car dilemma

L

LittleHornChick

100+ Posts
I have a very nice 2000 Honda Accord with all the extras, very comfortable and it’s paid off and I like it a lot. My problem is I live in Flagstaff and since my divorce (he got the 4wd SUV) and since the recent deep snows we’ve gotten here I’ve come to the realization that I either need to get a 4WD to get around or there will be days I simply will be stranded. I’m pondering a couple of things here (because I really don’t want another car payment): selling my Honda and buying an older Nissan or Subaru 4-door sedan and using the extra cash to buy a decent older 4WD (1990’s Pathfinder), or hold on to my Honda and just buy a very cheap older/ high miles 4WD just to get around on those days when the snow is really bad.

Before these most recent snows I was considering just trading my Honda for a nice Subaru, but trust me on this, in deep snow I need a high clearance vehicle cause even the Subaru (regardless of it being all-wheel drive) would get stuck here.

Honda’s are nice on gas-mileage, and of course SUVs and trucks would probably really bump up my gas consumption so I’m not really leaning toward using one all the time. Any suggestions or ideas maybe I’m not considering? Just really don’t want another huge car payment and have some cash to put into this endeavor.
 
I'd keep the Accord (we also have an '00 Accord EX and love it) and get a used Pathfinder or Xterra for the snowy days. But then I like Nissan and Honda. Is the Honda CR-V enough clearance for you? If you can find a 6 rather than a 4 cylinder, they are nice, too.

Good luck.

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I would say if its just a problem a few times a year, go buy a $5000 jeep or truck of some sort and use it as a back up. Wasting the trade in value on a perfectly good Honda, that you enjoy, seems like a waste for less than 30-40 days a year.

My Dad has been complaining about the horrible winter in Flagstaff this year. He says it is so much worse than normal, that he is contemplating moving back to Central Texas because he is so sick of it. It doesn't hurt anything that the land prices in Flagstaff have gown exponentially since he moved there and stands to make a killing off the sale of his house and land.
 
I agree. If you love the Honda, don't get rid of it. Go cheap on the SUV for the fewer days per year that you need it as a second car.
 
I agree with keeping your Honda, since you love it, and finding an older, reliable SUV, or something similar. Or, you could just become friends with someone who owns a 4x4.
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He has been there since '89. The weather may/ may not be any worse than any other year and he is just using the weather as justification to move back to Texas. He is a golf instructor and it cuts into the amount of days that he can actually work when all of the golf courses have to set their open/close dates for the season around when the snow arrives and melts.
 
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