6,000 Mile Update

VS

A few months ago, following my accident(s) on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I decided to get a new car. Well, it has been nearly two months and over 6,000 miles since I made the leap from my repaired 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk to my 2016 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 4Matic and, so far, the results have been great. To do a direct comparison on every aspect of these vehicles would be a disservice to both the Jeep and the Mercedes so I am going to stick to some of the basics based on my experiences.

The hard numbers that we can compare side mostly with the Mercedes with the only exceptions being that of maintenance and fuel costs which are, not surprisingly, higher than that of the Jeep. However, Mercedes has a clear advantage in the other categories. To be specific, I averaged about 23.5 miles per gallon combined in the Cherokee over the course of about 22,000 miles. So far, the GLC is averaging about 27.5 miles per gallon combined over this initial 6,000 mile break in period. Basically, the difference in MPG wipes out, almost exactly, the additional cost of premium versus regular gas. With a bigger gas tank and about 60 more horsepower, the GLC has the clear advantage in both of those categories as well.

Now we are going to discuss the subjective aspects of the change from one car to the other. This really comes down to personal preference but, for me, the GLC definitely has a more comfortable ride which is to be expected given the two manufacturers. And since 90-95% of my driving is on the highway this is hugely important. But it is not just more comfortable for me behind the wheel, both my wife and my son have noticed a difference in how the car rides and how much more interior space we have in the GLC over the Cherokee. However, I will say that the Cherokee is a superior off road vehicle but, for me and my use, that really is a non-factor at this point.

Bear in mind that, while the perception of these two brands is completely different, when compared with nearly the same equipment in each (obviously the Mercedes has more things that are standard) the price difference is nominal, about $1,000-2,000 more for the GLC. Many of the dimensions are similar as well including height, width, clearance, and turning radius. Both are great cars but my preference is firmly with the GLC and, at this point, I would be hard pressed to switch to another brand in the future. Clearly, given the initial results and experiences, I would recommend the GLC to anyone looking for a midsized SUV.

Saying Goodbye To The Jeep

March 2016: Jeep at the scene of the accident. 

Once I heard back from the repair shop following my first accident this past March stating that the Jeep was going to be repaired my wife and I had an important decision to make. With the frame having been bent in the accident (and now having to be bent back) were we comfortable driving and riding in the car? More importantly, did we trust the car enough to have our son in it? In the end, it wasn’t the same car and we no longer had the confidence in the vehicle to continue using it as my daily driver (especially on those days when I have my son in the back).

While we knew that it would be a costly decision, we decided to start looking for a replacement vehicle (a process that I have written about before). The Jeep was a great car so that is exactly where I started my search. I went online and priced out the 2016 version of the exact make and model of my car. Once I input that information I added the features that I wanted in the new car to see where the price would fall. Seeing a replacement price within inches of $40,000 I quickly questioned whether I would be buying another Jeep. So, given the new price point, I searched for a few other options.

June 2015: The day I bought the Jeep. 

With a full roster of cars on my list (a compilation I never thought I would pull together in my lifetime) we dedicated a weekend to hopping from dealer to dealer looking at all the options that I had uncovered and determining whether or not there was any wiggle room beyond the USAA price. A few cars were eliminated because of the lack of fit and finish while others were great cars but simply not the right one for me. In the end, I had to decide between the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk and the car that I picked up today the Mercedes Benz GLC 300 4Matic.

May 2016: The Mercedes replaces the Jeep.

Once everything was factored in including price of the car, the options that I wanted, the interest rate on a loan, the cost of insurance, fuel economy, and other numerous factors the Mercedes just made much more sense. Believe me, I was shocked by this revelation too. While there are certain trade offs between the two (i.e. off road capabilities vs. highway comfort), I am completely happy with the decision that we made. On top of all this, in a bit of creative financing, we actually traded in my wife’s car and leased a GLA 250 4Matic with all the options that she wanted on the car. In the end, we both ended up in new cars and, considering all financial commitments before and after, pretty much broke even financially.

All that is left now, besides enjoying our new vehicles, is to complete the insurance claims which should, to put it nicely, be the most ‘interesting’ part of the whole process. We also still have to come to terms with the simple fact that we are both driving Mercedes which, at the very least, is one of the more surreal feelings that we have encountered in a long time. Just add one more thing to the list of changes over the past couple of years.