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'm a realistic car buyer. I buy luxury cars to communicate wealth to others. Anyone who says they do it for other reasons is lying (to themselves, mostly). My Mercedes is a garbage car, less than 60k on the odometer and problems out the wazoo since about 30k. My Lexus is nice but it's exactly 0% better than the Toyota that it shares a platform with. It doesn't even have real leather even though the cheaper Toyota version does.
Driving is not "fun" for me nor is it for my wife. It's transportation plus a dumb requirement that you have to show your wealth in our area. People are judged for walking out of a cheap car. I used to fight this but I'm realistic now- when I pull into the corporate parking lot and park on the "management" side of the lot, I park next to all the other luxury cars that are mostly owned by people who couldn't care less about cars but who know that they have to drive one of these in order to fit in on our side. When someone on "our side" drives something like a Rav 4, people talk behind their back asking about whether they have money problems, what does their house look like, etc. Yet a Lexus crossover which is essentially just a Rav 4 with a different sticker on the front gets a pass.
I'll be honest, though- it does feel good stepping out of a luxury car in public, even though I know secretly that I got mine on ebay for less than the cost of most decent new mid-level cars. Don't hate the player, hate the game.
My cars are first of all fun to drive and beautiful inside, drivability is no 1 factor.
Don't care much about exterior or name on it, it has to have great response and make me feel in total control while inside.
Life is too short to waste & save now (while driving an undesirable car) with the hope that maybe some day you can afford better...
I buy used cars with high reliability with under 100k miles on them and then I drive them until they die - usually around the time they get to 300k miles on them.
What's so fun about gadgets in a car? I don't get that mentality at all. You're driving - you shouldn't have time to mess with gadgets.
A car serves a purely utilitarian function. Since you now have $500 or $600 a month extra, why not put that towards something fun occasionally? Say, skiing. Or rafting. Or a nice vacation somewhere. Those are all fun things - lots more fun that a few gadgets in a car.
I have a Porsche 781 coupe that sees <3k miles/yr. Although I don't make payments, it was a total waste of money and I love it.
I have a Camry that I use for rainy days and groceries.
Financially, you made a sound decision. But if you're digging the luxury car and can easily afford it, why stop yourself from having some fun?
Last edited by adr3naline; 05-03-2017 at 03:57 PM..
Do you buy a car to get you from point A to B or do you buy a fun car you really like to get from A to B in comfort, style, luxury etc...?
A to B.
I buy them to keep for as long as possible. I've had one new vehicle (owned for 13.5+ years) and the rest have been used.
I don't care about a lot of bells and whistles and it doesn't have to be luxurious, but I do want to be comfortable when driving long commutes or road trips.
Mods: feel free to move if you feel this better belongs in the personal finance forum
Do you buy a car to get you from point A to B or do you buy a fun car you really like to get from A to B in comfort, style, luxury etc...?
I have a short commute and I recently went through the exercise of needing a new car and was all set to finance a new car at near $500/month. It was a brand new car with all sorts of tech and options and was just a really cool, fun to drive car, and I loved the way it looks. Then I started thinking since I have a short commute I should just buy something cash and not have a payment for the first time in a long time.
So I ended up buying a used car for well under $10K in cash that I don't necessarily like the looks of and it isn't a blast to drive BUT I am saving $500/month in a car payment, $5K on a down payment, and about $1000 a year in insurance savings. So I'll save $7,000/year plus the $5K down payment. It comes with tons of maintenance records, was a one owner car, no wrecks, valued above what I paid, and is rated a 9/10 in reliability.
I suppose if I had more disposable income or a longer commute I'd be more inclined to spend more. Having an extra $600/month is a great feeling as is having no car payment but man would that new car have been nice to drive! I bought the car a month or so ago and some mornings driving to work in this practical, inexpensive car, I think to myself, "Man I should have just splurged and I could be riding in that brand new shiny and fun car right now!". To make matters worse, a co-worker just bought the exact car I wanted and I got to see it up close and personal yesterday.
I could have afforded the new car but I'm not rich or anything. Things would have been tighter but it would have definitely been doable.
So what type of buyer are you? I understand that a lot of this depends on your financial situation and what not but I totally understand both sides of the argument.
You acted wisely. You thought it out and got a vehicle that meets your everyday needs. More people need to do this. I participate in a Jeep forum and so many people buy a Jeep because they think it's "cool" and has an image they want to project. But then they're disappointed because it isn't as comfortable as a Lexus, it doesn't handle as well as a sports car, it doesn't have the fuel economy of a Prius, it isn't as safe as a Volvo and the audio system doesn't sound like you're in a concert hall. Buy what you need, not on impulse.
2012 Camry xle V6... Reliable and fast. Good happy medium between a sports suspension and a boat like the Chevy impala... Though I admit a decked out impala 2LT or greater is pretty sweet.
#1 for me is looks , both interior and exterior. Then I narrow it down to a select bunch of vehicles that fit into that category. Moonroof and quality stereo are priority options, so if those options don't fall into one of those vehicles in my price range they get ruled out. With the select few vehicles it goes down to reliability and mpg.
I prefer buying used vehicles that were once out of my price range that are now affordable to me. I get much more enjoyment out of them than if I were to buy a brand new econobox. In fact, my latest purchase is an SUV with 120K miles on it for close to the same price as what some brand new economy cars are going for. I get bored with plain Jane vehicles regardless if they fit my needs. A car to me is so much more than going from point A to point B and with that being said I don't spend an arm and a leg to get a really nice vehicle that is enjoyable.
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.
