Help me over the hump: vehicle buying decision paralysis

Jan 14th, I turn in my buyback VW. After that, I am (running) vehicle-less.

How do you decide what to get next? I know set out a plan of what you want and go with the best options from there, but that ain't easy. I know I would love a truck, RCSB/2wd/V8, to haul all the crap, I shouldn't in the Suburban. But then, I have the chance to buy that "practial performance" vehicle, looking at an '11 CTS-V , I just never seem to be able to obtain. Buffer that I like being GRM and not wanting to spend a fortune forever on it when I drive 40K plus miles a year. So, that brings up just buy yet another vehicle cheap and keep the miles off the pretty stuff. On top of many other choices, like an Avalanche, Mustang/Camaro/Challenger, etc.... Of course, SMWBO disagrees with all my choices.

Oy vey... WWGRMD?

Ranger50 wrote: I know I would love a truck, RCSB/2wd/V8, to haul all the crap,

Yes, nice sensible short bed work truck.

In reply to Chadeux:

Shhhhh.... not to take it to that extreme, but yes similar idea.

Believe me, I feel your pain. I easily get myself in the whirlwind of paralysis by analysis. I have needs/wants/desires that are conflicting, on top of a budget that also puts constraints on things. There's no "right" answer. I drive about 35k miles per year, including a 60 mile each way highway commute. So yeah, like you, I don't want to beat the E36 M3 out of a nice car and take the huge hit there...not only in depreciation, but in maintaining a car that has high cost consumables. I also have 3 active kids. While we have a minivan for family hauling, 7 or 8 months out of the year I go right from my office to the football or lacrosse fields. I wind up bringing home one or two kids, sometimes all 3, with their sports gear. Therefore, while I'd love a 2 seater, that would require me to stop at home first to switch cars. Not impossible to do, but a pain. I want something fast...I enjoy the "slow car fast" thing, but I love to squeeze the throttle and go, especially when dealing with rush hour highway gridlock. I'm no teenager anymore, so I like some luxury touches...leather, XM radio, Bluetooth, etc... Don't want to spend a fortune, don't want a diva car that needs constant attention. On and on.

Reality is there isn't one car that's going to check each and every one of those boxes. There just isn't. I'm going to have to sacrifice somewhere, so I have to prioritize. On the top of my list is just being sensible about my daily beater. A car that I can rack miles on without caring, gets good mpg, will start every time I turn the key, cheap consumables, can carry the kids and their stuff. I accomplished that with my Elantra. It fits that bill quite nicely. Now onto the weekend toy. Still have to balance the practical (need to carry kids and gear unless I stop home to change cars), the wants ('vert, speed, reliable, comfortable, great at highway cruising, etc...). Same answer here. One car won't do all that, at least not in my budget, so I have to pick what's going to check the most boxes and make me happiest.

Best advice I can give is to prioritize. If you can't see yourself beating a nice car with the amount you drive, get a "cheap" DD that's not utterly boring to drive. Then take the remaining priorities and budget and get a toy that'll fill as many of your wants as possible.

what's the budget?

Is getting a cheaper truck and something more GRM as a fun car an option?

5.3 silverados are cheap and provide potential donor parts for projects at a later time.

Regular cab six foot box 5.3 Silverado. Drop it two inches, put very big swaybars front and rear. Drive the crap out of it.

A ute would be perfect for you, half muscle car and half pickup Maybe look at importing a modern(ish) Holden ute from Australia?

mazdeuce wrote: Regular cab six foot box 5.3 Silverado. Drop it two inches, put very big swaybars front and rear. Drive the crap out of it.

That's been my plan from the start with either a Silverado or RAM. Of course that idea was shot down by SWMBO because of "what if" irrationally, normally involving the kidlets and the need for seating for 5, if and when the Suburban isn't working.

Ranger50 wrote:

mazdeuce wrote: Regular cab six foot box 5.3 Silverado. Drop it two inches, put very big swaybars front and rear. Drive the crap out of it.

That's been my plan from the start with either a Silverado or RAM. Of course that idea was shot down by SWMBO because of "what if" irrationally, normally involving the kidlets and the need for seating for 5, if and when the Suburban isn't working.

then use the same equation above but with an extended/crew cab and a 6.2, my buddy lowered his and with bolt ons and a tune that thing handled really well for a full sized and could haul some serious ass

Klayfish wrote: Believe me, I feel your pain. I easily get myself in the whirlwind of paralysis by analysis. I have needs/wants/desires that are conflicting, on top of a budget that also puts constraints on things. There's no "right" answer. I drive about 35k miles per year, including a 60 mile each way highway commute. So yeah, like you, I don't want to beat the E36 M3 out of a nice car and take the huge hit there...not only in depreciation, but in maintaining a car that has high cost consumables. I also have 3 active kids. While we have a minivan for family hauling, 7 or 8 months out of the year I go right from my office to the football or lacrosse fields. I wind up bringing home one or two kids, sometimes all 3, with their sports gear. Therefore, while I'd love a 2 seater, that would require me to stop at home first to switch cars. Not impossible to do, but a pain. I want something fast...I enjoy the "slow car fast" thing, but I love to squeeze the throttle and go, especially when dealing with rush hour highway gridlock. I'm no teenager anymore, so I like some luxury touches...leather, XM radio, Bluetooth, etc... Don't want to spend a fortune, don't want a diva car that needs constant attention. On and on. Reality is there isn't one car that's going to check each and every one of those boxes. There just isn't. I'm going to have to sacrifice somewhere, so I have to prioritize. On the top of my list is just being sensible about my daily beater. A car that I can rack miles on without caring, gets good mpg, will start every time I turn the key, cheap consumables, can carry the kids and their stuff. I accomplished that with my Elantra. It fits that bill quite nicely. Now onto the weekend toy. Still have to balance the practical (need to carry kids and gear unless I stop home to change cars), the wants ('vert, speed, reliable, comfortable, great at highway cruising, etc...). Same answer here. One car won't do all that, at least not in my budget, so I have to pick what's going to check the most boxes and make me happiest. Best advice I can give is to prioritize. If you can't see yourself beating a nice car with the amount you drive, get a "cheap" DD that's not utterly boring to drive. Then take the remaining priorities and budget and get a toy that'll fill as many of your wants as possible.

I read that whole thing as "klayfish needs an M5 with a few scratches on it".

40k miles per year and cargo hauling makes it easy - you need a secondhand Prius.

In reply to Ranger50: DD, Honda Civic Si. A few years old, stick shift, nicely depreciated. Sporty, reliable, cheap, low consumables, reliable, economical to rack up massive daily miles in comfort and treat like the appliance it is.

Weekend toy/project: Silverado PU, keep adding power to it until satisfied.

Now you have the car you need and the toy you want (and is "practical" for Home Depot runs).

captdownshift wrote: what's the budget? Is getting a cheaper truck and something more GRM as a fun car an option? 5.3 silverados are cheap and provide potential donor parts for projects at a later time.

Budget is debatable. Depends on what I would buy. I'm looking at RAM Express's for 28, Silverado W/T with the Black Out package for 30, or like the CTS for 34K.

Used trucks are either "well depreciated" or 4x4's. Both no-go's for me.

In reply to chaparral:

I see the comedians are out now... LOL J/K. I won't drive one, period.

GameboyRMH wrote: A ute would be perfect for you, half muscle car and half pickup Maybe look at importing a modern(ish) Holden ute from Australia?

Don't I wish.... Those would be my dream car/truck.

Painless buyback process. It may have taken 10 minutes plus I showed up early and it was done.

Of course there had to be drama...

But it ended up like this:

In return I bought this the previous night after a rush trip to Cincinnati, a one way 4hr drive...

It's a '13 4wd with 35k on it.

So the decision paralysis has been adverted for now... Now to decide on who's lowering kit and sway bars to go with before the turbo and cam/lifter swap.

that's gonna need a build thread then

if DOD please please please get the range module that disables it or get it tuned out with hptuners or efilive NOW.

i can't stress that enough. the last guy that bought a DOD 5.3 gm here didn't listen and 6 months later he made a bitchathon post about how gm's are garbage and his engine puked and got smacked with the "we told you so" stick.

also, those are my absolute favorite factory truck wheels of the last 20 years.

In reply to patgizz:

Already know about it. Suburban is already that way. Just need more than 10 minutes to have it done.

6 months later he made a bitchathon post about how gm's are garbage

To be fair, if the failure you're referring to is that predictable, you may be right.. but so was he.