2nd Jan 2020, 21:16
That's why I have a difficult time believing the author of this review states that they see a "ton" of the first generation Prius on the road. Yeah they are built to drive and commute, which means most if not all of the first gens. left have many miles on them. With that comes a battery replacement (and it does happen) and nobody is going to spend that kind of money on a older Prius that is worth $1500-$2000 ($2500 in top condition). I live in a heavy traffic area in the US that involves I-95 along with other major highways, and see a lot of current generation but never any first generation.
4th Jan 2020, 14:51
So what’s the point keeping vehicles that become worthless. Sell sooner and get rid of them.
6th Jan 2020, 19:03
An update: now the other tail light is leaking water. Started doing it as soon as I replaced the other one that was cracked. You know... You'd think something as simple as a tail light could be made to actually seal out water... So it's off to buy yet another one of these lights.
And yes - I see tons of first generation Priuses, and if some don't believe me, then they can feel free to drive out here to California and see for themselves.
As far as trading it in... Why? It's paid for. Doesn't it occur to anyone that constantly trading in cars for new ones is a very costly habit? This attitude seems prevalent in the US, which probably explains why the level of household debt is at record highs.
And as far as Audis... No thanks. Most German cars have at best mediocre to often pretty terrible reliability issues. I'd say around half of those I know who've bought VWs, BMWs, Audis etc had pretty serious issues with them. These days they seem to be for people who merely lease them for a few years, or long enough before they start falling apart.
6th Jan 2020, 23:09
Or buying new batteries and finding out the flashlight has both a broken switch and burned out bulb.
7th Jan 2020, 18:20
All wrong; pay cash for cars. No debt. No leases. Funny thing, you have a bulb problem and tell Audi owners they should sell over bulb problems. Where does the money come from? Not living in California. We have invested though in tech companies. Stocks buy ours. Thank you Apple! Alphabet, T Merck, Chevron, Dominion, Microsoft etc. for the new wheels! Great year.
10th Jan 2020, 02:04
Well, if you're paying cash for cars then you're still paying cash unnecessarily versus simply keeping the car longer and repairing them as needed. And kudos for you for investing in stocks. I've done exactly the same thing. In fact I'll probably be able to retire by the time I'm 50. And living in California has been swell. House paid for, and I work in the high-tech industry and thus make a fairly good income to start with. Plus I don't have to put up with the dreadful weather that most people in the country deal with either.
Enjoy your Audis. And make sure to trade them in and pay cash whenever they break because apparently that's the best thing to do.
10th Jan 2020, 20:44
The average brand new car costs about $40,000 dollars. Comment 18:20 acts as though the typical buyer has that amount in their back pocket to pay cash on the spot for something that will depreciate by 20% the second it leaves the lot.
11th Jan 2020, 00:26
Will do and thanks. Apple stock gains the past week will put me in the driver's seat. Here’s a neat quote.
“Making the first million is hard, the second is inevitable".
Don’t retire at 50 with a nice day job. It’s not a waste of money to enjoy what you like. And why fret over a car. Enjoy it.
11th Jan 2020, 19:31
Yes, pay cash on the spot and keep til the warranty expires or around 50,000 miles. Buy a 1 year old car, then negotiate hard. Say 32k now. Your cash outlay is divided by the number of years you keep it. Take out a 15 year mortgage and pay your home off. Then start buying a new car after this way. You ought to be able to buy your $40k car saving money up every 36-48 months with no mortgage going on. You use your former mortgage payment savings for the next car (plus trade the last car). Or keep a really low rate mortgage rate (say 4% or less) and invest your main earnings into higher stock dividend %. Or sell some stock that shot up, especially over the past year. I use TD Ameritrade with no commission or fees.
Most homes today have 2 earners as well. We haven’t had a mortgage payment since 2000. No credit card debt ever. And don’t drive cars that may or may not keep going high mileage with high repairs. You have typically few issues under 50,000 miles and there’s a warranty. The whole key is paying your house off fast. You’d be surprised taking that one element away what it does. Then you have only utilities and property taxes. An average person can buy this way. I’m buying my cars now from stock gains only.
14th Jan 2020, 00:50
You only have to turn 50 to retire; we didn’t. You must have done the 15 year mortgage. And I will give you credit for that smart move. That’s what we did too. My first house I bought when I was 24. Bought 2 more by 33. Flipped 2 rentals, still had some owed and bought a Beach house that brings in 5k a week in the summer months if we feel like renting it. Hot market with appreciation. Then buy cars you like.
14th Jan 2020, 05:49
This is some rather hilarious advice. Yes - what a great idea. People should go out and buy a car every 2-3 years for cash. It doesn't matter if you can afford it: if you're doing this you're simply blowing 10's of 1000's of dollars more over the short AND long term.
Buy a slightly used car every 3 years at let's see what? $25-$35k? Depending on the car and ESPECIALLY if it's European or American it's going to lose roughly 50%+ of its value before trading in for the next car... that means what? A loss of $12.5k-$17.5k every 3 years? That's a $52,000 cost in less than 10 years.
So what does that mean since we're talking finance and investment? It means over the long term a person doing the whole trade in every few years thing is in turn merely throwing money away that could have otherwise been invested. Basically it's a bad idea to throw money away at such an unnecessarily frequent interval on a massively depreciating asset that has no future potential to ever recoup the outlay of cash invested in it.
And BTW, day trading is for amateurs. Get a financial advisor.
2nd Jan 2020, 17:32
I can’t get past the styling. Imagine having a 3-5 year car payment and looking at it everyday. But again it’s individual choice. So buy exactly what you like and be happy. My daughter has an Audi A6 and is now trading for a new Q5 because of my 2 year old grandson's stroller etc. Ours needed bulbs fairly often. That’s it. Seats on the new Q5 are too firm in my opinion and I don’t like the shift lever. Paddle shifters in a crossover aren’t really necessary. I spoke of the negatives, but didn’t share info with her as she likes the line. Just like the Toyota guy sold on his brand. I look at many brands before buying. And like reading the complaints before I have any later myself. The manufacturers do not pay for our new cars. We do. It’s our money. Not theirs.