11 ms·

Sounds like you think its worth it but I would never spend hundreds of dollars a month in payments and insurance on something I don't use for months.

nwienert 6y ago
So you don’t have health insurance?
- kaesar14 6y ago
  I'm American so any questions about health insurance automatically are predisposed towards absurdity. But yeah, I do. I don't want to be stuck in a hospital with a multi thousand dollar medical bill for an emergency. The worst that would happen without me owning a car is needing to rent one on a moment's notice. Maybe there's the odd moment when I would need a car for a city-wide evacuation? Seems like that's such an exceptional case that I would not spend my money maintaining a car just to be prepared for it.
  - nwienert 6y ago
    Like another poster said it’s about 65/mo all in for a cheaper car, and personal preference is all that really matters.
bluGill 6y ago
That is the trade off you made. It might not be right for the next person. There are things you cannot do with a rental car (off road). There are times when you cannot get a rental car when you want it. If you have hundreds of dollars per months that you are not spending anyway it might be worth it. (though my yearly costs for my truck that I drive a few times a year are much less than $100/month - it is paid for years ago though)
Aaargh20318 6y ago
> I would never spend hundreds of dollars a month in payments and insurance on something I don't use for months Neither would I. I paid €2600 for my car (2007 Mitsubishi Colt), about 20 euros a month for insurance, and 26 a month in road tax.
- H8crilA 6y ago
  It's shocking to me how cheap used cars are (equivalently - how few people buy them). I am doing exactly the same thing as you. Bought a ~$3k old used car that is always there for me. I do use it more often, ever week or two, though. It is even more shocking to me that people would buy a car on credit (except when it has a business purpose, i.e. you can comfortably cover interest payments with the increase in revenue). You're not supposed to use credit for consumption!
  - WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
    $4,500 2005 Toyota Corolla here... I put 80,000 miles on it in 2 years... I think I got my money's worth.
  - ghaff 6y ago
    Low mileage/late model used cars can be relatively expensive. "Clunkers" can be quite cheap but it's a bit of a crap shoot. Donated my old high mileage 2nd car (fortunately) before the pandemic hit. For some new tires and a brake job it would probably have kept going for a few more years but, especially if you want to take longer drives, old vehicles inspire less and less faith and take more and more time.
    - H8crilA 6y ago
      You just buy a second "clunker" should problems happen. You have about 10 attempts before a breakeven :) It's kind of like shorting the market with OTM options. The eventual payout can easily cover years of "failures".
      - ghaff 6y ago
        All of those failures consume time and energy, possibly wasted vacation, missed work, uncomfortable situations, etc. I've had used cars but at this point I'm willing to pay a considerable premium for maximizing reliable transportation.
  - ed_balls 6y ago

nwienert 6y ago

So you don’t have health insurance?

kaesar14 6y ago
I'm American so any questions about health insurance automatically are predisposed towards absurdity. But yeah, I do. I don't want to be stuck in a hospital with a multi thousand dollar medical bill for an emergency. The worst that would happen without me owning a car is needing to rent one on a moment's notice. Maybe there's the odd moment when I would need a car for a city-wide evacuation? Seems like that's such an exceptional case that I would not spend my money maintaining a car just to be prepared for it.
- nwienert 6y ago
  Like another poster said it’s about 65/mo all in for a cheaper car, and personal preference is all that really matters.

bluGill 6y ago

That is the trade off you made. It might not be right for the next person. There are things you cannot do with a rental car (off road). There are times when you cannot get a rental car when you want it. If you have hundreds of dollars per months that you are not spending anyway it might be worth it. (though my yearly costs for my truck that I drive a few times a year are much less than $100/month - it is paid for years ago though)

Aaargh20318 6y ago

> I would never spend hundreds of dollars a month in payments and insurance on something I don't use for months Neither would I. I paid €2600 for my car (2007 Mitsubishi Colt), about 20 euros a month for insurance, and 26 a month in road tax.

H8crilA 6y ago
It's shocking to me how cheap used cars are (equivalently - how few people buy them). I am doing exactly the same thing as you. Bought a ~$3k old used car that is always there for me. I do use it more often, ever week or two, though. It is even more shocking to me that people would buy a car on credit (except when it has a business purpose, i.e. you can comfortably cover interest payments with the increase in revenue). You're not supposed to use credit for consumption!
- WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
  $4,500 2005 Toyota Corolla here... I put 80,000 miles on it in 2 years... I think I got my money's worth.
- ghaff 6y ago
  Low mileage/late model used cars can be relatively expensive. "Clunkers" can be quite cheap but it's a bit of a crap shoot. Donated my old high mileage 2nd car (fortunately) before the pandemic hit. For some new tires and a brake job it would probably have kept going for a few more years but, especially if you want to take longer drives, old vehicles inspire less and less faith and take more and more time.
  - H8crilA 6y ago
    You just buy a second "clunker" should problems happen. You have about 10 attempts before a breakeven :) It's kind of like shorting the market with OTM options. The eventual payout can easily cover years of "failures".
    - ghaff 6y ago
      All of those failures consume time and energy, possibly wasted vacation, missed work, uncomfortable situations, etc. I've had used cars but at this point I'm willing to pay a considerable premium for maximizing reliable transportation.
- ed_balls 6y ago