Buy older upscale car or keep new one?

Anonymike your description of the Millenia as a “superannuated dog” cracked me up LOL :slight_smile: The girlfriend had one for about three years before the G35 and I really liked that car. Had zero problems with it and she got drunk with a girlfriend one Saturday afternoon and went to the Infiniti dealership and bought the G35 that day (salesman’s dream, right?). I then sold it privately for her and you would be surprised at the number of people that look for that car. It has a sub-market that really wants it. But it was last on my list anyway, to find a 2002 with low mileage would be almost impossible.

To answer your question, the title is in both of our names. I would find a private buyer if she demands to have her name taken off of it and dissolve her financial liability. I’d like to say that this wouldn’t be a problem for her since I put down the downpayment and make all payments, gas, service, etc., on the car, but I never know with her. That’s why this may not be just a hypothetical want-to, it may be a have-to.
And I do see your point about paying it off or paying the principle down with her name still on it. She could claim the car at some point, but that would be off-the-scale mean even for her. I doubt I would have enough left over after paying everything else I need to pay to pay it off completely (and therefore have the title signed over to me), but paying it down was another option. But I do see your point that she could just claim the car. I’ll keep that in mind.

As far as the Camry, I’d like a leather, sunroof, etc. sort of car, and, once you get that stuff on a Camry, you’re pushing close to the same price as a Lexus IS250 in the used market. I actually like a smaller car, and chose the Elantra over a Sonata. I would look at a 2008-2010 Sonata loaded too. But, again, thatnks for the input about the title. Every little bit helps.

An other option is to see if she wants to drive drive and pay for the Elantra. The big issue is, neither of you can be absolved of your financial liability for the loan until it is paid off. Honestly, I don’t like the idea of a mechanically complex older car as a touring car especially. I see your affinity for a high end model. I would say get a 200-300-series Lexus just for reliability and likely lower repair costs should any be necessary. I don’t know everything about your financial picture either and you sure don’t have to put it on the table in a public forum.

Lexus and Toyota owners typically are people who take better care of their vehicles. I regularly price and look at used cars in my area. Camrys and Accords come off the line as equally good vehicles, but look at a lot of the Accords after 10 years compared to the Toyotas. Hard to find a good Accord. Easy to find a good Camry or any high end Toyota product. If I was in the same shoes, it would be a Lexus unless the financial picture precluded it. They are easy to find and almost always in perfect condition.