5 ms·
I still think of a car as an investment, although you don't get your return from selling it. You get it from using it. Compare the depreciation + fuel + insur
by derekp7 5y ago
I still think of a car as an investment, although you don't get your return from selling it. You get it from using it. Compare the depreciation + fuel + insurance with the cost of a monthly train and bus pass and occasional cab/Uber when the train/bus doesn't take you to where you need to be.
And depending on locality, a car can get you to a better paying job (or a job period). So having the car brings you returns on your investment every paycheck. Well, the car + your time at the job + your time and expense in education that made you qualified for that job and pay level.
- emodendroket 5y agoBut if this standard is applied then we end up with (imo) facially silly arguments like "a sandwich is an investment because I need sustenance to live and if I stop living I cannot work."
- oldsecondhand 5y agoThat's operating expense not capital expense.
- NoSorryCannot 5y agoA lot of words can seem tortured if we try to make them work in some way they just don't. People don't usually say they will invest in something that will imminently be used up. It can be food, but only if you're going to hold onto it for a while, e.g. disaster prep. They do say things like "I decided to invest in a new suit." There is a rule here though I'm not sure what it is. Perhaps the etymology[1] is helpful (but also perhaps not and it's just misleading). Anyway, this usage isn't necessarily rendered invalid because some domain has a more specific and contradictory definition, much as botanical fruits don't make tomatoes any less of a vegetable in the kitchen. [1] https://www.etymonline.com/word/invest#etymonline_v_12190 https://www.etymonline.com/word/invest#etymonline_v_12190