I cannot seem to surpass the mental hurdle of having a car payment.

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck) 07/04/2020 at 22:18 • Filed to: Oh yeah. He's been drinking.

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So, no friends, family, or party on this Independence Day and my wife is working. So I’m kind of relaxing (see the beer), but mostly troubling myself with tasks anyway.

I ran out of yardwork to do, so now I’m jotting down my next parts run for the fleet. Nothing major, nothing interesting. Nothing expensive.

And yet, I cringe at the list because it requires me to spend money. It costs mere hundreds of dollars a year to maintain a old pickup and a less-old hatchback. Of course they have no modern features... And dubious safety. Even with the misadventures with my wife’s car, I did everything myself and spent $370.22 on parts.

I was browsing last night for various vehicles I want but will never buy. The “average” car payment in the US is allegedly $550.00 or something like that. I’d like to think that $300 is modest to the average person and probably my hard line. As you well know, $300 doesn’t get very far these days.

So it’s like... Imagining financing and car out of warranty, pushing or exceeding 100,000 miles, and paying for various repairs out of pocket as you go... Brutal! Even though it’s not really all that much money at all! I really am my father’s son.

Part 2 of my rant: used trucks, even crappy ones, ones that are known to explode, ones that are even sawed in half, are commanding way too much gosh darn money. But then you look at how much it costs to buy new and you just want to jump off a cliff.

But one day... One day I’ll get a vehicle  made within the last decade. You’ll see. You’ll ALL see.

Beautiful day, tho

smobgirl > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 22:29

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I cannot fathom paying $550/month for anything less crucial than housing. I couldn’t take that even making $30k more than I make now. Especially knowing how much repairs would cost. I mean  shit, it would be more fun to buy a $500 car every month on Craigslist and just drive it until it either exploded or you scrap it in 4 weeks. 

WilliamsSW > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 22:33

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SURE IT'S YOUR HANDWRITING AND BEER AND YARD BUT HOW DO WE KNOW SOME PHOTOGRAPHER DIDN’T TAKE THE PICTURES AND COPYRIGHT THEM SO THEY COULD SUE THE HERBS 

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > smobgirl 07/04/2020 at 22:36

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The only reason I never went down that road is that WA will make you pay through the nose every time you buy a car: title, registration, and plates 

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 22:36

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Aye, I hear you. I can’t justify buying even a new-to-me (used) car until it becomes no longer economically viable to run my current one. I really would like a plug in hybrid or full EV, but I can’t justify it when I’m still paying off my house, and my car ( mostly) works fine.  In theory, I'm sure I could afford it, but I just can't mentally bring myself to do it. 

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 22:37

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Oh, and sales tax!

RallyWrench > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 22:41

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See, what you do is, you get a low interest $150 /mo personal loan from the local credit union and buy a 9 year old Toyota (made in the last decade, see?) that’s just crossed 100k miles and has had all that important maintenance done. It will then give you another 100k over the next 5 years for next to nothing. See: my 2005 Sienna . Tacomas don’t count because 10 year old 200 k mile trucks cost as much as new ones for some reason. 

sony1492 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 22:42

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“ Imagining financing and car out of warranty, pushing or exceeding 100,000 miles, and paying for various repairs out of pocket as you go”

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > sony1492 07/04/2020 at 22:43

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You're ahead of the curve because you don't even have to imagine!

jminer > smobgirl 07/04/2020 at 22:45

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We bought a car 2 years ago now with a car payment about $460 but that’s a $26k used car on a 5 year loan with a low rate. Cars have gotten stupid expensive and it breaks my brain when shopping for a newish car.

Also the car was my wife’s hybrid RAV4 so it’ll likely outlive us both so I’m more okay with paying that much.

Kiltedpadre > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 22:45

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I can’t even fathom $550/month. We temporarily have two car payments and pay less than that. One of those cars is for sale so hopefully it won’t be long till that madness ends.

Heck, I’m stressing over the money I’m planning on spending on maintenance I’m doing myself. I can’t imagine if I were paying someone to do it.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > RallyWrench 07/04/2020 at 22:46

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That’s kind of what I did before. My  wife’s car was 7 years old at the time we bought it, but I paid cash.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Kiltedpadre 07/04/2020 at 22:47

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Neither can I!

[Looks at Lexus of Seattle invoices]

Noooooooooooo!

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > sony1492 07/04/2020 at 22:53

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^ same 

PS9 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 22:57

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As you well know, $300 doesn’t get very far these days

Whaddya talkin about? $1200 is good for like 10 weeks, so 300 should get you through almost half a month! /s

smobgirl > jminer 07/04/2020 at 23:03

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The Civic my neighbor bought from me for $500 is definitely going to outlive me.

fintail > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 23:05

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300/month is similar to many Tacoma lease offers, and that’s for TRD suburban outdoorsman editions.

Back in my fintail and 126 days, I’d scoff at new car prices and payments.  Now I think that  payments are like a low level drug addiction. The seem weird and terrible when you don’t have one, but once hooked, they just become background noise.   Oh well, hearses don’t have luggage racks.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 23:05

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“One day I’ll get a vehicle made within the last decade”

So in ten years you’ll buy something made in 2010?

The Snowman > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 23:08

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What’s interesting is when we financed the Crosstrek it was a higher rate for a three year loan than a seven. It made no sense. It was also strange that we were better off financing a larger amount and then just paying off a big chunk. Incentives for bad decisions are the worst.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > The Snowman 07/04/2020 at 23:10

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They don’t want to incentivise fiscal responsibility!

Dr_Watson > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 23:11

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Looks at car note.... I won't even tell you what it is to save the bypass surgery.

jminer > smobgirl 07/04/2020 at 23:25

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In the rust belt anything that’s only $500 already has one foot in the junkyard. That plus emissions and safety inspections means nothing less than a few thousand buckaroos generally gets plates here.

Kiltedpadre > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/04/2020 at 23:27

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Yep, there’s a few things I’ve looked at as far as maintenance on the van we bought my wife that I know we’ll end out farming out. Apparently a spark plug change requires removing the intake. I’m sure I could do it, but I’m not sure I want to.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Kiltedpadre 07/04/2020 at 23:30

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Transverse V6s are the devil!

DipodomysDeserti > jminer 07/04/2020 at 23:32

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Even in Arizona, $500 isn’t getting you shit. Certainly not anything running. Or even anything completely intact. Cheapest vehicle I’ve bought in the last decade was a ‘92 Loyale with a serious knock for $800. Fixed the knock, drove it for a few years and sold it for $2,500. Any running, non stolen Civic will easily fetch at least  $1k.

DipodomysDeserti > RallyWrench 07/04/2020 at 23:33

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That’s why baby Jesus gave us Tundras. I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!

DipodomysDeserti > fintail 07/04/2020 at 23:40

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This is true. I’ve been whispering to the good doctor for years not to finance a vehicle.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Kiltedpadre 07/04/2020 at 23:47

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I’m in this comment and I don’t like it 

Kiltedpadre > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) 07/04/2020 at 23:58

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Perhaps we need a support group.

Wait a minute; we’re already there!!

Hi my name is kiltedpadre and I constantly looks at cars I won’t buy because debt gives me the willys.

RallyWrench > DipodomysDeserti 07/05/2020 at 00:04

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Ding ding ding! I’m pretty close to having a 2wd Tundra  myself, for chump change compared to a Taco. Great trucks, fraction of the money.

avalonian > PS9 07/05/2020 at 03:17

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I just understood your comment. 

UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/05/2020 at 07:54

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I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. I got great incentives on my Focus ST, it’s about $310 a month which honestly I don’t even notice. Technically I pay close to the average ($500) but that’s because I’m paying it off early. If I do start to notice it feeling like a lot I just throttle it back (which I’ve only done a few times). At this point I’ll have it paid off in a year or so (2 years early) so I’m kind of just going full throttle on paying it off. I couldn’t imagine having $550 as the base payment for 7 years though. 

Brighammer > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/05/2020 at 10:36

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I totally hear you.

One day I decided I was gonna go look at a Subaru Forester on a lot. At age 35 I had never bought a car that ran properly. And they were always old.

After looking at financing options, and getting sick to my stomach thinking about a ca r payment, I’m 40 and have still never bought a car that worked properly..

Tapas > The Snowman 07/05/2020 at 10:48

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I saw that too when I was trying to see if a cpo car would make sense.

It did not make sense lol

Tapas > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/05/2020 at 10:49

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I just bought a used 2014 Accord for not too much money. N ot enough money to require payments.

If youre looking for a used truck though, you already know how terrible the market is....

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Tapas 07/05/2020 at 10:54

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Oh so you bought something did ya? I don't see an announcement...

jminer > DipodomysDeserti 07/05/2020 at 11:34

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Cheapest vehicle I ever bought was a 79 Scout and it looked like this when I bought it.

Tapas > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/05/2020 at 11:39

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I did. I don’t know if it’s announcement worthy.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Tapas 07/05/2020 at 11:40

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I think it is 

Tapas > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/05/2020 at 11:47

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Thanks, my dude. Post coming soon :)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > jminer 07/05/2020 at 18:58

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NP

Jayvincent > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/05/2020 at 19:26

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I’m right there with you... newest vehicle in my fleet is new to me 2011 Acura and the oldest vehicle is my son’s 2003 Honda which we have owned for ~6   years now. The only car I ever bought new was a 1992 Saturn when I graduated college and got my first real job. Given that I haven’t repeated that painful experience in the last 28 years, it’s unlikely I will ever buy another new car. Now car payments are slightly different thing, because money=money, it’s all the same electrons, so if you get better interest on a used car loan than you can get on your credit card (or if you think you can invest the money at a higher earnings potential than the interest rate you borrowed it at), then I say go for it and get a car loan over some other usurious options. I did put 1/2 my recent car purchase on a credit card j us t so I could get bonus points back and extend my cash outlay for an extra 30 days (or whenever the CC is due). My rule of thumb: when repairs exceed $1k/yr for more than one year, it’s time for the car to go to another happy home. Today, that usually means replacing more than one of these major components : trans, head gasket, catalytic converter, ECU, turbo, ABS, airbags (non-warranty), A/C system . Anything easy (brakes, oil, slave cylinder, valve cover gasket, plugs, coils, serpentine belt, lights ) I do myself with at least a 50% discount due to free labor. I’m no full-time mechanic, either, I’m just handy with tools and willing to do some Y outube research.

tl:dr Why buy new when old cars are reliable and fun to wrench on, plus you save $$ and who doesn’t like saving that?

jminer > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/05/2020 at 19:53

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Lol - it was. I only paid $150 for it. Probably spent 10x on it since then but still