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.
Some people who've decided to keep owning cars must also have cooler heads than the rest of us.
Dealing with shyster shops and things of that nature would land some of us in 4-sided cage if the outburst got too out of hand.
That's why I tend to work on my own cars, with the exception of the daily driver, which is a car with a warranty that if it does act up, simply goes to the dealer and they take care of it. I don't deal with shops other than that if I can possibly help it. But I love cars, so working on my own cars if necessary (oil changes, modifications, and the occasional repair) isn't really a burden to me, so long as it's not a car that I need to rely on to get back and forth to work in.
This also means that I can own a more expensive used car, knowing that I'm most likely not going to incur massive expenses in repairs and maintenance due to relying on others.
I hear what you're saying. Cars have become ridiculously expensive when adjusted for inflation and compared with real incomes, which incidentally have been stagnant for twenty years now. Back in the day, $10k (today's money) would have bought you a very nice new car. Can you imagine $10k buying anybody a nice new car today? I can't either.
I bought my first new car in 1963. Just finished school, new job, beginning salary $450/month or $5400/year. The new car was a Ford Falcon, no radio, no AC, no cruise control, and no auto transmission. It cost about $2500 out the door. That was about half my annual salary. Gas about $.30/gal.
I work hard.....very hard so I decided to get what I wanted. The same with my wife. We both have new cars ( financed). We can easily afford the payments and still live very comfortably while still putting money in savings and having very little debt. As much as we work we should be able to enjoy and have nicer things while still being able to make sure we will be set when we retire in a few years
You don't have to own a car if you can move to a location that's walkable and has good public transit. MUCH cheaper, and a better QOL (depending on lots of things) IMO.
You don't have to own a car if you can move to a location that's walkable and has good public transit. MUCH cheaper, and a better QOL (depending on lots of things) IMO.
I dunno. As a car guy, who enjoys playing with cars, my QOL would suffer if I moved to someplace I didn't need/couldn't have a car.
You don't have to own a car if you can move to a location that's walkable and has good public transit. MUCH cheaper, and a better QOL (depending on lots of things) IMO.
I live in a place like this and I still like having a car. Go figure.
I was going to be smart and say, "We have these things called jobs..." but I was already beat to the punch.
But seriously, a sporty car is essential for me to drive. It's one of the few things I splurge on. I am pretty frugal with everything else except my car debt, and I tend to keep my cars for at least 6 years. Not to mention they're worth at least half of what I bought them for, most times more.
I work on my cars and can do a lot of things to save money in that regard as well.
I seriously love cars, they're my passion.. But I could never justify paying anything over $10,000 for a car.
How do people afford houses? I could never justify spending more than $150k on a house.
How do people afford TV's? I could never justify spending more than $250 on a tv.
Seems like a pointless question, just saying...
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.
I don't deal with shops other than that if I can possibly help it. But I love cars, so working on my own cars if necessary (oil changes, modifications, and the occasional repair) isn't really a burden to me, so long as it's not a car that I need to rely on to get back and forth to work in.
