Your Responsible/Irresponsible Car Choice?

"CB" (jrcb) 08/14/2014 at 15:18 • Filed to: Hypothetical

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We've all done it: been looking for a car to meet our needs, and bingo, one shows up. It's the perfect car for you. You can almost justify buying it.

Except for one or two things.

It could be the amount of power. It could be the trunk size. It could cost more than the Vatican. It could be anything. So Oppo, I pose a question: what car would almost be a responsible car choice for you, except for the one or two things pushing it into irresponsibility?

For me, it would be the Volvo V60 Polestar. It's a five seater and a wagon, which is good for moving people and things around. It's got all those fancy safety systems, which would be good as a young driver who has an over-concerned mother. It's got all-wheel drive, which is great considering I live in a place where the snow would cripple any other city, but not this one. However, it probably has a smidge too much power, and costs somewhere around $70,000. Almost perfect, but not quite.

(Photo Courtesy of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

Reigntastic > CB 08/14/2014 at 15:22

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Corvette C6 is right about there for me. Totally acceptable MPG on the highway for my commute, I'm a bachelor so I don't care about hauling children, and the hatch gives enough leeway for most errands.

One tire costs as much as 4 tires for my current car, and the insurance would make me want to hurt myself as a 20y/o male. Payment is totally affordable otherwise.

TheCraigy > Reigntastic 08/14/2014 at 15:27

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Is the insurance actually that bad? Corvettes tend to be old guy cars and thus carry old guy rates, unlike Camaro, Civic Si, WRX, 350Z, etc.

With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > CB 08/14/2014 at 15:32

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It's great when your starting point is somewhat impractical to begin with. I have 5 kids. I drive a Miata. (My wife and I also have a van and a station wagon.) So when I see something come along on Craigslist like a Myers Manx, I can justify it as having double the seats of my current car, so it's SUPER PRACTICAL!

cazzyodo > CB 08/14/2014 at 15:35

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I went through a similar thought process for my FoST...but it checked all the boxes.

My issue isn't so much irresponsible as unnecessary. I want a truck and would love one of the mid-sized ones that will be popping up in the next couple years but I don't have a house for yard work and such and I currently don't need something like it. I couldn't justify a pickup truck no matter how much I want one.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > TheCraigy 08/14/2014 at 15:40

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Insurance always factors the drivers age and car into the price...which is another reason you always see old guys driving sports cars. Sure, I could have afforded the sports car of my choice at a younger age, but the insurance would have left me a pauper.

Reigntastic > TheCraigy 08/14/2014 at 15:41

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Not as bad as I would have thought. For collision it would be 120/mo, for full coverage over 400. I pay 80/mo for my MR2.

Progressive, who I've had a policy with for multiple years, and haven't had any claims.

NateCorrales > CB 08/14/2014 at 15:42

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A V10 M3 Wagon. theres a tuning company that makes it. I forgot who tho.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > CB 08/14/2014 at 15:43

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FoST, too much a month at this point and it's an extra $4,000 just so I could have heated seats. They're necessary for an Upstate NY winter. But it gets good mileage, lots of room for stuff, back seats, hatch back, Ford.

Alfalfa > CB 08/14/2014 at 15:48

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Dodge Magnum. Wagon, hemi, and RWD which isn't ideal for Utah, but I could manage with winter tires. The big problem is that it can't into manual. I'm not as manual purist as many here, but I would really like one on a RWD 300hp hemi beast.

TheCraigy > Reigntastic 08/14/2014 at 15:50

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For what it's worth, Progressive is traditionally a high-risk insurer, and carries higher rates. It might be worth a phone call to State Farm, Geico, or if you're eligible, USAA.

Reigntastic > TheCraigy 08/14/2014 at 15:52

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Oddly enough, all of the above gave me worse quotes on insurance, both when I started paying for it at 18, and when I renewed my insurance at the beginning of this year. By a wide margin.

TheCraigy > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 08/14/2014 at 15:54

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Right... but there are two independent factors... driver's risk, and vehicle risk. If you are a young guy with an accident history, it's going to be expensive to insure a buick lesabre. A Corvette is typically a low-risk vehicle due to low claims made. The biggest reason a newer Vette will be more expensive than other cars to insure is due to its price, not performance ability. When I was 16, I got a quote on just about everything, and it would have been cheaper to insure me on a Viper or Corvette than a Nissan Z or Honda Prelude.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > TheCraigy 08/14/2014 at 15:55

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Are you in the US?

TheCraigy > Reigntastic 08/14/2014 at 15:57

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Yeah that is surprising. Here I ended up with farm bureau, since state farm was high when I went to get my own policy. USAA isn't writing auto in my area so I haven't ever gotten a quote from them, just heard by word of mouth that they're among the cheapest.

gawdzillla > CB 08/14/2014 at 15:57

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mazdaspeed 3

missing: AWD

i ended up with a saabaru

TheCraigy > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 08/14/2014 at 15:58

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Yeah, so everything I say is probably irrelevant for you. :)

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > TheCraigy 08/14/2014 at 16:07

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No I'm here. A lot of it also has to do with sex based actuarial tables. Young men statistically get into more accidents no matter what their personal history, thus the higher rates no matter what car you are looking to insure.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > CB 08/14/2014 at 16:08

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While I'm pretty darn happy with my Crosstrek, its not the vehicle that is 100% what I want.

I really wanted a CR-Z (yes, really). But two things stopped that. One, my wife does not drive manual and profusely refuses to learn, and I have five real sized dogs. Not dogs the size of a cat. So, the Honda really doesn't fit what I need it for.

Reigntastic > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 08/14/2014 at 16:24

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I paid 150 a month for liability on my MR2 for a year before I got a break. I literally paid almost a third of the value of the car at the time just so I could drive around for a year and not get in any accidents. Shit should be illegal, statistics are great but regardless ageist.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > CB 08/14/2014 at 18:14

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My GLI! :D
it's too expensive for me (16 year old) It's probably too fast for me (see previous brackets) and I'm too in love with it!

Mark - Sixpots None The Richer > CB 08/15/2014 at 08:50

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BMW E34 wagon with any of the V6 engines.

Yes, I can buy one. Yes I'm able to afford the maintainance. And although it'd be deeply frustrating everytime I have to visit the gas station, I'd be able to fill her up - here in Germany - too because I'd only be driving a reasonable amount of miles per year.

I want one badly, and yet it's simply irresponsible for my income.

Or is it? I don't know...