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Once my car battery died, and I panicked. I don't work on cars, I literally had no idea how to even jump it. I had to watch a YouTube video, and get instruction

Once my car battery died, and I panicked. I don't work on cars, I literally had no idea how to even jump it. I had to watch a YouTube video, and get instructions from a local auto mechanic. I was basically stuck in a car lease, and I have left my car sitting for about a month or so, only needing to move it to avoid a street cleaning ticket. Not everyone is comfortable working on a car, and if you don't know what you're doing, this is extremely dangerous. For example, let's say you're not aware to never only support a car with a jack, if your jack slips, that could be the end. I wouldn't call someone stupid for not wanting to take the risk of their $1,000 estate sell find stalling in the middle of the highway. Plus let's just say you're poor poor. When I was much younger, I understood I could not afford both car expenses and rent. Luckily I was in a relatively transit friendly part of Los Angeles. So my 80$ a month bus pass did just fine. Even if someone just gives you a car for free, you're going to spend at least $300 a month between gas and insurance in most places. If your incomes only $2,000, that extra $220 is going to hurt

pengaru 5y ago
I'm not saying cars cost nothing, they obviously cost some money to own and operate - but what they deliver in return is far greater than what they cost, especially on the dirt-cheap beater end! In a former life back in IL I taught my GF at the time how to drive stick in a $250 Mazda 323 before even registering or insuring the thing. She then proceeded to drive this car to/from work and around town for a year before the engine and trans literally fell out of it (rust belt). The income from the job she drove to far exceeded the cost of the car. She took some safety risk driving a rust bucket, but you have to make compromises when you're resource constrained. When I relocated from IL to CA for work I did it in a $500 Ford Ranger. This vehicle served as the bootstrap of a major life relocation. Eventually its brake line burst (rust belt), but that was long after the relocation was over and I was sitting pretty with other CA rust-free used vehicles already, with the truck mostly sitting around for hauling things. From where I'm sitting used cars are absolutely amazing tools and their exceptionally cheap widespread availability in the USA is a feature not a flaw. Take advantage of it, get over your fears of getting your hands dirty or suffering some injury - you're smart enough to do it. But it doesn't matter how smart you are if you panic and shy away from the unfamiliar.
- 999900000999 5y ago
  I'm glad that buying used cars has worked so well for you, but that's just not what a lot of people do. https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/research/auto-loan-debt-study/ https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/research/auto-lo... This is more of a structural problem with how we set our cities up. There's no reason we shouldn't have quality public transportation, along with much denser cities. There's so much space just dedicated to parking, which could all be reallocated if we had better transit. This doesn't even go into the needs of those medically unable to drive. Then again, where is this magical place where you're finding cheap quality cars. I've only lived in expensive cities, so maybe I'm missing context
  - pengaru 5y ago
    > Then again, where is this magical place where you're finding cheap quality cars. These weren't quality cars; they were rust-buckets, I thought that was made clear. You have to compromise when you lack money, there's no free lunch here. > I've only lived in expensive cities, so maybe I'm missing context Poor people living in expensive places are self-inflicting suffering, and ironically for this discussion acquiring a dirt cheap car they can comfortably sleep in ASAP and escaping the expensive city is arguably the best way out.

pengaru 5y ago

I'm not saying cars cost nothing, they obviously cost some money to own and operate - but what they deliver in return is far greater than what they cost, especially on the dirt-cheap beater end! In a former life back in IL I taught my GF at the time how to drive stick in a $250 Mazda 323 before even registering or insuring the thing. She then proceeded to drive this car to/from work and around town for a year before the engine and trans literally fell out of it (rust belt). The income from the job she drove to far exceeded the cost of the car. She took some safety risk driving a rust bucket, but you have to make compromises when you're resource constrained. When I relocated from IL to CA for work I did it in a $500 Ford Ranger. This vehicle served as the bootstrap of a major life relocation. Eventually its brake line burst (rust belt), but that was long after the relocation was over and I was sitting pretty with other CA rust-free used vehicles already, with the truck mostly sitting around for hauling things. From where I'm sitting used cars are absolutely amazing tools and their exceptionally cheap widespread availability in the USA is a feature not a flaw. Take advantage of it, get over your fears of getting your hands dirty or suffering some injury - you're smart enough to do it. But it doesn't matter how smart you are if you panic and shy away from the unfamiliar.

999900000999 5y ago
I'm glad that buying used cars has worked so well for you, but that's just not what a lot of people do. https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/research/auto-loan-debt-study/ https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/research/auto-lo... This is more of a structural problem with how we set our cities up. There's no reason we shouldn't have quality public transportation, along with much denser cities. There's so much space just dedicated to parking, which could all be reallocated if we had better transit. This doesn't even go into the needs of those medically unable to drive. Then again, where is this magical place where you're finding cheap quality cars. I've only lived in expensive cities, so maybe I'm missing context
- pengaru 5y ago
  > Then again, where is this magical place where you're finding cheap quality cars. These weren't quality cars; they were rust-buckets, I thought that was made clear. You have to compromise when you lack money, there's no free lunch here. > I've only lived in expensive cities, so maybe I'm missing context Poor people living in expensive places are self-inflicting suffering, and ironically for this discussion acquiring a dirt cheap car they can comfortably sleep in ASAP and escaping the expensive city is arguably the best way out.