Describe stuck-up, materialistic and snobbish... (Dallas, Plano: apartments, home, neighborhoods)

[Lakewooder]

If you are going to live up north or in the Park Cities, then, yes you will be looked down on --- around here and in other areas with bohemians, no one cares.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

If you are going to live up north or in the Park Cities, then, yes you will be looked down on --- around here and in other areas with bohemians, no one cares.

With that in mind, what areas would you suggest I look into for my first apartment? I am single and should be starting at about 30k-40k (estimating conservatively). What areas should I NOT consider?

My car should no longer be an issue after a few months because I am going to replace it as soon as possible after I relocate.

[lh_newbie]

I always here that you can't say you REALLY live in Dallas until you have lived in The Villages.

TheVillageapts.com | Home

I enjoyed my stay at this complex. Lots of active people, close proximity to White Rock Lake (great place to run, walk or ride your bike).

Brian

[jabbit]

[jenlion]

bchris,

I moved from Arkansas (Batesville) to Dallas in 2000 after graduating from college too. I can imagine your car, I think. :-)

So long as you're not a guy looking to pick up girls, your car won't matter. If you're a guy looking to pick up girls in bars, or something, you're out of luck. :-D I dated a guy with a crappy car because I didn't much care about cars. I think I'm the exception rather than the rule, though. (And you know what? The car could have been a warning signal. He turned out to be a major lazy deadbeat stoner in the end).

You could keep the car as a way to prove that anybody you DO date cares about you and not your income potential. Or, you could drive it for awhile because that's what you have to do, and screw anybody who doesn't like it. What can they do, really? Tease you about it, sure. But don't let anybody rush you into a big car payment before you're ready. I've seen a lot of 23-year-old-guys (assuming you're a guy again) go out and blow half their salary on a new "cool" car so that they can finally start dating. Meanwhile they save nothing, can't travel, everything goes to the car payment and "cool" clothes and booze. Not much of a life, if you ask me.

When I moved here and was in that income range, I worked in Richardson. I lived in Plano at the Thornbury apartments off Chase Oaks. That was several years ago, though, and the area has changed and 75 is worse than ever. Where you look for an apartment should be highly dependent on where your job is. Good luck in your move. What part of AR are you moving from?

[kt2le]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

I always here that you can't say you REALLY live in Dallas until you have lived in The Villages.

TheVillageapts.com | Home

I enjoyed my stay at this complex. Lots of active people, close proximity to White Rock Lake (great place to run, walk or ride your bike).

Brian

That's so funny! Living in The Village is like a rite of passage for young college graduates. Thousands of Dallas professionals started out in The Village, myself included. I don't know what it's like now since I lived there for 18 months 20+ years ago. I know they're rebuilding it one apartment complex at a time. I can't tell you how many people I meet that, when talking about first moving to Dallas, roll their eyes and admit to having lived in The Village at some point! Someone always pipes up and says, "I did, too!" LOL!

Don't worry about having an old car...you won't be the only new college graduate driving one. If somebody you meet is concerned with only that, you don't want them as a friend, anyway.

[lh_newbie]

Originally Posted by kt2le

Don't worry about having an old car...you won't be the only new college graduate driving one. If somebody you meet is concerned with only that, you don't want them as a friend, anyway.

100% concur. Heck, my wife and I both make good money and still refuse to buy new cars every year or two like some folks do here. My Ford Ranger has over 90K miles. She's got another 2 years in her. My wife's car is a 2000 Pathfinder. Again, we've got another 2 years left in her (she's only got 75K miles). I lived in the Villages and get around the metro and have never once had any issue with people not talking to me or giving me attitude cause my truck has a crunched door or isn't brand new. In fact, the people that know me think agree that spending money on a car (aka depreciating liability, NOT an asset) is actually very smart. One of my coworkers decided to ditch his Lexus because we discussed finances. He now drives a Honda Civic - and doesn't regret the change at all... especially when he sees his bank account at the end of each month.

Hope this helps!

Brian

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by jenlion

bchris,

Good luck in your move. What part of AR are you moving from?

Thanks alot. I'm from a very rural area of the state. Ft. Smith is the nearest town but thats quite a commute for me. I plan on getting a used car from the 2002-03 timeframe, as I am not one who requires a brand new sportscar. I am looking into a Honda Civic. I do want something a little nicer than this same junker I have drove since I was 16, only 85,000 miles and 2 accidents later (it had 150,000 miles on it when I got it in 2002 to give you an idea). I will look be looking into the Village apartments as well as a few others people have suggested. A lot of that will depend on where I work, but a little commute isn't a problem for me, as my current commute to Ft. Smith is equivalent to commuting from McKinney to DT Dallas without traffic.

[Lakewooder]

Let us not forget that an old Ford F-150 pickup is the favored car of "The Millionaire Next Door".

[lh_newbie]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

Let us not forget that an old Ford F-150 pickup is the favored car of "The Millionaire Next Door".

Does my Ranger grow up when we become a Millionaire?