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Oh, I read that quote the opposite way (wrongly, I think now) – > > There's an incredible amount of value in simply not worrying if your car will run when you

by OJFord 20d ago

Oh, I read that quote the opposite way (wrongly, I think now) – > > There's an incredible amount of value in simply not worrying if your car will run when you need it to. > True, being able to know for sure you can get to work (or wherever important) is a huge peace of mind. If you don't worry about it not because you trust it, but because you just think you'll take it as it comes and don't particularly care if it doesn't start one day, there's also a lot of value in that you could save a lot on used prices and servicing!

therealpygon 20d ago
While I have always tried to live my life by your assumed philosophy, I think they were simply saying that since (on average) a more expensive vehicle often means a more mechanically sound vehicle less likely to break down. It’s not just the peace in being less likely to have to deal with that situation, it is the stress when it occurs. If you have to buy a $1000 car, you aren’t likely to have savings sitting around available to you to fix your vehicle when something needs replacement every month or two. Knowing that entire situation is constantly looming is just another slice of the high background stress pie. Newer (more expensive) vehicles will tend to have more wear left on operational parts, so they tend to have less mechanical breakdowns and less parts that need be replaced. Many are the breakdowns that “could” happen with any vehicle, but a lot more are just parts wearing out from age; brakes here, CVs there, gas pump one day, a battery another. They all add up quickly, especially for someone who can’t fix their own car (a single mother of two just trying to get to her jobs, for example), especially when it not only costs you money, you may not even get paid because you couldn’t make it to work and had to call out (and if you’re lucky, don’t get fired because it has happened too much). That entire situation isn’t stress that you can just casually ignore — or at least, that was my experience while being poor.
- jjav 20d ago
  > to fix your vehicle when something needs replacement every month or two You'd have to be spectacularly unlucky for that, many sigmas away from the bell curve of average car experience. Having owned lots of older cars, typically repairs are once every few years and are pretty cheap. If you do get unlucky and blow an engine or similarly high cost repair, sell it for parts and buy another cheap car.

by OJFord 20d ago

therealpygon 20d ago

While I have always tried to live my life by your assumed philosophy, I think they were simply saying that since (on average) a more expensive vehicle often means a more mechanically sound vehicle less likely to break down. It’s not just the peace in being less likely to have to deal with that situation, it is the stress when it occurs. If you have to buy a $1000 car, you aren’t likely to have savings sitting around available to you to fix your vehicle when something needs replacement every month or two. Knowing that entire situation is constantly looming is just another slice of the high background stress pie. Newer (more expensive) vehicles will tend to have more wear left on operational parts, so they tend to have less mechanical breakdowns and less parts that need be replaced. Many are the breakdowns that “could” happen with any vehicle, but a lot more are just parts wearing out from age; brakes here, CVs there, gas pump one day, a battery another. They all add up quickly, especially for someone who can’t fix their own car (a single mother of two just trying to get to her jobs, for example), especially when it not only costs you money, you may not even get paid because you couldn’t make it to work and had to call out (and if you’re lucky, don’t get fired because it has happened too much). That entire situation isn’t stress that you can just casually ignore — or at least, that was my experience while being poor.

jjav 20d ago
> to fix your vehicle when something needs replacement every month or two You'd have to be spectacularly unlucky for that, many sigmas away from the bell curve of average car experience. Having owned lots of older cars, typically repairs are once every few years and are pretty cheap. If you do get unlucky and blow an engine or similarly high cost repair, sell it for parts and buy another cheap car.