Episode 4

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Published on:

14th Apr 2022

Why You Should Consider a Pandemic Placeholder Vehicle

00:00 - INTRODUCTION - A Pandemic Placeholder Vehicle or PPV - A Car For The Next 12 to 24-Months

01:10 - So What Is a Pandemic Placeholder Vehicle?

The idea for the PPV or Pandemic Placeholder Vehicle came from my search for some target used cars in the $15K to $20K range over the last year or two. I kept finding that, instead of going down on a normal depreciation curve, the prices for relatively new used cars I wanted were actually going in the opposite direction by a substantial percentage.

01:40 - From past experience, I know that when you can't find what you want for a price you want to pay, you have a couple of choices. You can A) Search in a wider area or B) include more vehicles in your search parameters. I did both. I started looking at cars up and down the West Coast of the US and I started considering cars that were much less expensive, and it was the later change to my search that was most helpful.

02:00 - It was surprising to find quality cars at the lower end of the price scale. Sure, these cars were older with higher mileage, but these were still viable vehicle options for use, at least on a temporary basis for the next 18-24 months - sort of a hedge against the inflated new/used car prices until the inventory, computer chip and inflation issues sort themselves out.

02:35 - Now not everyone will be excited to own a car or truck that falls into my idea of a Pandemic Placeholder Vehicle. Ego is a powerful force and there are many people who won't drive an older car. However, there are many interesting cars available at reasonable prices that many people would consider to be "cool". And they're so inexpensive compared to new or near-new vehicles that it's at least worth considering a PPV vehicle to drive for the next year or two.

03:00 - What To Look For When Shopping For A Pandemic Placeholder Vehicle or PPV

First, vehicles that qualify for PPV status (at least in my opinion) were the ones that were most popular back during their model year. These were the cars people wanted to buy back in 1990, 2000 or 2005. Think Car and Driver magazine's 10-Best vehicles or MotorTrend magazine's Car of the Year or Truck of the Year award winners. There was a reason they were great then and it's part of the reason why they're still interesting vehicles today, as long as they're in good condition.

The best examples are one or two-owner vehicles, they're accident free and have a clean title.

All the cars I found that qualified for PPV status were well-maintained with records to prove the maintenance work was done. The interiors, exteriors and mechanical systems on these cars and trucks were in at least good condition or better. While they were driven regularly, they also had low mileage compared to more typical examples of vehicles from their model year.

Finally their combination of current price and condition makes them an outstanding bargain for a car or truck you can drive and enjoy for the next 18-24 months while we wait for the impact of Covid-19 and inflation to hopefully pass us by.

4:45 - The "GBC" or Good Basic Car Category

Now that we have an idea of what a PPV or Pandemic Placeholder Vehicle is, let's take a look at some recent used vehicles that fit into the PPV category.

05:05 - First up is a 1992 Honda Accord EX

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About the Podcast

Better Than New
Find a cool used car, truck or SUV at a price you'll love
The average new car sales price in the US is nearly $50,000, and the average used vehicle sales price is close to $30,000... I think that's insane! Well if you're like me and you don’t want to pay these crazy inflated car prices, I believe you should still be able to drive something fun. That’s the idea behind Better Than New – a podcast to help you find a cool used car, truck or SUV at a price you’ll love.

I’m Gary Crenshaw, host of Better Than New and a long time automotive enthusiast, and I want to inspire car buyers on a budget to think differently about what they can actually afford to drive. My goal is to introduce listeners to the broad array of interesting, fun-to-drive, enthusiast-friendly used cars, trucks and SUVs available at prices just about anyone can afford… vehicles from the 80s, 90s, 2000s and beyond that offer buyers a wide range of interesting choices. Each week we’ll explore a specific vehicle or vehicle category, tell you what to look for and what to avoid, and give you practical tips to help you find your next cool used car, truck or SUV and keep it on the road for years to come.

With a little work, the joy of owning a cool used car at price you’ll love is within reach and this podcast is here to help you find it.

So hop in, buckle up and let's go for a drive!

About your host

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Gary Crenshaw

A lifelong lover of all things mechanical, Gary has spent the majority of his existence driving, dreaming about or wrenching on cars, motorcycles and even the occasional airplane.

It started with mini-bikes and go-karts as a kid, progressed to 2-stroke dirt bikes, followed by his first car… a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle. Then came the Yamaha era with several RD400s, RZ350s and a Canadian RD350LC (should have kept that!). A pilot’s license was next with some memorable hours flying a 1946 Aeronca Champ low and slow around the Pacific Northwest. While in college, his brother-in-law who sold high-end cars hired him to deliver BMW, Mercedes and Porsche vehicles to customers.

Those early experiences led to a lifetime of owning an eclectic mix of interesting used cars, including a ‘65 Mustang GT, a ’72 Datsun 510, a Porsche 914, a Celica Alltrac Turbo, a Mini Cooper S, a couple of Miata’s, two Audi S4 Avants, a Galant VR4, a Fiat 850 Spider, a 1983 Subaru 4x4 GL wagon and a first gen RX-7, along with dozens of daily driver cars and SUVs from Acura, Honda, Toyota and Mazda. And his favorite? Depends on when you ask, but that distinction likely goes to the Mazda RX-4 station wagon he learned to drive in. That fun-to-drive car combined Gary's passion for wagons, rotary engines and manual transmissions all in one.

So what about you? Which used car, truck or SUV would you love to own? Let’s find it together!