4 ms·
I'm in a similar spot. As enticing as a Tesla Model 3 Performance edition might be, my '00 civic with 220k miles, no heater, and a head gasket problem still get
by borkt 7y ago
I'm in a similar spot. As enticing as a Tesla Model 3 Performance edition might be, my '00 civic with 220k miles, no heater, and a head gasket problem still gets me to work every day, and I have all the cash I need to replace it the day it dies. My wife and I are in our early 30s and our mortgage payment is less than most of our friends pay to rent a single room because we worked and saved through college.
When I buy something nicer than I truly need for a hobby such as a Mountain Bike, I wait for a great price on a fixer-upper, perform the maintenance it needs, and enjoy it without getting attached, while at the same time putting it back up for sale at a higher price in case someone wants it more than I do. 9 times out of 10 the item will sell in a few months, and oddly enough I've met some incredibly interesting people who wanted properly restored items, such as a tie-dye founder whose been in business for over 50 years and an SVP at Cisco who's in charge of a product I had been using daily for years.
- addflip 7y agoWhile I'm pretty frugal myself I do splurge on cars; currently own the Model 3. The reason being is that safety technology is always improving. So driving an '00 Civic with 220k will save you some cheddar it may cost you a severe injury or worse.
- borkt 7y agoI'm not saying I don't want one (I rented a P100D on vacation and it was fantastic). Its just not the right decision for me to use as a commuter car despite how much my heart wants one, and I have to actively supress my desire to purchase one, but it does make me feel more fiscally responsible not to buy it. I also probably don't value safety as much as you. I have a twin turbo 300zx track car which I'll never sell and goes completely against everything I described above to be honest, so I'm a hypocrite regardless!
- achillesheels 7y agoModeration in everything :)
- downerending 7y agoIf you care about safety, don't overlook the effects of weight differential. Odysseys are quite safe, partly because they're pretty heavy.
- UncleOxidant 7y agoThe other advantage of 90s Hondas (and possibly also '00) is that they're so cheap to have fixed as opposed to how much you have to pay to get a newer car fixed. Parts are readily available and pretty darn cheap. I know a shade tree mechanic in the neighborhood and when I needed to get a new clutch master cylinder put in I ordered the parts off of Amazon for $20 and he did the job for $100. I probably could've done it myself, but for $100 it seemed like it would be better to have him do it as he does this kind of thing all the time.
- borkt 7y agoYep, I am one of those shade tree mechanics, the only way I can afford my financially irresponsible 300zx. Beware amazon parts however, my head gasket issue in the civic issue was caused by an "OEM" (pretty sure it was counterfeit in some way) water pump from amazon that failed in under a year.