Michelle, I would have had a mini years ago if I hadn't had dogs. Now I can't afford one! I still have a 1992 Izuzu Rodeo that has 158,000 miles on it. I swore I would drive it into the ground. What a gem, I put almost no money into it except to change the oil every 3000 miles. Like you, I drive very little. Mostly lived near work and took few road trips. Then one day, at around 155,000 miles, my radiator went out just outside of Garberville, in the Sierras. I coasted into town, even my glasses steamed up. That got handled and then about 5,000 miles later my water pump went south. That's when I decided I couldn't trust the old girl for road trips. Not wanting to put damp, smelly dog in my pretty new car, I kept the Rodeo just for the dogs. I keep it insured only for liability. It's also good for dump runs and friends borrow it if they're moving. I bought a Prius in 2007 - then I sold it in 2008 for a bit more than it cost me. Now I have a Honda Fit. Small, nippy, but has very good cargo space, I found could fit dogs in it if only they would sit down and not smell. Hence keeping Rodeo. It's really fun to drive and now with Scoop gone, it works well for Rags. He was never the one to go full out swimming and deep sea diving so he was never the smelly one. Rags just stands in the back, body quivering, whining "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Rob, I once had a Miata and I loved it too. I sold it to buy a teepee. I had more fun in the Miata.

Hi Robo, funny you should resurrect this thread. We were pretty set on getting a Volvo crossover (DS didn't like the Subaru and we were fine with that since it didn't have any real advantage over the Volvo to us), and planning to look in earnest when they got back from their travels. We were out to lunch the day before they left, and DH mentioned a dealer friend he golfs with. I told him that I had checked his sites regularly and the only used SUVs they had were always late model and way more than what we wanted to spend. But I looked again anyway, and there it was. A 2004 BMW X3, over 100k miles. Not what we were planning on, but this dealer is a friend and we already have bought used BMWs from him and trust him. We called from the lunch table, then hurried over, and bought it. There were two other teenage boys in the waiting room with their Dads wanting to look at the same car. All of the other used SUVs they had were only 2-3 yrs old and multiples of the price. Anyway, yes, service is a killer on luxury cars, esp ones far past their prime. The cars we drive are usually still under warranty, but I had an old Benz once and we gave it to my stepson, who drove it 225k miles before selling it. You have to have the cash for the repairs, but actually it was a good deal all in. Hopefully the BMW will be the same. I am actually glad the car is so old and it even has a few dings; I don't want to spoil him. DS, OTOH, is tickled pink to have an X3. Safety wise, it has side airbags as well as front, and a low center of gravity, eg crossover SUV. Having now spent half of what we planned on, I told DS the first 7k of repairs are on us, LOL. In actuality I don't expect him to fully cover the costs of owning and insuring a vehicle; as long as he is a good student and is working at a job too, he is doing what we need him to do. The purpose of the job is to make sure they don't lose sight of the value of a dollar, but with all of the academic, extracurricular and volunteer demands on his time, (not to mention all the travel we do), he can't realistically earn terribly much. Good news is the dealer will give him a job (washing cars). ETA: Good luck to all the new drivers out there!

I have no doubt that you'll love your RR and the cooled seats are a must in your area. I used to think they were over-kill but they're in the new F-Pace S that DH just bought and I will definitely get them in my next car. His seats are black and I swear that they get hotter than my beige ones so the cooled vents help. While DH loves his Jaguar I think it's just a tad too small for my purposes and probably for yours too. He traded in his MB sedan because he wanted something that was sporty and more fun to drive. He opted for the gasoline engine because I have a diesel MB SUV and that's the one we take on trips - better mileage and much larger than his car. His car also has the gas saving feature where the engine shuts off when the car is stopped - but you can also turn that off which is what we did. I wonder if you will have that choice with your RR? My car only has 30,000 miles on it and my DDIL needs a vehicle now that they moved out of the city to the suburbs. DS offered to buy mine since it's big enough for his 2 dogs and future children. I just have to find a replacement vehicle and I'm looking at RR. We want another diesel and MB, Porsche and Audi stopped making diesels in the US. I also detest run-flats and I think I can still get real tires at LR/RR. You'll have to report back and let us know what you finally picked - and photos too. Maire

Mtn, the biggest downside to the Miata is that it costs $10k (per MSRP) more than the Subaru BRZ. Of course, I know that nobody pays MSRP, and since we're looking at 2019 models on both vehicles (so basically a year old already; the 2020s will be appearing shorty), I have no idea how much the dealers are going to be discounting. There are more Miatas on Mazda lots than BRZs on Subaru lots (at least in my state and those adjacent to it), so you'd think there'd be a little more incentive on the Miata, but my logic does not necessarily equal car sales logic. The upside to the Miata is that I think it would just make me happy each time I laid eyes on it. I feel it's probaby more suitable to a 57-year old woman than the BRZ, which truth be told, has something about it that makes me think it's more geared towards young men in their 20s-30s. The Miata is a classic to me, and in that Mica Eternal Blue, it makes my heart sing. Too, I am sure I would love having a convertible again. DH and I have spent all flippin' day discussing it, and these are the two ACTUAL cars we're comparing ... I think the scales are definitely tipped towards the Miata, and DH understands that. He wants me to have what I'll be happiest driving, so ... we shall see. (I still think that little Miata is just a sexpot with a happy face!) We're planning to go take a look at the Miata in person tomorrow when the dealership is closed. And then if I still love it, I guess I gotta figure out how to put on my best poker face and go back for negotiations on price next week. Ugh. I hate that part.