75K in LA, how will I be doing? (Nice: renting, mortgage)

[Dir Drill 1]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

LOL. Do you seriously think he can get from North Hollywood to, lets say Magic Mountain, on a scooter. Do you want him to get killed? He cannot take that thing on the 5 Freeway. I would not even reccomend driving the scooter on SF Blvd. or any other major street.

I love his attitude but this is LA. City of Freeways and cars.

Also to consider is Speed limits on surfaces streets are higher then what others are used to.

LOL... Yeah, the 5 would be a suicide wish, but to buy a car so you can get to magic mountain everyday... Seriously, how many times does the single adult male, no kids, go to Magic Mountain ???. If he does, no problem, take any form of transportation you want, it will cost you far less for that day than a car payment, insurance, dmv fees, smog fees, gas, maintenance, etc., etc., etc, that go on for the life of a vehicle.... The bottom line is, the scooter is perfect for what he wants to do, run back and forth to work every day... Recreation time, depends on where and what, and our transportation system here is a joke, but a full time car is most likely unnecessary at this stage of the game...

[Yetti0]

Originally Posted by killer2021

You will do fine. I see lots of people making it on sub 20k.

OH do tell me how those people live on 20K? making it?

[wanderingwaldo]

I don't know what people think, my scooter goes 60 even with my fat ass- how often does side-street traffic go that fast? You are completely right about going to the beach though - it would be completely impossible to take Beverly Glen Blvd and then Santa Monica Blvd straight to the beach. I don't think that it should be too bad hopping on the sidestreets especially since I just got a waterproof GPS for my scooter with a RAM mount. The only reason I will be getting a car is because my companies territory is all of CA and I might have to cover for a salesman once in a while. Renting a car when I have to do doesn't sound like a bad option since burbank airport is about 1 mile from work and insuring the hell out of any car I own (as is required in my work contract - although my employer offered to take up the difference since they had not mentioned it during the interview) would cost a lot of money for a vehicle I hardly used. Renting once in a while would probably result in a net savings for my employer. Not to mention vehicles depreciate like a ***** and repairs in LA are insane. I will seriously consider that as an option and broach it with my employer if I like the scooter only lifestyle. Noho scooters (which is a dealer for the manufacturer of my scooter) is 2 miles from work and I just signed up for 2 years of roadside assistance for 2-wheelers for $85 which will deliver my scooter to a shop and drop me off anywhere within 35 miles up to 5 times a year. It is sooo much cheaper than a car it is ridiculous, with gas prices going through the roof be ready to see more people on scooters and motorcycles - especially in LA. Oil doesn't bubble from the ground anymore when you go hunting for jackrabbits. Oil companies are literally stripping residue from rocks in old fields - we are running out. Getting a hummer because "it's gansta" or "I wanna climb a 60 degree incline on the way to the grocery store" isn't going to make a lot of sense once we hit $5-6 a gallon. As long as the oil companies can ream us they will. Bitching and moaning isn't going to slow things any, but finding ways to reduce consumption will. If you don't hit them where it hurts they will keep lighting their cubans with $100 bills because that's what executives do best especially when their customers NEED their product to live.

When it comes to real-estate I will save up for a condo or house (because you have to for about 10 years in CA) but I definitley know that the next few years is not the time to get into anything. I definitley realize how hard it is to fix up a fixer upper (it's like drawing someones face - getting something crappy that somewhat resembles the person is easy, but something closer to a portrait takes a LOT of practice). Mistakes can also be expensive.

[artichoke63]

Waldo,

By the way, why do you want to leave Pittsburgh? My cousins are all from that area and they all left too. Seems like nobody wants to live in the burgh. I bet there are some good real estate bargains out there though!

Artie

[wanderingwaldo]

In my experience the Burgh is what I would call a mediocre midwest suburb. There are two types of people here: Stuck and Lifers. Those people that are Stuck are usually here because it is cheap to live or have a significant other who is a Lifer or are just passing through for college. I would say at least 85% of the population is a Lifer. These are the people who have lived in Pittsburgh their whole lives and possibly even driven somewhere, but most people have not even been on a plane. They are ignorant of the world and have no interest in much outside their little bubble, and they love Pittsburgh because that is what you are supposed to do in the land of Iron City Light and "Da Stillers". Asking them to cross one of the three rivers is usually like asking them to dismember themselves if they live and work outside the city. Their idea of "decent roads" is a patchwork of temporary asphalt, oil and chips, 36" diameter potholes, and asphalt bubbling over the curb. It has the second oldest population in the United States which creates another whole set of issues from nothing being open late to driving issues to high city overhead. Overall I would not say it is a terrible place as I drove through Salton City, CA before near the blighted Salton Sea - look it up on google maps sometime. But Pittsburgh is just a blah place with a closed-minded population and doesn't make outsiders say: "wow I want to live here"

[wanderingwaldo]

Originally Posted by linck

You will be fine earning $75,000/year, even with your debt. I earn about the same and pay $950/month for rent. Although I curse Sallie Mae every month, I can make my payments and you will manage yours.

Also, LA, except for the potholes, is great for scooters. Just make sure that you get your bike titled and tagged within 10 days after moving here. Also, you will have to take the written exams for both your class C and class M licenses. I don't know if they will make you take the driving exam for your scooter--probably; the CA DMV is there to make you wish you hadn't moved. But, when you are whizzing around in the sun on your bike, you will be glad you did. Congratulations on your job.

I've already got my class M in PA. I will still have to take the written though? Whatever the case - I've given myself a week from moving in to take care of all that and get furniture before I start work.

HAHAHA - LA potholes are babies. Pittsburgh potholes can have thier own marine ecosystems.

[Sorcerer68]

Originally Posted by Yetti0

OH do tell me how those people live on 20K? making it?

I did it for years. Lived in a 20's studio apartment I slowly furnished with antique yard sale finds (and furniture I refinished), drove a classic sports car and fixed it myself when I could, shopped at thrift and discount stores and was very, very careful with my money. I could tell you where the cheapest of everything was. I also worked in restaurants where I ate 1-2 meals a day. I was very, very good at shopping for bargains. When I did this, it was 8+ years ago and I made sub 15k a year. I also managed to take 1 vacation a year, usually to another city where I had friends.

[SallyC]

My husband and I live in Westwood, we have one car which I use for my 20 mile commute and one scooter which he drives to work (around 1.5 miles) every day. We love driving the scooter around LA. We ride it to the beach all the time and have even driven it to downtown LA. We do not take it on the expressway. When I need the car and he needs to go to Santa Clarita for work, he rents a car from Enterprise. This is very doable. You will just need to take the written test for the permit and then you can take a class for about $300 instead of the driving test to get the full license. Be careful about parking tickets, they treat scooters as strictly as cars.

[midnightbirdgirl]

Originally Posted by Sorcerer68

I did it for years. Lived in a 20's studio apartment I slowly furnished with antique yard sale finds (and furniture I refinished), drove a classic sports car and fixed it myself when I could, shopped at thrift and discount stores and was very, very careful with my money. I could tell you where the cheapest of everything was. I also worked in restaurants where I ate 1-2 meals a day. I was very, very good at shopping for bargains. When I did this, it was 8+ years ago and I made sub 15k a year. I also managed to take 1 vacation a year, usually to another city where I had friends.

Then again as you said that was more than 8 years ago. You could not do that today. 7 years ago my husband's commute was a bit over 1 hour each way, today it is around 3 each way!! So that is like apples and oranges!! You would be in living poverty under 20,000 in LA today!!
MBG

[wanderingwaldo]

I think you would be living in poverty in most US cities on 20k a year.