What Car Should I Buy?
[Not Paywalled]
In recent years, my 1998 Infiniti, 2001 Honda Odyssey, and 2011 Hyundai Sonata have all died.
The 2011 Sonata was an exceptionally lovely low-cost design, so I shall miss it:
So, it’s time for me to buy another car. What should I buy?
I’m 67, so I don’t care about a car making me look cool. I would preferably like a car that will last me into extreme old age.
I’m not good at taking care of a car so I want something reliable and rugged that even I can’t screw up.
My driveway is only one lane wide, so an electric car seems too complicated to manage at present.
On the other hand, I live in California where gasoline is currently $6 per gallon. So I’m leaning toward a hybrid as a well-established technology.
It never snows here, so I don’t need all-wheel drive, right?
I’m leaning toward a two-row of seats SUV.
New or used?
I’m also concerned about not hitting anybody in my dotage. Charles Murray swears by his new Tesla’s Full Self Driving system. I don’t mind keeping my hands on the steering wheel 100% of the times, but what’s the best mid-priced vehicle at present at keeping me from screwing up?
How big of an advance is the new Toyota Safety-Sense 4.0?
How much of the premium of Lexus over Toyota is due to brand name premium (which I don’t care about) and how much due to Lexus being more reliable and comfortable than Toyota (which I do)?
You sound like a Camry, RAV4, or Highlander customer. You can test drive them all at your local Toyota dealership. If you are interested in an EV, Charles Murray likes his Tesla Model Y, particularly the full self-driving feature.
https://x.com/charlesmurray/status/2008159028065579497?s=20
Without hesitation I will recommend any Tesla that can upgrade to FSD, it's phenomenal and a real game changer. Check for computing hardware. I have version 3 and it's still incredible, but AI4 hardware is supposed to be even better. I will never buy another car that doesn't allow me to at least turn something like a FSD option on.