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In personal life, I do the something similar, actually. I have a state-of-the-art digital camera circa 2012, a state-of-the-art camcorder circa 2011, and simila

In personal life, I do the something similar, actually. I have a state-of-the-art digital camera circa 2012, a state-of-the-art camcorder circa 2011, and similar. I'm always around five years behind the tech curve. The cost is often 1/2 to 1/10th, and I'm not sure I lose anything by being five years behind in terms of happiness or much of anything else. As with anything, there are exceptions. My phone needs security updates, and 4k displays make me more productive at work, so there were places I bought the latest-and-greatest. And when I need to develop for a platform, well, I get that platform. But for personal life? A used iPod touch 4th gen sells for $20 on eBay. XBox 360 can be had for around $40. Exceptionally nice digital cameras from a decade ago -- workhorses professional photographers used -- can be found for around $200. The way I figure, I just behave as if I were born five years earlier. I use the same technology at age 25 as was available at age 20.

reallydontask 7y ago
It's certainly a novel approach in this era where everybody seems to want to have the latest and greatest.
matwood 7y ago
> I have a state-of-the-art digital camera circa 2012 This is a good strategy for anything with a high/quick depreciation curve. My DSLR body is pretty old now, but still works great (a D7100). The tech in bodies changes quickly so even waiting just a short period of time can save significant money. Spend money on lenses instead which hold their value and typically can be used across many bodies. Cars are similar. My truck is a 2011, and I have no plans to buy a new used one anytime soon.
- dancek 7y ago
  Agreed on camera bodies and lenses, but in my view a 2011 car is still quite new. I guess this depends on the country, taxation etc. IMHO it makes sense to buy a used car at about 300 thousand kilometers. At that point it's cheap, it's already had a bunch of expensive parts replaced, and if it's survived this long it has a high chance of going another hundred thousand (given proper service, obviously). Of course another point of view is that getting a car serviced is stressful, so it's best to buy new. But then it's even less stressful to mostly ride a bike and use a taxi or rental car when needed.

reallydontask 7y ago

It's certainly a novel approach in this era where everybody seems to want to have the latest and greatest.

matwood 7y ago

> I have a state-of-the-art digital camera circa 2012 This is a good strategy for anything with a high/quick depreciation curve. My DSLR body is pretty old now, but still works great (a D7100). The tech in bodies changes quickly so even waiting just a short period of time can save significant money. Spend money on lenses instead which hold their value and typically can be used across many bodies. Cars are similar. My truck is a 2011, and I have no plans to buy a new used one anytime soon.

dancek 7y ago
Agreed on camera bodies and lenses, but in my view a 2011 car is still quite new. I guess this depends on the country, taxation etc. IMHO it makes sense to buy a used car at about 300 thousand kilometers. At that point it's cheap, it's already had a bunch of expensive parts replaced, and if it's survived this long it has a high chance of going another hundred thousand (given proper service, obviously). Of course another point of view is that getting a car serviced is stressful, so it's best to buy new. But then it's even less stressful to mostly ride a bike and use a taxi or rental car when needed.