Comments on: My Thoughts On Cars

By: Isa

Isa — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:20:37 +0000

I drive a 2001 ford; not the best of cars by reputation but I think it has done a really good job for me. I bought it back in 2003 but was able to pay cash for it (it has a salvaged title, so it was cheap). I took the best decision an 18 year old could have. I am now 24 years old and am driving that car; it is not in good condition because it has been my first car so I have made alot of maintenance mistakes with it (oh wait, so it needs water?? haha). I’m always listening to my friends complaint about their car payments and what they have to do without to be able to drive a car they really can’t afford. I’m getting ready to move unto my next car as soon as this one runs out and it will defenatly be paid for in cash!

By: Aurie

Aurie — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:38:49 +0000

Frugal Babe,

You would be proud of me. I paid off one of my car loans today. I’ll be finished the other one by the end of the month. Thanks for the inspiration.

By: Alicia L.

Alicia L. — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:41:23 +0000

I am car free and extremely happy about it. I live in a city with great public transportation that I use to do all my errands (once a week) and it feels great. I get more exercise, I have sooo much less stress as a result of not having a car. I used to have a car and I was always afraid of what might happen to it- What if it was stolen or broken into? What if it breaks down? “What is this car costing me?
I love not having to rely on a car to get around. In warmer weather I enjoy biking around town. I think most people believe cars simplify their lives, make it more convenient to get around. I agree that I have to plan more, but the peace of mind I have by not having a car far outweighs any supposed pro of those death traps.
With all that said…I am afraid I will be moving next year to an area that might require a car, very anti-cyclist and poor/no public transportation. When discussing our situation with my husband, we never even considered getting two cars it seems so unnecessary. If we can’t find away around needing a car at all, we will end up getting an older used car with good gas millage, like a honda or toyota and use it wisely, planning our trips ahead of time. I am dreading having a car again. I enjoy my simple life. =)

By: Maneh

Maneh — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:19:37 +0000

Great Post.
I wish I could say the same. These are all great instances but we are really looking at keeping a vehicle versus “upgrading” to something new. In this situation it is just for cosmetics. However if you have to get a payment because you need a reliable vehicle then you are speaking in a whole different ballgame.
This was my situation. I always wanted to drive a nice but used car and tack on 200,000+ miles, unfortunately I ran into car mecanical issues. This is the KEY to all of these vehicles. If you have a car in great condition – keep using it. The only way I would not keep it is if you truly felt unsafe – then you definetly do not want put your life at risk.
I wish I could have kept my 95 maxima but I had leaking gaskets and who knows what other issues. It is for this reason I went ahead and financed a newer vehicle. The cost of repair was almost identical to the value of the car. Then unfortunately I had a newer car and 2 years later I had more issues (another Maxima – 02). Maybe it was the car – maybe it was a bad mechanic. I decided to get something newer (Not a nissan anymore 07 camry 20k miles) and purchased an extended full coverage 0 deductible warranty (factory warranty still in effect but I want to pay the car off and keep it for years so I got the extended warranty knowing I will have peace of mind for at least 4-5 yrs). I also do not trust mechanics so I will be going to the dealership to service the vehicle and if they try and screw me with repairs in anyway I will be covered and not have to pay anything. Anyway, I got something NEWER not New. I still have a payment but it is reasonably low (almost half the price of buying a new car) and if I make extra payments (which I always do) I will have the car paid off in 2-3 years (4 years max).
Really everything comes down to condition. If it ain’t broke Dont fix it.
There is a good side to financing – it builds your credit so you should still purchase a vehicle and finance it, even if you have cash available at some time. This is critical in the future when you want to get a mortgage or any large loans. You need to have a credit history and where else will you get it besides a vehicle loan and student loans.
Trust me – I wish I didn’t have payments for anything. I want to pay everything off – car, house, student loans, etc. But doing so will also leave you with a very low balance in the bank if any. You would also like to keep money for unexpected emergencies so throwing everything at a vehicle may not be the smartest choice. If you already have a home, credit history and such – then go ahead and buy a used vehicle. I wish I could but like I said if it warrants constant repairs then it may not be worh it. For example if you have to spend 3,000 a year on repairs your better off getting a newer car which will cost you the same.
The longer you don’t have payments the more you can save towards a newer car, house, vacation, etc. Bottom line keep what you have as long as you have no issues. If you wish to get something new I would go the route of getting a 1-2yr old vehicle with low miles. The cost of vehicle deprication over the first few years is HUGE. If you had the choice what would you choose? New car for $30,000 or a 2008 with 20k miles for $17,000. Personally $13,000 in savings for 2 years is well worth it. At minimum you should usually be able to get a 2 yr old car for 60% of the new price – yes and this covers all cars (even mercedes, bmw, honda, etc).

By: Plain Good Sense

Plain Good Sense — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:39:14 +0000

Nice post – I also subscribe to the idea of utility over everything else when it comes to cars, as well as cell phones (as long as my phone is reliable and allows me to call and text the people I need to, it’s the only cell phone I need). I grew up in a family that never got rid of a vehicle before it reached the 200,000 mile mark, and they were quite reliable up until that point. When the vehicle stops being reliable, however, then I think it becomes an issue of safety – as well as convenience. There are only so many times one can be late to work or miss an event because their car won’t start.

I buy Subarus and have been so pleased with their reasonable price, reliability, function, as well as their style (I think they’re cute – though I know not everyone agrees). Consumer Reports consistently ranks them as one of the top vehicles, and the fact that it’s often quite difficult to buy a used Subaru Forrester or Outback speaks to the fact that once people buy them, they keep them for quite a long time.

My only beef is your comment on 4-wheel drive. I grew up on a farm in North Dakota — definitely not mountainous terrain — but still a place where 4-wheel drive is essential. Many folks who live in the country have to traverse roads that are not regularly cleared from snow until a local farmer does it themselves — and even then, the farmer has to be able to get to his/her tractor and snowblower to clean everything off!

These days, my husband and I live in a mid-sized city and I have all wheel drive and my husband has 2-wheel drive. There are many times during the winter when slick, snowy and icy conditions prevent him from making it up our (not at all steep) driveway in his 2-wheel drive car. This, again, becomes an issue of convenience for him. He loves his car, but will never again buy a 2-wheel drive vehicle. I think anyone living in a city that deals with 3 or more months of snow and ice each year is perfectly justified in getting all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive.

By: Aurie

Aurie — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:17:23 +0000

I can’t say that I will have the same car for over 15 years, but I can certainly say that I am looking forward to not having any car payments for a while. I am literally 2 months or 3 payroll deductions away from no car payments. I have an ’04 VW (bought 2 years ago) & an ’05 Civic (that I bought brand new). Back then, I didn’t know any better about buying new vs. used. Why do I have 2 cars? I gave one to my mom in order for her not to have a car payment. However, I won’t buy new again. I also look forward to not having to carry such high insurance in the state that notoriously has the highest avg. cost in the country.
I am essentially giving myself a raise during this recession by reducing eliminating debt which means increasing the disposable income that can be used for savings and paying off other debt.

By: Rachael

Rachael — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:24:09 +0000

My car was a 1991 Toyota Tercel, and after growing up with cars averaging around the 1985 mark, to me it was new and really cool. I paid $2000 for it, cash, and with the combination of smart driving and a stick I got amazing gas mileage averaging between 35 and 40mpg. I will never in my life buy a brand new car from a dealer, I see it as pointless when you can wait a few years and have the price drop dramatically. At some point in the future it is a financial goal of both my husband and I to save the money for a relatively new Jeep Wrangler, at that point I’d like to have another run about car like my old one for primary use and the truck would be reserved for fun days out, camping, and the like. My husband and I also are very against having car payments, when we purchase another car together we will wait, save, and pay in full.

By: m-

m- — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:56:50 +0000

I love My Old CARS!!! I’ve never had a problem with their reliability after the 90′s. There is something special about having something for an long time, really comfortable.

By: Shopping Golightly

Shopping Golightly — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:58:18 +0000

Oh Frugal Babe. You hit one of my biggest beefs with America, the ridiculous love of the automobile. A car is not only a monstrous expense and needs more physicals a year than a person; it’s a damn heavy thing to carry around a pain to find a place to park. I still can’t believe that we actually build houses (garages) for the silly things. And, we’ve gone from one to two to three garages attached to our homes. What’s the square footage of a three-car garage? If it’s 1,800 square feet, it’s on par with my home! I’d rather have a green house; it’d give me healthier produce.

The Golightlys were a one-car family for the first eight years of our marriage. While single, I lived in downtown Chicago and Boston and used public transportation and loved it. The company I worked for in Boston subsidized most my T Pass and I paid the remaining $11 a month that took me just about anywhere I wanted to go. I even applied for a pass that allowed me to take my bicycle on the commuter rails so I could go for weekend rides around beautiful places like Cape Ann. When I wanted to escape to Vermont or the Adirondacks, I rented a car for about the price of 1.5 parking tickets.

When I moved out west to Boulder, my new husband immediately made plans to get another car. I said no way and found a job in downtown Boulder and walked the half-mile to work, while he drove the 18 miles to work. When we moved to Denver, he took a 10-minute bus ride to his office downtown and was sold on public transportation. Then, we had to take another job 20 miles from home and we accepted a hand me down Geo from my father for husband to commute because I needed a car to shuttle the children.

I just paid one of our six-month insurance payments begrudgingly. I long for the days of being a one-car family again. As for now, we park our cars on the street of our urban neighborhood – it’s one of the best ways to meet your neighbors. The detached garage in the alley is a workshop, garden shed and hike house for all our camping gear.

We do have a Honda Pilot. Two reasons, I shuttle a lot of children around and we take the old fire roads and mining roads into the high country of Colorado to find pristine camping spots. I feel somewhat bad about driving and not packing in, but I can’t rightly put a 50-pound pack on a 54-pound eight-year-old and have her hike five miles uphill at a high altitude. She will someday though.

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:52:43 +0000

I bought my car new… in 1987. An Acura Integra. I have been driving it since then and it has never left me stranded either – and yes, the muffler has fallen off (I used an old power cord to tie mine back on – in fact it’s still like that a couple of years later). It’s “only” got about 180,000 miles on it since I often take public transit.

I’m hoping to never buy another car again. Instead we want to move close to a public transit hub which is also close to shopping. We want to be entirely car-free in a few years.