Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've always driven pickups or old-school SUVs, usually used. My dogs and I are going to trash the interior of any vehicle I have, basically. The only thing I don't like about an older vehicle is the uncertainty with regards to reliability. Even if it's a great car, its alternator or fuel pump or whatever is still potentially cued up to go kaput and leave you sitting.
I'm at a point where I make pretty decent money. I went out about 18 months ago and got myself a "pre-owned" 2011 Subaru Forester with 42,000 miles on it. When I was in Jersey, my car breaking down wasn't a big deal, but now that I'm in Colorado, my big fear is having some sort of vehicle failure in a remote area.
I don't have time to envy other people for having nicer cars - just more reliable cars.
I understand being embarrassed about your car. But, I think you can buy a newer used car that is not embarrassing, but will be cheap.
For instance, my last car was a 92 Corolla. Still ran great, had about 215,000 miles on it. But, it was butt-ugly with bad paint and dents. I sold it and bought a 93 Nissan pickup that has a body and interior in great condition. It's cute as can be. Bought it for $2,000, put another $2,000 into it after taxes, repairs a great stereo and new tires. It has 169,000 miles on it. My mechanic says I should get 400K out of it, and guys mention what a cool little truck it is, especially because it has the extended cab, which is rare for these, and that the body is still so clean.
I suggest you sell your ugly car and buy another used car that will be dependable that looks nicer. You can pay cash, your taxes and insurance will still be cheap, you keep most of your savings, but you're not embarrassed.
And if anyone gives you a hard time, tell them you're saving up for a house and you hate debt - which will probably shut them up, because they probably aren't saving and are drowning in debt.
I love my little pickup and am not embarrassed to be seen in my vehicle anymore. I'm the little granny in her cute little red pickup :-)
I have a 2003 Honda Accord with 183,500 miles. It's faded with scratches on both sides and a shallow body panel dent on one side (though you can't see it that great from all angles). Not sure I'd call it a POS, but it's far from a beauty. It runs great, is paid off and I see no reason to get a new car for a few more years. I mean, yes, I would LOVE to have a new car (exspecially the updated tech that comes with it) and I see so many people, younger or older, with their shiny new(er) cars and want one too. But, it just doesn't make sense with the one I have running so well.
I guess it's a little easier for me to see others in nicer cars, because I could get a different car right now if I really wanted to.
and you see everyone your age, and even younger, driving much newer and nicer cars, and even though I'm aware that most, if not all of them, are in debt, it is impossible not feel a little jealous. I can't help but feel a little embarrassed when driving my current vehicle. I guess over time you get used to it, but that feeling of envy and wanting something better never goes away.
I remember one time I was cleaning my car outside, and some young guy in a Mercedes passed by, and gave me a dirty look, almost like saying, why is this dumbass cleaning that piece of crap. I couldn't help but feel pissed, it really upset me, and I threw my towels in the car and went inside.
I have been driving a 2004 chevy cavalier for years. It works fine and it only has 70k miles. It has never given me any problems, but it looks terrible. It already came with bad quality from the factory, but now the paint clear coat is all faded, and the only way to fix that is to re-paint the car again, which will cost, at least, $1000. The car's value is probably $2000 max.
It has 14-inch black steel wheels. The interior was pathetic from the factory, but now is all faded, the dash is all cracked and broken. No power windows. No power doors. No power nothing. The base version. Manual everything except the transmission. I take care of it and make sure is clean, but there is so much you can do.
Unfortunately, I don't have the greatest credit (around 600), so I cannot even finance a newer car. I refuse to get raped with subprime loans. My credit has been improving, it used to be 450, but it is probably going to take at least 3 years to have good credit. I'm waiting for some baddies to fall off.
I also have $15,000 in savings. I could probably buy a car with cash right now, but I would left with no savings. I also want a decent car. My goal is to save around 30-40k and then finance a car around 15-20k, that way I keep my savings and have sufficient money to pay off the car whenever I want.
It will take around 3 more years to save all this money and improve my credit enough to qualify for a decent car.
Here is a video of my car, very similar, but mine looks ten times worse. The paint is all faded and interior super cracked.
Spend $1000 and put some rims on the car $500, get a dash cover $50, tint the windows $200, get some custom seat covers $50 and it will feel like a much different car. IF you plan to keep the car for only 2-3 more years get a cheap $300 paint job and your car will look and feel much different.
Have you ever driven a car as ugly and beat as the one I have? Only the people who have these type of cars, with terrible interior quality and faded paint, can actually know the feeling. This car should be driven by a grandma. It is not like I want to drive a sports car or a head turner. I just want a reliable, newer, decent looking car.
I think 3 more years is more than enough. I refuse to drive that car 10 more years, and it is very unlikely that it will last that long anyway. It is already 12 years old. The car was already outdated from the factory to begin with and it came with inferior quality when compared to its competitors back in 2004. The only reason I bought it was because I got a good deal on it. I didn't do much research and I needed a car for work.
I will never buy an American car again.
I drove a 1987 Corsica off and one with faded paint, muffler leak, and headliner drooping down and the spray on liner stuff under that falling through the holes in the drooping headliner when my own beat up car with body damage and faded paint wasn't running. You know what I thought? Man this sure beats the hell out of taking the bus. I'm so glad my grandmother let me borrow her car! I didn't need a car my first three years of college. During the summers I drove that same damn '87 Corsica or my sisters beat to hell '91 Tercel if I wasn't taking summer classes. End of junior year I paid 50% and borrowed 50% from my parents for an old Honda with some body damage and minor paint fading. Nicest looking car I'd ever had. Kept that about four years until some teenagers drove a new car into it totaling it. At 24, I bought my first new car. Carmaggedon and Cash For Clunkers meant used cars were almost as expensive as new. For the same payments and less down I could have been in a BMW 5-series instead of an economy car (Mazda3). Paid it off and drove it for another five and a half years. Just bought my second new car about a year and a half ago.
Protip: Paint fades if you don't wax it. I was lazy after about three years with the Mazda and stopped waxing it. Guess what happened? The paint faded. It's called taking care of your car. Quality of the paint and clear coat matters. New cars are better than the stuff from the late '80s and '90s when they stopped using leaded paint but it's still a matter of taking care of your car.
I wouldn't worry about others, seriously. You're making sound financial decisions, and you can save for a better car to keep for a few years. If you're looking for a newer car, don't discount the CPO Mercedes or Lexus, as you would get a decent car, especially an E-Class that is very reliable and has restrained styling such that older models still look good when maintained. For a sleeper of a good luxury cruiser, albeit without snob appeal, look at a Hyundai Genesis, since it's very compelling for the price, and is a quality automobile.
A friend of mine had a Cavalier that she could not kill, and it had the usual cracks, faded paint, sagging headliner, worn cloth upholstery, etc. She could not get rid of it because it was so inexpensive to operate (did I mention she's a forensic accountant?), and kept it to drive to the train station. I think it finally threw a rod with about 300-350k on it, and she felt that she had gotten her money's worth out of it. Her husband was thrilled, as they had been married for several years, and she had that car in college, but kept it going, and replaced it with a Lexus because she figured that she could get at least that mileage out of it with minimal issues at a reasonable cost per mile to operate. Don't let the Cavalier that you have get you down because when you own your upgraded car as opposed to leasing or barely making huge payments for image sake, you'll have the last laugh.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Don't sweat it. I live in an upscale neighborhood and the paint on my $500 accord looks terrible too, but I love this car even though most people have something nicer.
Do I wish I had that new camaro ss with magnetic suspension? Heck yeah. Well I ever buy one probably not
I understand being embarrassed about your car. But, I think you can buy a newer used car that is not embarrassing, but will be cheap.
For instance, my last car was a 92 Corolla. Still ran great, had about 215,000 miles on it. But, it was butt-ugly with bad paint and dents. I sold it and bought a 93 Nissan pickup that has a body and interior in great condition. It's cute as can be. Bought it for $2,000, put another $2,000 into it after taxes, repairs a great stereo and new tires. It has 169,000 miles on it. My mechanic says I should get 400K out of it, and guys mention what a cool little truck it is, especially because it has the extended cab, which is rare for these, and that the body is still so clean.
I suggest you sell your ugly car and buy another used car that will be dependable that looks nicer. You can pay cash, your taxes and insurance will still be cheap, you keep most of your savings, but you're not embarrassed.
And if anyone gives you a hard time, tell them you're saving up for a house and you hate debt - which will probably shut them up, because they probably aren't saving and are drowning in debt.
I love my little pickup and am not embarrassed to be seen in my vehicle anymore. I'm the little granny in her cute little red pickup :-)
Nice!
Bumped into an older gentleman with an immaculate D21 a few months back. '94 Extended cab. He'd had it since new and when he retired got all the dings pounded out and repainted it and redid the interior about ten years ago. Tough little truck. He worked on wind turbines and drove it up and down the fire roads (been out on them on dirt bikes and they're rough) along the Altamont Pass for about ten years until he retired.
I never claimed that I want a new car. I want something newer, like 2-3 years old. So, if I buy a car in 2019, it'd be from 2016.
I also dont want a sports or luxurious fast car. I just want something nice looking with ok technology, something I can live with for the next 10-15 years.
I really like the honda accord EX-L coupe, Kia optima, and Mazda 3, so it would be one of those, more likely the accord.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
