Offered 32K for 2019 Alltrack SE, considering options

[Dog Dad Wagon]

Hey guys, a few months back I made a post on VWVortex seeking someone to trade their DSG Alltrack for my 6MT Alltrack. A gentleman reached out today offering 32K cash for mine, a pretty difficult deal to pass up. I presently owe a bit less than 20K on the car, so I'd see a substantial bit back in my pocket.

I've also changed priorities a lot in the last year, and see this as an opportunity to get straight out of credit card debt, then split my gf's payment on her 2014 TDI (only $300 a month, so $150 per) and tough it out until tax return/bonus season. Come late march, early April I would have saved enough to put a 10-15K down payment on a nicer car, and could either aim for similar payments as I'm used to (~$400), or maybe even push it to $500/mo since I'm out of credit debt.

Now, I am between a Racing Green Atlas R-Line with Mauro Brown Interior, 2.0T if possible, and a 2015/2016 Touareg TDI R-Line. If I am able to find the right Touareg from the right seller, I definitely prefer that but don't know much about their reliability, just that Touareg's are notoriously expensive to maintain. Don't really know much about Atlas build quality/reliability either, but I'd hope it's decent considering the margins and volume they're doing.

What else should I consider in a similar vein as these 2 midsize SUVs? I have never owned a vehicle that wasn't a Golf platform derivative (MK5 Jetta, MK6 GTI, 2 MK7 GTIs, 1 MK7.5 Alltrack) so this is surprisingly murky waters for me, despite my general knowledge of cars and the market. I may look at a used CX-9, but I don't even know how much those cost new or used.

Primary goals are a healthy blend of utility, style, and performance in a midsize SUV.

Think i'm gonna look at Q5 TDIs too.

 

[Daks]

I have read your posts on this forum - from my understanding you are in your late 20's, early 30's. You need to keep your cars longer and look to getting to a point here you do not have a car payment. Personally, I could not share a car with my partner. I always have and always will have my own car; but that's just me. I have a buddy now that chose to share a car with his future wife in order not to spend $1000 a month, for whatever reason - he can easily afford to spend $1000 a month on a car and now he's dealing with all sorts of headaches driving HER car. I don't think wheeling and dealing cars will solve your problem - as you are looking at getting into cars that are more expensive to maintain and own than your present one. You mention credit card debt - why do you have it? Make sacrifices to pay that off. Cut the cigarettes. SUV's are terrible. Diesel's are expensive to own. Even-though you are getting a "deal" on a used car, that car was still 60k new and you will be maintaining a 60k car, a different ball game than maintaining a 30k car. I did not answer your question, I just wrote words.

 

[averyislost]

My two cents: if you're moving into the more-expensive SUV space, stick with something reliable with cheaper maintenance. 4Runner would be top of my list. Yes you see them everywhere, but for good reason. They're expensive for what they are, outdated by modern SUV/crossover standards, and get poor mpg, but they're extremely capable off-road, great in inclimate weather, and dead reliable.
My 1999 4Runner has 189k miles and never had any major maintenance, and I drive it more than the GTI. My dad's '07 FJ Cruiser has 239k miles on it, and again, no major issues on the engine/transmission (even has a "lifetime" timing chain so no timing belt replacements). They have the same engine/trans as the 4th gen 4runners.

Or a new Bronco, that's moved to the top of my wishlist as well, lol. But reliability unknown, and dealers will be playing hardball big time on those.

Any of the Mazda SUV's should treat you well too. I've never driven any of them but a lot of reviewers seem to have good things to say about the way they drive. Very tasteful styling as well.

 

[GTI Jake]

I’m gonna go the old man advice route too, I’d stick with what you’ve got and focus on killing that CC debt.

The stress relief by owning nothing on anything is far greater than the good feeling you’ll get from having something new or new to you like a higher tier SUV.

The only other option I could recommend would be cashing out on the current car, pay off the CC and then get something cheaper to drive to keep the CAR payment the same or less. If you’re goal is the maintain the CAR + CC payments you’ll never not need that CC headroom.

 

[oddspyke]

Used car prices are still unusually high, so selling now and buying later isn't a terrible idea, especially if it helps you get out of credit card debt. A few words of caution though:
-be wary of splitting a car payment if you aren't on the title. If you're viewing it as a use-fee, like renting your use of it, great, but don't expect to own a % of it.
-the Atlas is very practical, but they're NOT sporty to drive, at all. They're very big inside though.
-why not the Tiguan? It's slightly larger than your all track, but much nicer to drive and way more fuel efficient than the Atlas. It's not the top rated vehicle in the class, but if you're comfortable with the golf platform, it will feel very familiar.
-old man time; don't go out and get another big car payment right after you ditch the CC debt or you'll be right back where you started in 5 years.

 

[dtfd]

I'm getting deja vu, just had the exact same conversation with a friend this past weekend.

It boils down a few things. #1 do you actually need a car? I.e. for work. If public transit will do the trick or you work from home then sharing a car shouldn't be a problem. If you can deal with not having your own car and sharing with the S/O until the market normalizes a little then it makes sense to sell now when the price is high. If you're just going to buy back into the same crazy market, then selling would be insane. P.S. there's no guarantee next year we'll see a normal used market, but as long as companies can source the raw material (particularly for chips) buying a new car will likely be the better option.

#2(and you don't need to answer me you know yourself) how responsible are you actually with money. If you sell your car and have a small pile of cash are you responsible enough to take it and immediately pay off your credit cards. Once you pay your cards off are you responsible enough to not charge them right back up immediately. Do you look at a 25k credit limit on a card as having 25k to spend? My first second and third recommendation is always kill the credit card debts and don't charge more on there than you can pay off at the end of the month. Importantly, don't cancel your cards after you've got a zero balance. Keep them around, charge the occasional gas receipt on the ones you don't use to keep them open if for nothing else than age & debt/credit ratios. I had to learn the hard way how much cc debt sucks when I dug myself a 20k hole at 19, so I'm coming from a place of stupid experience.

 

[Acadia18]

The used car market being up goes both ways. Any benefit you gain by someone overpaying for your used Alltrack will be lost when you overpay for a "new" used car. The only way to win this game is sell now, and not buy another car for who knows how many years until things settle down.

 

[Drincc]

My dad's '07 FJ Cruiser has 239k miles on it, and again, no major issues on the engine/transmission (even has a "lifetime" timing chain so no timing belt replacements). They have the same engine/trans as the 4th gen 4runners.

If your dad is religious about oil changes, then that chain is lifetime. I work at a Toyota dealer, and people who off-road their FJ/Tacomas thinking that they're bulletproof and neglecting oil changes are starting to come in with cam position sensor codes that are almost always stretched chains.

 

[averyislost]

If your dad is religious about oil changes, then that chain is lifetime. I work at a Toyota dealer, and people who off-road their FJ/Tacomas thinking that they're bulletproof and neglecting oil changes are starting to come in with cam position sensor codes that are almost always stretched chains.

Ahh that's interesting. Yeah I mean he's owned it since new (it's an 07 model), and I think it's been off-road twice? Both times were from me taking it to the beach, lol.

All maintenance done on time. I've been hounding him to engage the diff-locker and 4x4 on some backroads on occasion to keep things working, and thankfully he's been doing that. He has had to replace wheel-bearings more times than you'd expect. He's had three replaced, and one replaced twice (I suspect not the best install work the first time).

 

[hotbascosauce]

I'm in the same boat. The GTI is the first brand new car I've ever bought. First car I've ever owned that was new enough to even have a warranty. The dealer offered me $27500 to buy it back. My wife and I are currently looking to buy a bigger home, and I am still paying off some of the credit card debt incurred from our wedding a year and a half ago. Most of the time we drive her Lexus because it has the car seat base installed for our son. We both work from home.

I also have an 02 Toyota Tundra and a BMW e30. The Tundra is supercharged so it gets around 8MPG and the E30 I usually only drive in the summer. I considered selling my truck, but since we plan to move before the end of the year, and most of the homes we are looking at are fixer-uppers, so I will just need a truck again. My truck is so rarely optioned (apparently only 2000 Ivan Stewart edition Tundras made), that I dont even know how much to sell it for, and what would I buy to replace it? Buddy of mine just bought a first gen Tundra for $8000 with 200k miles. Thats how much I paid for mine with 90k miles last year.

My wifes Uncle as a MK3 GTI 2.slow that has been sitting for a few years that he said he would sell me for $1500. Also my cousin has my old 94 bmw 325i that I sold him 5 years ago thats been sitting at his inlaws house for the last 3 years he will sell me back. I figure I pay off my debt, get my family into a bigger home, daily the MK3 or E36, buy another newer fun car in 3 years or so.

 

[cb1111]

I think we're seeing the last of the high resale values on used cars, so if you don't need a car now, then you should sell it - but - expect to not buy a car for the next few months. If buying used, then you might get a great buy as I predict that the values of used cars will crash and used cars will be cheaper than ever.

$32k is more than I paid for my 2019 SEL new in January.

Oddspyke was dead on with his recommendations.

Keep us posted.

 

[Dog Dad Wagon]

Lots of great responses here, it’ll take a bit for me to respond appropriately. I appreciate everyone’s input.

I’ll say that I’m feeling the pain of irresponsible spending once I bought my Alltrack, and the worst part is I’m super invested in a car I now regret purchasing, because I wish I got a DSG lol. Most of my credit card debt is from parts I bought for the Alltrack. I was in 3k of debt when I got the car. Currently around 10, and I paid 1500 last month. Those parts are all sitting around uninstalled. I have the cash to pay off most of the debt but then I’d be broke which is equally disconcerting.

this offer from this guy would be enough for me to get straight out of debt, and then I’d sell my thousands worth of BNIB parts and get even more money back once the debt is paid off. At that point I’d be splitting my gf’s car payment which is 370, so 185, compared to my car which is 420.53. so I’d be saving another $235 a month or so in payments, while also not paying $300+ /month on credit debt. I also wouldn’t be paying $165/mo in car insurance.

I also just got a promotion and I’m now making 19k more than I have been the last few years, so the Equation really is stacked in my favor here.

I’d be saving $~700 a month in bills for about 7, 8 months (September to March/April), and when my tax return/bonus comes that’ll be another lumpsum ~10K or so. Hoping the market settles somewhat by then, I feel this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to “change my cards,” not just play the hand I’m dealt (or, more accurately that I dealt myself)

More relevant info here, when I got my car last year I lived at my gf’s parents house. Now that we’re on our own, it’s been a big wake up call on managing my money properly. That’s why I want to do this - I care more about setting myself up for the future than committing to owning a car that I no longer want, just on the principle that thus far I’ve traded my cars too often.

It’s either “work my way through” the current situation which means I wouldn’t be out of CC debt until March 2023, or take this dude’s offer and make some big adjustments to my life to set myself up to be able to afford a house in the next few years.

which still lends to not buying a more expensive SUV when the time comes to get another car. I do work from home and I do think me and the lady will be able to split the car without too many issues. So likely I’ll just buy another Alltrack SEL DSG with Marrakesh come Spring time, lol. I still love my car I just wish it wasn’t a manual. I went with the manual bc it felt like the last opportunity to do so, but that only matters if you really CARE that much which I thought I did, but I don’t haha.

 

[D.Gage]

Sell it, set yourself up. not having a car payment is sweet

 

[jimlloyd40]

Lots of great responses here, it’ll take a bit for me to respond appropriately. I appreciate everyone’s input.

I’ll say that I’m feeling the pain of irresponsible spending once I bought my Alltrack, and the worst part is I’m super invested in a car I now regret purchasing, because I wish I got a DSG lol. Most of my credit card debt is from parts I bought for the Alltrack. I was in 3k of debt when I got the car. Currently around 10, and I paid 1500 last month. Those parts are all sitting around uninstalled. I have the cash to pay off most of the debt but then I’d be broke which is equally disconcerting.

this offer from this guy would be enough for me to get straight out of debt, and then I’d sell my thousands worth of BNIB parts and get even more money back once the debt is paid off. At that point I’d be splitting my gf’s car payment which is 370, so 185, compared to my car which is 420.53. so I’d be saving another $235 a month or so in payments, while also not paying $300+ /month on credit debt. I also wouldn’t be paying $165/mo in car insurance.

I also just got a promotion and I’m now making 19k more than I have been the last few years, so the Equation really is stacked in my favor here.

I’d be saving $~700 a month in bills for about 7, 8 months (September to March/April), and when my tax return/bonus comes that’ll be another lumpsum ~10K or so. Hoping the market settles somewhat by then, I feel this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to “change my cards,” not just play the hand I’m dealt (or, more accurately that I dealt myself)

More relevant info here, when I got my car last year I lived at my gf’s parents house. Now that we’re on our own, it’s been a big wake up call on managing my money properly. That’s why I want to do this - I care more about setting myself up for the future than committing to owning a car that I no longer want, just on the principle that thus far I’ve traded my cars too often.

It’s either “work my way through” the current situation which means I wouldn’t be out of CC debt until March 2023, or take this dude’s offer and make some big adjustments to my life to set myself up to be able to afford a house in the next few years.

which still lends to not buying a more expensive SUV when the time comes to get another car. I do work from home and I do think me and the lady will be able to split the car without too many issues. So likely I’ll just buy another Alltrack SEL DSG with Marrakesh come Spring time, lol. I still love my car I just wish it wasn’t a manual. I went with the manual bc it felt like the last opportunity to do so, but that only matters if you really CARE that much which I thought I did, but I don’t haha.

I vote to sell it. Everything you said makes sound financial sense except for the last paragraph. Won't that last paragraph just put you back in debt?

 

[Dog Dad Wagon]

I vote to sell it. Everything you said makes sound financial sense except for the last paragraph. Won't that last paragraph just put you back in debt?

well I need a car!!!

the point is to get out of credit card debt. I’m currently paying $300+/no in credit card debt on top of a $420.53 car payment, + student loans, rent, bills, dogs etc. this would get me out of CC debt and allow me to save a large amount to have a good down payment on a car next year, where my monthly payments would be lower. So it’s a double whammy on the other end.