31st May 2015, 00:26
Our friends seem to have an awful lot of trouble with their Toyotas. My best friend had to replace the brake pads on his Corolla at only 60,000 miles. I don't have the patience to constantly have to give attention to our cars. Our GM is over twelve years old with over 140,000 miles and has cost me a total of $77 in repairs. The original brake pads still have well over 50 percent left on them. It has never had shocks, an alignment or any service to the transmission or A/C. It looks, runs and drives exactly like it did the day we bought it. That's why we buy American vehicles.
31st May 2015, 14:08
Here's a list of impractical items my family has with children.
Center Console fishing boat, a pair of jet skis, motocross bikes towed in an enclosed Wells Cargo trailer. We have a nice motocross park in the area. These are all transportation devices towed behind vehicles. Are they absolutely practical? No, but no one is complaining. The kids have high grade averages and no substance abuse issues. Better than boredom and sitting around being 100 percent practical. It's the same with a sports car. It's usually not the only mode of transportation in a family. They do have a back seat and a trunk for a grocery trip. Kids are handy when one of us gets back home to help carry it in.
There's a lot of people driving small sedans that still can fit bags in the small cars. If you squeeze every dime and make everything in life so regimented with practicality, you actually are missing out. Some people remain childless today as well. So drive a cool car. I had a relative work 3 jobs and they dropped dead at 56. Worked overtime every weekend and holiday if possible. Modest home, and very modest little cars. To me there's a balance in life. If you own one cool vehicle, enjoy it. We have expanded a bit more on it, but it's not bad. I would rather go thus direction than hand over all my savings one day to a nursing home. I am sure we are not alone on here with this opinion. I even enjoy taking a nice Sunday drive and waxing my cars vs being parked in front of a TV, vegging out.
1st Jun 2015, 02:54
I own a '55 Mercury. That is my "cool" car, and even though I don't seek it, it gets way, WAY more attention than a Mustang - vintage or new. Mustangs have been sold by the millions. If you've seen one you've seen them all. I paid $1,200 for the Mercury.
As far as enjoying life, well that's a matter of preference. People get cars like Civics, Cruzes, Focuses and Corollas because they provide no nonsense efficient transport. The last time I drove a Mustang it was a 2005 model for my wedding. It had a V6. Fun car, but even with the V6 I was getting 17 MPG. For a commuter mobile that's awful. I've heard the new ones are better. But I drive 80 miles a day to work and anything that gets under 40 MPG isn't going to cut it.
An advantage to not owning and buying lots of "toys" is that life's expenses can more quickly be paid off. Sure. I drive an old Toyota truck. But I also own a house near the ocean in California I bought 4 years ago for cash. Because I saved. Had I instead blown the money on sports cars I'd be left with aging, rapidly depreciating cars and possibly debt. Many Americans want that instant reward and hence go out and buy those cars.
I intend to retire by the time in 45. Buying new sports cars every few years would have negated that end goal...
1st Jun 2015, 11:43
I have a relative in Berkeley Ca. with a modest home at 1.6 mil. It isn't spectacular. And it's expensive just about everywhere. Your money goes right out the door. Anyone that can retire in California must have a killer job to retire at 45. And a spare grand a month for heath care insurance. Pulling 4 percent a year from your 401k is another feat. Or have a great trust. You may want to travel and do things. That takes money. If you can pull that off driving a 20 year old truck, it's some kind of feat. I started making a much higher income by my mid 40s. Paid my home off then and have driven great cars since. It's possible many on here have an economy car and a fun weekender without breaking the bank. They might have to wait a little while depending on where they live and overhead. But a little time and patience pays off. After age 50 plus insurance is really low, even on sports cars. There's quality of life to consider as well.
1st Jun 2015, 19:09
Is California expensive? Sure. But here it doesn't snow (unless you live in the mountains), it doesn't rain for 5-6 months out of the year (actually we need some more rain) and it's beautiful. I grew up in the rural South, and while I do miss the friendliness of the people there, I wouldn't trade that to move back there. I do in fact have a pretty good job. I could easily afford to buy the nice car of my choice, but that isn't in my value structure. As far as the truck, well sure - it's old and has racked up a ton of miles. But I'd have no problem driving it across country. I've done it a few times actually, and could do it again.
At the end of the day, buy what you want. If everyone drove the same cars and trucks it would be boring, wouldn't it? So there you have it. Choice and decision.
29th May 2015, 10:12
Most families with children have 2 cars. Unless divorced. We have always had a larger sedan or SUV.
My sports cars have rear seats. Look at how many Mustangs alone are sold. Should we go into import sports cars? I know plenty of families with sports cars with rear seats. We never had an issue, as when we both got home from work, we had at least 2 cars to use.
Now we have a Crossover. We had kids in sports cars. Never a problem. Now 2 out of 3 drive. Once they start driving, you rarely see them. I never wanted to be so old fashioned and everything impractical. We also have a pickup, mainly used at weekends. It is the best one to take grocery shopping if all our kids don't want to go anyway. They communicate and we pick it up. Maybe if it was a one car family, your theory would have merit.
Anyway, check how many Mustangs alone have been sold since 64. As far as I have been able to tell, they have been popular since day 1 with families. A great commuter car even to drop your wife or husband off on the way.
Life can be a lot of fun if you don't allow yourself to be so restricted. These cars are fun and the kids love them too. I don't put 6 footers in mine. By the time they are 6 foot, it's time for a used Civic or Corolla of their own. Or they ride in my wife's large car.