Thinking about trading in my Lunar 21 Pro

If nothing else, the stereo will be way better. Of all the things that would/should have been considered over the 12 years is having a decentish audio option.
Thankfully, many aftermarket options exist and the OEM speaker sizes means there are great speaker options.

 

Well, just closed on the deal. Pixk up the new Acura Friday. Thank you everyone for the opinions.

 

I really don’t understand why people buy a BOF 4x4 and then complain it’s not a crossover.

 

In five years your Trd pro will still be worth 55k the Acura 25k but gotta do what makes you happy.

 

True a sports car would have been a better choice...

 

I'd change the deal and pay off the 4 runner and lease the acura. You can keep the 4runner forever and it won't lose value especially in that color with low miles. Once the 4 cylinder 4runner comes out this generation trd pros will become like FJ cruisers and will probably out perform the stock market. Leasing you also just pay tax on the payment. Find out what the money factor is on the lease. Buy down the MF with MSD's (multiple security deposits) I think you can do 9 on Acuras ( so if payment is 600 then $5400, this lowers the rate by .18 percentage per MSD, so do zero down and apply the down money to the MSD). (Multiply the MF by 2400 to get the interest rate you will be charged) You get that money back at the end when you turn it in or buy it. GAP coverage is standard on all Acura Luxury Leases. Excess Wear and Use Waiver Acura Luxury Leases include a $750 Excessive Wear and Use Waiver.

Check this out.
Acura MDX 2022 Lease - Ask the Hackrs - FORUM | LEASEHACKR

leaseHackr forum has a lease calculator and info. I wouldn't trade in the pro. but you do what you have to do. I have bought close to 60 cars and know the itch. You'll want out of the acura in a few years if not sooner and you'll get half the msrp. I pick my Electric Lime Tacoma pro manual up next week. Could trade in my 4runner pro but just paid it off and keeping it it'll be a better investment than gold.

 

I will. Thanks !

 

Normally, I drive each car I get for 8-10 years. The 4runner is the only one I drove for a short period of time. Loved it, but just wasn’t exactly what I was lookin* for. We all have different preferences. Hopefully it goes to a good home.

 

I didn’t complain it’s not a crossover. I just realized what I preferred to drive more on a daily basis.

 

I believe the OP lives in NYS and MSD’s are not allowed in this state unfortunately…just fyi

 

LOL, yet another reason to move

 

Keeping a car as an investment is... optimistic

 

Nothing guaranteed in life but at least I can enjoy it . Gotta diversify

 

Don’t get me started. I used to be a G-Wagen guy. I had a gray market 280GE. No carpet. No leather. No wood. All business. Hydraulically actuated front and rear locking diffs from the factory. A superlative off road vehicle. Then when MBUSA started to import the G500, the dealership stopped supplying me with parts. Them: “Your VIN isn’t in our database. Sorry.” Me: “But wait. Here’s a booklet that came with the vehicle - it lists every place in the world that I can have this vehicle serviced. Look! Here’s your dealership listed in the book!” Them: “Sorry.” The G500’s are so complex as to be unreliable from the factory. As my off-roading mentor, may he Rest In Peace, once said, complexity is the enemy of reliability. I’ll never own another Mercedes.

 

That’s just what I told Jay Leno…

 

One never knows. Anyone ever think a 15 year old element would sell for 40k?
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2007-honda-element-4/

 

If you keep cars for a hobby and they end up increasing in value, that's great! If you keep cars for the purpose of them increasing in value, I'd simply question your investment strategy.

 

You’re right of course. I was being flippant. It’s all a matter of timing. “I wanted one of these ever since I was a kid.” This is the predictor of what will be a good investment. When my dad was a kid, it was Auburns, Cords, Duesenbergs. And as a man, with some means, that’s what he collected. Prices for that era of cars are dropping now. The next generation collected Bel-Airs, Nomads, T-Birds, etc. With my generation it was muscle cars of the late 60’s a and early 70’s. It’s cyclical.

Edited to add: I think a nice low mileage FJ Cruiser that hasn’t been too heavily modified would be a good investment opportunity today.

 

I recently sold a late-model German luxury-brand vehicle for more than I paid for it. I bought it a year prior, it had several major warranty repairs, and I was trying to figure out how to cut my losses and move on. Fortunately due to the insane market I was able to sell it more than I bought it for (I was expecting to lose 25% when I sold it) but that's not a strategy I'd bank on. If I'm looking for principal protection, worst I can do is a bank. If I'm looking for growth, I'd probably favor S&P or a handful of other options before I'd "invest" in a vehicle.

First I'll build the nest egg. Then I'll spend dumb money on my car preferences (I wouldn't be frequenting a car forum if I didn't appreciate cars). Then I'd treat specific vehicles as a futures market for collectibility. I'm on step 1 so I'll stick to S&P for now.

 

Good move getting out of the German luxury cars history on those in the past is drive off the lot lose half the value. I have had many you may as well drive down the freeway with fists full of hundreds and throw them out the sunroof . Yup invest wisely and then set aside fun money to buy the toys.

 

Low mileage Fjs are fetching 70 to 80k in some instances especially the trails team versions

 

Big city driving needs to be done in comfort. It sounds like you're not going to be spending every weekend in the Catskills....Go for the Acura.....it'll make you happier and there's too much trade-in value to pass up. I'm like you....love all the bells and whistles I can get. I've given up a couple....auto headlights and I wanted memory seats, darn it!! .......but got everything else I wanted in a year old 4runner and got it $3,300 below fair market value!

 

Good stuff man! I am thinking about doing the same! I have a little less then a yr left on my 4R loan(less then 10k owed). I really don’t want to trade my Cement Pro! In these times it just seems plan stupid! I have been itching for another Tacoma myself, and even though not a huge fan of the ELM Taco Pro, it just seems like a no brainer to lease one for say 36 months. Then sell it for coin later, or just buy it out at the end of the term! The kicker for me though is minimizing cash out of pocket for the Cap reduction. I have seen some online calculators with like $5500 down and $450 a month. I have always been unclear on the MF aspect, but you helped clear that up a little! Lol

 

Yeah I would rather roll the $5500 into the refundable deposit msd which should knock about $60 a month off your payment. Toyota mf is usually really high around .0025 which comes out to around 6% interest. Depending on where you live if your taxes are high could be the right way to go. I have an EL manual coming in next week hopefully and decided to buy it since I can get 2.29 for 72 months. Toyota will usually match it. I like Toyota because what I’d do is pay the taxes and doc etc. then take about 20k and make 2 years of payments. So that gives me a lot of flexibility as to skipping payments for a few months making a few hundred payment etc. gives me more cash flow if I need it. Some banks don’t let you do that can only pay principal. Toyota makes their money on the rent on a lease so with the higher mf more goes to interest and rent than actually paying down the vehicle. It really just depends on what your situation is.

 

The MDX is Acuras best selling vehicle. It Def sells well.

 

In the end, I was sad to see the 4runner go , especially being it was lunar rock and I took amazing care of it. However, today is the first full day with the Acura and I'm blown away with how refined it is with so many bells and whistles. Totally different type of machine but the trade in value helped put me in a nice little luxury performance niche I never would have even looked at previously. Had 900 still owed on my 4runner when I traded it in for 58k so basically I paid 18k to upgrade to a 355 hp 378 lb/ ft torque machine with everything you could ask for in a vehicle. Plus it’s not like I traded it in for a Land Rover that might break down on the test drive.

We all have different needs and wants. We also all are in different stages of life, expectations, whatever you want to call it. For me, I made the right choice. Doesnt mean it's the right for anyone else. Hopefully the 4runner goes to a good home eventually.

 

If I lived in metro NY I’d much rather be driving an MDX as my daily driver than a T4R. And I love my T4R.

 

True not an ideal locale for a 4runner

 

Damn MDXs are 73k??

 

If I lived in metro NY I would jump off one of those skyscrapers and call it a day! Just another big shit hole!