. It's too bad the new one doesn't come out until 2021 or it would be a shoe-in.
Mazda 3 GT hatch - Nice car with tons of amenities. Can lease a new loaded one for about $500 all in. Manual. Not special enough though. Probably doesn't drive as well as a GTI, unless they've made big improvements over the previous gen. I drove my brother's AWD automatic and liked it but the actual driving experience wasn't particularly exciting.
Volvo V60 - Can probably get a 2019 CPO for about $40k in a few months. I rented an S60 T6 recently and liked it but it was a bit boring. It would be very practical and would be a great road trip vehicle.
2015-2016 Mercedes-Benz E400 wagon - Have an AutoTrader search set up for these. You can get a nice one for under $30k which is a strong value IMO. Leans a bit too much luxury over sport for my tastes though. I'd go for a cheaper, earlier model but my wife hates the pre-facelift styling. Could save money getting a 2014 E350 which has the facelift but not the turbo motor.
E90/E91 3-series - Cheap. There was an '07 328i manual, sport package, RWD sedan for sale here recently. Under 80k and $9k asking price. Would be fun, practical enough, fairly easy to maintain. I actually really like this idea. It would be ideal to get an '09+ wagon with a manual and the sport package but they fetch more money than I'd want to spend on a 10 year old car I think.
2017-2018 Audi A4 - There's a handful of manuals around. Would want a reasonably loaded one with the S-Line package and those are hard to find. Very nice cars, but kind of boring.
2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe - there's a grand total of 13 manual, RWD Gran Coupes in Canada. This combination was only offered in 2015. I've seen 3-4 of them for sale in the last couple years. Unfortunately none of those were optioned that well. Last week I found one in white with red leather but it didn't have the performance options. I think I'm more interested in this car because it's a novelty. I also saw a 2015 435i Gran Coupe that had higher KMs for under $20k, which is a steal, but those are automatic only.
Civic Si - Not sure my wife would like this choice but I don't mind them. Could go new or used, current gen or previous. They don't wow me on paper but I have yet to drive one.
So as you can see I'm kind of all over the place because I really don't know what to do. 🤷♂️
