Is it a sin for wanting to own a nice car?

[aja8888]

What's that old Catholic saying? "If you're happy and you know it, it's a SIN!"

How true...

 

[Kroeran]

+10

"Sin" is a Religious invention and not really relevant. Indulgence is more appropriate. If one wants it, can afford it without doing harm to others or themselves, then it is perfectly acceptable.

I am not religious, but I did spend a lot of time reading and rereading Jesus’s alleged life “suggestions”.

“Sin” entirely relates to interpersonal relationships and interactions, and the assertion that said Interactions relate to human purpose, terrestrial happiness and eternal consequences.

Is anyone harmed by you buying this car?

He actually mocks the miser who “stores up his grain that someone else will enjoy”.

I recall our Jewish friends teach that self deprivation of harmless pleasures, is itself a sin.

I myself would buy used, and buy shrewdly, so that when you satisfy that itch, you can unload it for close to what you paid, keeping your powder dry for other appetites.

I got so much pleasure out of my “gotta have it” cars. MGA, Thunderbird 2006, Jeep Cherokee old boxy version. Bought used and all sold near cost price. Cheap fun.

When Jesus was pressed on the best usage for extra money, he said “use it to expand your social network, so that they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings”, or words to that effect.

Or, he that dies with the most friends wins.

Epicurus had the same view.

Think about joining a car club of that vehicle.

 

[Kroeran]

If wanting a luxury car is a sin then so is hoarding money and greedily raking in more while doing nothing to earn it. Spending money you can afford to spend spreads the wealth around and can help make others happy. Of course, giving money to charities might be better in that respect. Maybe you could do a little of that too for atonement.

Actually, people who sit on invested money provide the scarce resource of capital, to help people get affordable car loans, mortgages, rental accommodation, it supports factory productivity that supports wages.

Small savers provide a small benefit to society, savers at scale provide a massive benefit.

The old money coupon clipper, who leaves wealth working, provides a massive benefit to society simply by not blowing it all on consumption, notwithstanding their moral right to do so.

In this way, wealth is effective love, possibly the most effective, certainly more effective than charity.

Perhaps second only to anyone who has been in a position in life to say “you are hired”, based on their entrepreneurship.

 

[Texas Proud]

Decided to add.... way back when I was young and no family I had the option to buy a repoed 1987 Firebird Formula 350... I already had a car that was a commuter car so this would be my 2nd car...


I enjoyed the heck out of it... it cost a lot to maintain as it constantly broke down but it was fun to drive...


I eventually sold it and bought a 2004 Acura TL with 6 speed manual tranny... it was just as quick as the Firebird but a sedan also... and it did not break down.. unfortunately I totaled it or I would still have it today...


I am no longer a 2 car guy... we do have one for me and one for DW and one for DD...


Who knows... whenever I get rid of DD and insurance goes down I might buy me something else...

 

[Koolau]

All my life, I have been in the "financially challenged" situation. One thing I would love to have is to own an AMG SUV or a M sport SAV.

If one looks at this from pure financial prospective, it is really a bad idea. 100K sitting in a high yield account at 5% is making 5K a year. One 100K car sitting in the driveway will lose at least 10% every year, let alone needing insurance and maintenance costs. Currently, late model CPO does not offer much savings.

But if I don't get one now, I would probably never going to get one once I am retired. We only live once, is getting a nice car before retirement a really big sin?

It's only a sin if you spouse is not on board.

An expensive car is not my cup of tea but (full disclosure) I'd love to have a new C-8 Corvette. Not gonna happen, but don't give up your dream.

 

[Ronstar]

In 2001, I took a walk to White Castle to get lunch, then walked past a Chevy dealer on the way back to work. Went in and bought a Corvette. Drove it in the summers for 20 years. I have no regrets buying it. It made for a fun commute to work.

 

[Koolau]

In 2001, I took a walk to White Castle to get lunch, then walked past a Chevy dealer on the way back to work. Went in and bought a Corvette. Drove it in the summers for 20 years. I have no regrets buying it. It made for a fun commute to work.

I was expecting "A guy walks into a White Castle..."

Good for you. Glad you enjoyed your Vette. I'm still dreaming.

 

[Katiek]

As others have said, it's all a matter of priorities. But if you're at a place where you can afford this, there is nothing wrong with celebrating on things that truly will make you happy. For some it's more travel, for some it's a car they drive a lot, for others it's an upgrade on a house. It's important to take some time to enjoy the things we've worked for, but it's up to you to decide what is the right splurge.

 

[Music Lover]

Decided to add.... way back when I was young and no family I had the option to buy a repoed 1987 Firebird Formula 350... I already had a car that was a commuter car so this would be my 2nd car...


I enjoyed the heck out of it... it cost a lot to maintain as it constantly broke down but it was fun to drive...


I eventually sold it and bought a 2004 Acura TL with 6 speed manual tranny... it was just as quick as the Firebird but a sedan also... and it did not break down.. unfortunately I totaled it or I would still have it today...

That's the nice thing about some daily driver cars today...they have just as much or more power than muscle cars of the past.

My 2015 Acura has 290 HP, more than a Firebird Formula 350. It also gets 35 mpg on the highway.

 

[Andre1969]

That's the nice thing about some daily driver cars today...they have just as much or more power than muscle cars of the past.

My 2015 Acura has 290 HP, more than a Firebird Formula 350. It also gets 35 mpg on the highway.

Not just that, but they're a LOT easier to live with nowadays. Back in the old days, a musclecar rarely had air conditioning, or any other options that added weight. To the real purists, it had to be a stick shift. The really high-output engines tended to be geared really short as well, as they didn't like to just loaf along; they were happier revving at a high speed. So that meant, even at idle, they sounded like the driver was gunning it. And at highway speeds they would be screaming, because of those quicker axle ratios.

Now by the time GM started putting 350s back in their Camaros and Firebirds in the 1980's, performance cars (I'm too "old school" to call a Camaro, Firebird, Mustang, etc a "muscle car" as they don't fit the traditional definition, but even that can be argued til the cows come home) had come a long way, and were a LOT easier to live with. But, it's amazing how far cars have come, even since then.

 

[ncbill]

Cheapest way is to inherit.

Have enjoyed dad's old MB convertible sports coupe.

It cost more than $100k when he bought it ~25 years ago.

But being that old it is a heck of a lot simpler than any recent MB model & has been surprisingly inexpensive to maintain.

 

[Aerides]

Even if it were... who cares?

I mean of course it's not a "sin" in the classical sense, and we assume you can afford it.

Even if it were something that is looked down upon by general society, hopefully by the time you are solidly adult and have means you make choices regardless of what others might think (again assuming they aren't illegal/immoral by most judgments).

Almost all of us have things we splurge on. You would probably think me silly for my choice of hotels.

 

[Koolau]

That's the nice thing about some daily driver cars today...they have just as much or more power than muscle cars of the past.

My 2015 Acura has 290 HP, more than a Firebird Formula 350. It also gets 35 mpg on the highway.

And it's all (well, a lot of it is) because of Electronic Fuel Injection (aka "chips.") There have been so many improvements in the ICE concept in the past 40 years that it seems almost unreal.

I suspect we've reached something of a plateau on engine efficiency. Though I keep seeing wild improvements suggested all the time. If we could solve the aerodynamics (every car/truck with a Cd of 0.25 or less) we'd go a long way toward a fleet average nearing 50 mpg. (Oh, that's throwing in some sort of "energy recapture" such as hybrids.)

What a great time to be an automotive engineer. Too late for me, but what fun it would be. Saving people money while saving the planet. What could be a better j*b? YMMV as always.

 

[Mark2024]

That's the nice thing about some daily driver cars today...they have just as much or more power than muscle cars of the past.

My 2015 Acura has 290 HP, more than a Firebird Formula 350. It also gets 35 mpg on the highway.

Well, have you checked the RPM for that 290 HP?

 

[folivier]

Back in high school my dad bought a Fiat 124 Spider that I drove.
About 20 years ago I bought a Miata for a fun car. Then 10 years ago I bought a Mustang convertible. Neither of these were practical or needed but they were fun.
Now I have a 2006 Lexus GX470, lifted, and keep it at our cabin. It's a comfortable fun car to play around on trails.
Get it!

 

[Music Lover]

Well, have you checked the RPM for that 290 HP?

I don't need to as it has plenty of power.

 

[freedomatlast]

All my life, I have been in the "financially challenged" situation. One thing I would love to have is to own an AMG SUV or a M sport SAV.

If one looks at this from pure financial prospective, it is really a bad idea. 100K sitting in a high yield account at 5% is making 5K a year. One 100K car sitting in the driveway will lose at least 10% every year, let alone needing insurance and maintenance costs. Currently, late model CPO does not offer much savings.

But if I don't get one now, I would probably never going to get one once I am retired. We only live once, is getting a nice car before retirement a really big sin?

Go for it!

I was contemplating the same thing earlier this year and found a BMW X5 M50i M Sport in the right color that is absolutely incredible. The power, handling and comfort of this machine is amazing. The twin turbocharged 4.4L V-8 has incredible power on tap at all times, and the transmission is perfectly tuned for quick precise shifts at just the right times. Sport Plus mode is mind blowing.

Sure it will cost more than a Toyota to own down the road, but incredible performance does cost more. I never regretted buying this for a second and it puts puts a huge smile on my face every time I fire it up. I'm to the point where I want to enjoy some of the fruits of my labor now because if I don't do it now, I may never do it.

In a few more years, you may not even be able to buy one due to the electric vehicle craze. Do it now.

 

[Koolau]

I don't need to as it has plenty of power.

Yeah, since my early 20s, I've rarely gotten close to a red line nor worried too much about "power" and "torque" figures as long as the vehicle will do what I want it to do.

Every once in a while (like when a light turns yellow) I'll "punch it" and say "Flog those hamsters!"

Other than that, I'm becoming more and more clueless on specs. Heh, heh, I'm probably more interested in the MPG than the HP, etc. YMMV

Oh, and I once owned a Corvette with the small block 350/350/4spd. No, I don't remember the RPM at peak torque and HP. It was getting up there for the HP though.

 

[pjigar]

I choose to buy 4 year old luxury cars, less than half price. I can eat my cake and have it too!

 

[OldShooter]

... I'm too "old school" to call a Camaro, Firebird, Mustang, etc a "muscle car" ...

They're not. They are "pony cars."

I used to haunt the newspaper want ads (Remember them?) and occasionally find an interesting car to buy and flip. I was more into sports cars like my Lotus Elan, but one car I flipped was a '68 GT500KR Mustang convert. Really a pretty awful car; probably 140mph in a straight line but very limited ability to go around corners or to stop. But it was a good experience to have had.

 

[Texas Proud]

That's the nice thing about some daily driver cars today...they have just as much or more power than muscle cars of the past.

My 2015 Acura has 290 HP, more than a Firebird Formula 350. It also gets 35 mpg on the highway.

Yea, the Firebird had either 210 or 240ish HP according to where you look... but 315 to 340 f/lb of torque... I think mine was at the higher end as my chip failed and the shop said I could put in this 'special' chip... even though the time is similar to other cars it seemed faster than it was... you could lay rubber down easily.. and at times get a small amount in 2nd... top end was not that great though...



My TL was 270 hp... but 238 ft/lb.... but revved nicely so was quick... car was limited at 149 mph..



My current G80 has 311 hp.. it is a big sedan and is quick but I do not feel it like the others... also do not even try that often...

 

[folivier]

My 2014 Mustang convert. had the V6 which was fairly powerful and much less to insure than the 5.0 liter. But I "tuned" it and it woke up the V6 with a much quicker throttle and shift response. Don't remember if it affected fuel mileage or not but I didn't care since it was a play car.

 

[Sojourner]

It’s a matter of personal goals and priorities, which is I suppose what you are trying to say.

Yes, that is what I was trying to say, in a nutshell. There are always tradeoffs, so if you can afford it, decide what those tradeoffs will be based on your priorities. Buying a $100k sports car will either delay your achievement of FIRE (as in OP's case, since he's not yet retired) or will gobble up one's travel budget for several years... or something like that.

 

[Sojourner]

Well, there ya go...basically, just don't speak so strictly about it! Anyway, the full statement would be "if you can afford it, and you really want it and it will bring you some form of happiness, then buy it".

Right. I think I would add one more qualifier to your statement in bold. "If you can afford it, and you really want it, and it will bring you some form of happiness, and you are comfortable with the loss of what else you COULD have done with those funds, then buy it." That's exactly how I think OP should look at this big car purchase, especially considering he is not yet FIREd.

 

[Retiired]

As long as it is not greed, lust, or gluttony, I think you will be OK in the sin area!