3 ms·

You don't need to pay to fill up your phone with gasoline

by djent 10y ago

grecy 10y ago
You do pay to fill it with a data plan, music, movies, apps, etc. Then you probably have to buy a case, screen protector, headphones, etc.
- probably_wrong 10y ago
  Case, screen protector, headphones: they are all one-time costs. If you factor them into the cost of the phone, it's still way cheaper than your car's first payment. A data plan may perhaps equal the monthly amount of gas a car needs. But then you have insurance, maintenance, and parking. Overall, we are talking an order of magnitude of difference. Unless you really need a car, like some of the commenters do, a car is truly a money sink. Car manufacturers seem to keep missing this point, which I honestly find surprising.
- amyjess 10y ago
  I'd argue that the presence of so many money sinks is why a lot of us don't own cars. Why spend money on a car when I can spend it on a laptop, smartphone, music, movies, apps, case, screen protector, headphones... and I spend money on a whole bunch of other hobby-related things besides those. Really, what kind of money sinks did my parents have when they were in their 20s and 30s in the '60s and '70s? Video games weren't a thing, home video wasn't a thing, personal computers weren't a thing, cell phones weren't a thing (some of these existed in the late '70s, but they were extreme niche products the general public didn't know or care about). About the only consumer electronics that were around were TV, radio, records, and consumer audio/visual technology didn't constantly evolve like it does now: if you had a color TV and a stereo system (record player, radio, speakers), you never had to upgrade, and they were built like rocks and lasted forever. The only media you could buy were records and books. So that's it: you'd buy one TV and stereo system your whole life, you'd have a record collection and a bookshelf, and you had a pile of money left over. Why not put that into a car? See also: mortgages and expensive classy furniture, neither of which are particularly popular among Millennials either.

You don't need to pay to fill up your phone with gasoline

by djent 10y ago

You don't need to pay to fill up your phone with gasoline

grecy 10y ago

You do pay to fill it with a data plan, music, movies, apps, etc. Then you probably have to buy a case, screen protector, headphones, etc.

probably_wrong 10y ago
Case, screen protector, headphones: they are all one-time costs. If you factor them into the cost of the phone, it's still way cheaper than your car's first payment. A data plan may perhaps equal the monthly amount of gas a car needs. But then you have insurance, maintenance, and parking. Overall, we are talking an order of magnitude of difference. Unless you really need a car, like some of the commenters do, a car is truly a money sink. Car manufacturers seem to keep missing this point, which I honestly find surprising.
amyjess 10y ago
I'd argue that the presence of so many money sinks is why a lot of us don't own cars. Why spend money on a car when I can spend it on a laptop, smartphone, music, movies, apps, case, screen protector, headphones... and I spend money on a whole bunch of other hobby-related things besides those. Really, what kind of money sinks did my parents have when they were in their 20s and 30s in the '60s and '70s? Video games weren't a thing, home video wasn't a thing, personal computers weren't a thing, cell phones weren't a thing (some of these existed in the late '70s, but they were extreme niche products the general public didn't know or care about). About the only consumer electronics that were around were TV, radio, records, and consumer audio/visual technology didn't constantly evolve like it does now: if you had a color TV and a stereo system (record player, radio, speakers), you never had to upgrade, and they were built like rocks and lasted forever. The only media you could buy were records and books. So that's it: you'd buy one TV and stereo system your whole life, you'd have a record collection and a bookshelf, and you had a pile of money left over. Why not put that into a car? See also: mortgages and expensive classy furniture, neither of which are particularly popular among Millennials either.