I have been dissatisfied with my 2015 Subaru Forester for a long time. Post-Harvey, I’m wondering if the time is right to sell the big SUV and shift to leasing a higher-tech car for three years, and then leasing one that is even more fun. Until now, I’ve thought that leasing cars was a luxury I couldn’t afford. My playground has been leasing an iPhone from T-Mobile, which gives me the joy of updating up to three new models a year, indulgent and affordable.
Two news articles may change my mind about leasing a car:
- Now might be the time to sell the Forester. Today’s WPost reported that “Hurricane floodwaters put car-loving Houston in a big-time jam.” Texas car dealers are scouring the country looking for vehicles to replace the estimated 500,000 that were destroyed in Houston alone.
- Jane Brody, the New York Times’ health columnist, explained last week why she decided on a three-year auto lease: “In three years, there are likely to be still more safety features to help protect me and others on the road.”
Why an SUV…then and now
I bought the Forester because my 2005 Prius had so many blind spots that I was afraid I’d squash one of those aggressive DC bicyclists who run red lights, cross five lanes going the wrong way on a one-way street. Or, hit one of bicyclists friends who slipped up behind me and I couldn’t see them. Also, the pick-up power on my Prius was so slow that I became afraid to drive on the Beltway. Also, the back seat of the Prius was cramped and I was volunteering at Cesár Chavez Prep Public Charter School, hauling 4-5 kids around to soccer matches and Geographic lectures.
My Forester solved those problems: All reviews said the car had the best window visibility and that’s true. The backseat is generous, the car performs magnificently on snow and ice and it’s ok on freeways.
But that’s not my lifestyle now. I seldom take more than a couple of people anywhere. I look with envy at reviews of all the new tech devices to overcome blind spots. Now, I use Lyft more than my car to drive to downtown events. I squeeze my SUV into more convenient, “Compact Car” spaces in garages and I fled last winter and spent the January-February summer in South America.
So why do I even have a car, you wonder. Oh, no. I tried that route for a couple of years, and when it became way too inconvenient, I bought the Prius. (Example: Having to ask a night guard at National Geographic to come to the back alley where a group of homeless men spent the night and where the Zip car was parked. It was the closest Zip car location at the time.) The guard would walk me back out to the lighted street.)
Pre-Forester rejection of leasing
Friend Mary in Monterey, CA had warned that keeping to the limited mileage on a leased car had been stressful for her. I didn’t want the stress, but miles aren’t a problem for me. I average about 2400 miles a year.
Next steps
Finding out what my SUV is worth. Finding out how much leases cost. Finding out what higher tech car I might want. Note: the commercial parking garage in the basement of my condo building has no plugs for electric cars, so even if I longed for a Tesla or Volt, I have no way to charge it.