After 4 years of city living we recently bought a SUV. It was purely emotional and just like the author mentioned the numbers don't work out. But I wanted to tr

After 4 years of city living we recently bought a SUV. It was purely emotional and just like the author mentioned the numbers don't work out. But I wanted to treat myself after years car-free living. Since COVID lockdown has started I would say public transportation in my city has become more reliable, and free. Given this change and more time working from home I have even less need of a car. All this free time at home had me thinking of roadtrips, boon docking, overlanding, and camping. So I bought a European 4WD SUV. Basically a money pit in fuel, maintenance, parts and reliability. Financially, it doesn't make sense. But all the money I didn't pay in car loans, maintenance, fuel, and tolls went to saving for a car I truly wanted. For me, buying a car makes as much sense as buying a gaming PC. It should be something you really want and willing to spend money on. If you need a car for work, get the cheapest one you can and factor the mileage into your salary. I've turned down many offers with small pay bumps simply because the expense of the commute made the salary bump a net negative.