Trouble spending & cars

aja8888 said:
America has a love affair with the automobile....

I have one too :cool:.....and have since I was 14 years old.

I have had many cars (I would be embarrassed to mention the number..if I could recall them all?)

Some noteable ones include a 1955 Chevy 150 Sedan (drag strip built at age 16), 1965 Corvette Sting Ray roadster (I should kill my self for selling it), numerous British, German, Italian and American oddities (MG's, Alpha's, VW's, etc), modified pick up trucks, Cadillac's, Pontiac's, and a 1941 Plymouth. I know I have forgotton some (Oh, like a 1959 Pontiac Bonneville, hardtop, tri-power 389).

I am also a very decent mechanic and have auto painting skills with everything from period lacquer to multi-stage acrylics and urethane's.

It's been a trip, and I am still hanging on by my finger nails but getting old has slowed me down and building a nest egg has directed funds to more deserving places (I can't eat my cars in retirement).

So, we are 19 years in a small house with kids out of college and my garage is technically a complete auto workshop equipped with all the tools and painting equipment. I have become the "go to" guy for the neighbors whenever a car issue arises. We hold quarterly oil change weekends, do brake jobs, and generally hang out there. The garage is also equipped with a computer, high speed internet and a big screen TV (plus a fridge full of adult and other beverages).

My wife drives a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (turbocharged, of course) and I drive a modified six speed 2006 Jetta Diesel TDI sedan with a Malone Tuned ECU. The Jetta still manages 42 - 46 MPG overall and is a downright blast to drive.

Maybe one of these days I will find the funds to buy a C2 Corvette (1963 - 1967) and that would be the icing on the cake, so to say. :dance:
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The Jetta sounds interesting. The recent diesels have lost a lot of the bad habits of the old ones, and are pretty peppy.

For me the drug is motorcycles, I just bought a creampuff 2001 Ranger pickup with 23000 miles to replace my other one. It might last me 15 years, and the money I didn't spend on something newer can go toward the hobby. Quite a few bikes can fit in a garage, they're small. :D
 
I used to read car magazines all the time in high school but opted for "sensible" cars throughout.

But when I last bought in 2006, I used to read Edmunds.com and other sites all the time.

I was looking hard at the 3 series or the A3/A4 at the time. Then, one of the things I read was that $10k invested over the service life of a car would bring a big gap in return. The car would depreciate but the $10k should go up.

This was long before I heard of LBYM (the acronym, not the concept). My commute was and is short so I opted for a Honda, saved probably about $25k. Well after 7 years, the car still doesn't have 25K miles and I hadn't really envied all the nice cars my peers drove.

One guy got an X5 and rationalized that he's not going to be able to save enough for a down payment on a home (in the Santa Clara Valley) any time soon.

However, in the last couple of weeks, I've been thinking about leasing a German car, picking it up in Bavaria and then driving it around down through Switzerland and Germany.

Not any time soon (though it may be less hassle getting approved for a lease before I FIRE, since I'd have income to show), but I've been looking at the auto sites again.

May actually do it this time -- as long as the market doesn't crash.
 
aja8888 said:
America has a love affair with the automobile....
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...and so does our local wildlife population.

A couple of weeks ago while pulling our RV, I collided with a what I can only assume was a partially deaf, nearsighted buzzard. Whatever the reason, he was a second or so too late in initiating his departure from the roadway diner. Last week our daughter who lives nearby hit a deer and did $3,000 worth of damage to her car and totaled the deer.Then last night DW was involved in a hit and run with a feral hog.

Enough already...
 
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FIREd said:
We do not spend a lot of money on cars. They lose value, they get dinged and scratched, they cost money to operate and maintain. We buy them new and keep them until they fall apart. We ask for reliability, most of all, and some degree of comfort. We go for mid-range Japanese models with very few upgrades. And we still manage to have fun driving them (especially the Miata).
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+1

We have 2 Civics which replaced 2 Civics (with 200k miles on old ones)

It takes us 2-3 weeks of after tax income to buy one of them. It would not cross our mind to buy anything else :LOL:
 
bld999 said:
The Jetta sounds interesting. The recent diesels have lost a lot of the bad habits of the old ones, and are pretty peppy.

For me the drug is motorcycles, I just bought a creampuff 2001 Ranger pickup with 23000 miles to replace my other one. It might last me 15 years, and the money I didn't spend on something newer can go toward the hobby. Quite a few bikes can fit in a garage, they're small. :D
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Yes, most of the new diesel offerings are quite nice and economical. Plus, they have lots of low end torque and are pretty fun to drive, unlike the hybrids. Audi has gone all out with their high end cars and offers the diesel option in all of them (up to Q7 I believe).

Neat, the truck sounds like a great find.;) My son-in-law is the head mechanic at a big cycle shop north of the Woodlands, TX and has a collection of some pretty neat older and newer Asian bikes. Last count was 7 in the garage and he drives one to work when it's not raining. He is hard core. He just picked up a real old motor scooter (1970's Vespa) for scrap value and is restoring it. Keeps him out of the bars, so to say.
 
As mentioned, I paid no attention to cars, and did not realize these German sedans would cost that much until my son got one (towards the lower end though). So, I got curious and started to look into that.

Holy cow, they expect people to pay $110K+ for a car, then still pony up to $27K for options, such as a $6300 sound system?

I guess the 0.1% would have no problem with that, but I would have to be invested in 100% biotech for the next 10 years. :LOL:
 
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REWahoo said:
...and so does our local wildlife population.

A couple of weeks ago while pulling our RV, I collided with a what I can only assume was a partially deaf, nearsighted buzzard. Whatever the reason, he was a second or so too late in initiating his departure from the roadway diner. Last week our daughter who lives nearby hit a deer and did $3,000 worth of damage to her car and totaled the deer.Then last night DW was involved in a hit and run with a feral hog.

Enough already...
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And if you drive the Texas highways at night, you have this to watch out for:
 
NW-Bound said:
As mentioned, I paid no attention to cars, and did not realize these German sedans would cost that much until my son got one (towards the lower end). So, I got curious and started to look into that.

Holy cow, they expect people to pay $110K+ for a car, then still pony up to $27K for options, such as a $6300 sound system?

I guess the 0.1% would have no problem with that, but I would have to be invested in 100% biotech for the next 10 years. :LOL:
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I've seen people I know spend $6,000 on an Expresso machine.....at least you can drive a car and go to Starbucks.
 
$6000 Expresso machine?

Well, that's why I am hanging out here with people who compare notes on where to get wild caught shrimp for a few dollars less. :ROFLMAO:
 
NW-Bound said:
$6000 Expresso machine?

Well, that's why I am hanging out here with people who compare notes on where to get wild caught shrimp for a few dollars less. :ROFLMAO:
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:ROFLMAO: I definitely did a doubletake at that "$6000 Expresso machine" comment! My present 4-cup Mr. Coffee only cost me $19.95, and it is absolutely perfect for me. Despite that I have been trying to justify buying a Keurig but can't see myself spending over $100 for a coffeemaker.
 
I get the urge from time to time. However, having 2 paid off cars sure is nice. I am hanging on to my 2003 Accord (178k) until my oldest starts driving in 2 years. I have had it since 34,000 miles and all my friends who have sons and daughters driving keep trying to buy it from me, so I guess its got enough "cool" factor...........:)
 
Options are the ripoff.

They try to foist Navigation packages which cost several thousand dollars. The GPS system has maps which are more antiquated than a $50 GPS system you can get, not to mention smart phones and tablets. Then when you want to update maps, the dealers charge you several hundred dollars.

A lot of cars that dealers have in inventory only have these expensive packages. Plus you want some features like Bluetooth or integration with phones. Or HID lights, but you can only get them as part of these big packages.

Only thing good about the GPS is that the screen integrates nicely on the dash. Otherwise, they're ripoffs.
 
In the luxury class, they give you the GPS navigation with voice, the leather seats, the Bose system, the Bluetooth, fancy wheels, etc..., as standard.

But if you want the superior upgraded leather package and the Bang & Olufsen sound system, you've got to pay more!

I had not heard of Bang & Olufsen. Have you?
 
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aja8888 said:
...I am also a very decent mechanic and have auto painting skills with everything from period lacquer to multi-stage acrylics and urethane's.

...my garage is technically a complete auto workshop equipped with all the tools and painting equipment. I have become the "go to" guy for the neighbors whenever a car issue arises. We hold quarterly oil change weekends, do brake jobs, and generally hang out there. The garage is also equipped with a computer, high speed internet and a big screen TV (plus a fridge full of adult and other beverages)...
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Obviously, it's your hobby, and when it comes to hobbies, people do what they enjoy. I would not care what others say about the money we have spent on travel. Nuf said.
 
My DH is a car fanatic. We have had over 100 cars in 35 years of marriage. Some used - so he could fix up and sale for a profit. Many new cars. We always buy the "lost leader" new car. These cars are ones you see in the paper that say we have one at this price. Pay cash. We instantly have 30% equity (actually 100% equity since we pay cash, but if we were to finance it would be 30% equity) when we buy the new car. We just purchased a new 2013 Ford F150 4x4 all decked out for $20,400. Had to finance for 3 months to get the extra $500 rebate. Paying off in December after our 3 months is up. Traded in a 2011 Ford Ranger 4x4, that was a lost leader we purchased for $14,500, trade in value $16,000. So we drove the new car basically free for a year and a half. Bought the new truck to pull the new rv. We will keep this one for a while. We only buy what we can turn around and sale for more than we paid for it. That is the only way I will let my husband act on his love affair with cars. Happy hunting for your new car. Insurance rates are so low for us it is about the same with every car we purchase.
:)
 
kimcdougc said:
My DH is a car fanatic. We have had over 100 cars in 35 years of marriage. Some used - so he could fix up and sale for a profit. Many new cars. We always buy the "lost leader" new car. These cars are ones you see in the paper that say we have one at this price. Pay cash. We instantly have 30% equity (actually 100% equity since we pay cash, but if we were to finance it would be 30% equity) when we buy the new car. We just purchased a new 2013 Ford F150 4x4 all decked out for $20,400. Had to finance for 3 months to get the extra $500 rebate. Paying off in December after our 3 months is up. Traded in a 2011 Ford Ranger 4x4, that was a lost leader we purchased for $14,500, trade in value $16,000. So we drove the new car basically free for a year and a half. Bought the new truck to pull the new rv. We will keep this one for a while. We only buy what we can turn around and sale for more than we paid for it. That is the only way I will let my husband act on his love affair with cars. Happy hunting for your new car. Insurance rates are so low for us it is about the same with every car we purchase.
:)
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That's a good strategy these days with used car prices so high. Getting the loss leader sale vehicle at a dealership is a chore since they usually only have one or a few.
 
LARS said:
I am a car guy. Full stop. Cars are important to me so I buy new and what I want. What I do do, is keep them, well-maintained, for long periods, which "helps" on the cost front. Just replaced a 2002 BMW X5 with a 2012 BMW X5. Still have a 2001 BMW convertible owned since new. Still have a 1997 Porsche 993 also owned since new.
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What is your maintenance cost for these cars?
 
Until the new truck, the most we ever spent on a vehicle was about $23k. That was a new Suburban in 1989. We generally got compact cars or vans before that. I did buy a new Z28 in 1999 - but that was only $21k. I could never imagine spending more than that for a vehicle.
 
NW-Bound said:
.............

I had not heard of Bang & Olufsen. Have you?
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Yes very high end electronic audio and video from Denmark. We still have a legacy system bought new in '78.

MRG
 
Previous car 1989 Ford Festiva (Mazda built in Korea), traded it in 2007 when could no longer get parts. Currently: 2005 Kia Reo.
 
I've always had some restraint in buying cars - except when I walked into the chevy dealer in 2001 and drove out with a corvette. It now pains me to spend money on a car, but it feels less painful if they have low interest financing. I take the financing - that way it makes me feel like I haven't spent a lot of money
 
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I think I can dial back on my 100% biotech portfolio now. There is not going to be a German luxury car in my future!

On the grocery run this afternoon, DW pointed to a car and said it was cute. She said she would not mind having that as the next car (which I do not know when because our cars are still running well).

So, I looked and it was a Kia Soul. I just checked its price. Doggone cheap, compared to the CR-V that I had in mind. So, how about that?

I have no idea what the interior of this car looks like, but it's got good NTSA crash testings. What else to look out for?
 
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