So what kind of car SHOULD a certain income-level person drive?

[BHeemsoth]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix

Originally posted by: archcommus
We all know that many luxury car owners out there don't make enough to justify such a purchase (but of course many DO make enough to justify it, as well). IYHO, what do you think is the MINIMUM income level you should make to buy a...

$20,000 to $30,000 car?
$30,000 to $45,000 car?
$45,000 to $60,000 car?
$60,000 to $80,000 car?
$80,000+ car?

Someone who has $20k-30k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $30k-45k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $45k-60k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $60k-80k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $80k+ to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.

In their respective order.

:roll:

Does no one know what IN YOUR OPINION means? i.e., what income YOU would need to justify said price range?

No one likes your thread, or cares what you have to say.

You lost the respect of most people of AT with your thread about yelling at your girlfriend unjustly.

That being said, why don't you go yell at your girl, or throw her down the stairs or something.

 

[archcommus]

My parents won't be retiring on millions or even hundreds of thousands but they do set some aside (401k, stocks, etc.). We own two older cars and one newer car. Have cable internet, regular TVs, all the normal stuff, a small house just big enough for us. Why is this so hard to believe?

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: jumpr
Whatever they want. What other people buy with their money is none of my business.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: rpbri2886

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix

Originally posted by: archcommus
We all know that many luxury car owners out there don't make enough to justify such a purchase (but of course many DO make enough to justify it, as well). IYHO, what do you think is the MINIMUM income level you should make to buy a...

$20,000 to $30,000 car?
$30,000 to $45,000 car?
$45,000 to $60,000 car?
$60,000 to $80,000 car?
$80,000+ car?

Someone who has $20k-30k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $30k-45k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $45k-60k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $60k-80k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $80k+ to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.

In their respective order.

:roll:

Does no one know what IN YOUR OPINION means? i.e., what income YOU would need to justify said price range?

No one likes your thread, or cares what you have to say.

You lost the respect of most people of AT with your thread about yelling at your girlfriend unjustly.

That being said, why don't you go yell at your girl, or throw her down the stairs or something.

I hope trolling enhances your life.

 

[acid45]

Originally posted by: DEMO24
Geo Metro!

For all of them 😛

Dont hate on the geo, its not that bad!

yes... i do have one....



-Chris

 

[dderidex]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: dderidex
That seems....difficult to believe.

My wife and I make darn near $80k between the two of us (both work full-time), no kids, and 'get by'. We don't have 'a lot of expensive electronics', don't even HAVE a TV or stereo system - only have ONE car, etc.

I can't imagine how you could add a person into that equation, cut the income in half and NOT be considered 'poverty level'.

Unless, of course, you are living seriously 'upside down' and/or are not saving for retirement. But if EITHER of those conditions are true....well, that's too close enough to 'poverty level' for my taste. And seriously short-sighted (especially if Bush gets his way with Social Security - if YOU don't plan for retirement, you may not GET any).

Uhhh.... wtf are you doing wrong, then? The cost of living in Bend, OR is 78% of where I just bought a house. Unless you are putting some ridiculous amount of money in retirement you should look at your finances again.

LOL - where did you get that info from? Pre-2000 survey data?

I'd be REAL surprised if the price of property *anywhere* in Michigan was 80% of Bend. Heck, our house has gone up in value 20% since LAST YEAR and we've done NO improvements to it. They are expecting a BIGGER jump in value next year.

The property values in this town in the past...hmmm...4 years?....have just been SHOOTING up. (LOL - the last time the house was sold, think it was 1993 by the deed info, it was appraised at HALF what we bought it for last year.)

 

[Zanix]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: rpbri2886

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix

Originally posted by: archcommus
We all know that many luxury car owners out there don't make enough to justify such a purchase (but of course many DO make enough to justify it, as well). IYHO, what do you think is the MINIMUM income level you should make to buy a...

$20,000 to $30,000 car?
$30,000 to $45,000 car?
$45,000 to $60,000 car?
$60,000 to $80,000 car?
$80,000+ car?

Someone who has $20k-30k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $30k-45k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $45k-60k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $60k-80k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $80k+ to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.

In their respective order.

:roll:

Does no one know what IN YOUR OPINION means? i.e., what income YOU would need to justify said price range?

No one likes your thread, or cares what you have to say.

You lost the respect of most people of AT with your thread about yelling at your girlfriend unjustly.

That being said, why don't you go yell at your girl, or throw her down the stairs or something.

I hope trolling enhances your life.

You're the troller.

 

[Zebo]

My rule is if I can't afford to pay cash and loose it (ie no full coverage ins) I don't want it.

I got my last three cars at dealer auctions though a friend of mine.:thumbsup: Saved lierally about 33% off new-used paper price.

 

[Orsorum]

I'll be making mid-40s this summer and 60k by next June and I'll be driving a $20k car for as long as it will last.

 

[Zebo]

I also think it depends on if you have access to tools and know how to fix things. I mean Some people don't and can get killed by mechanics fees driving a POS relative to a new car. I drove an POS $900 S-10 for 7 years w/o spending a more than $200 a year on self checker bought repairs like new rad, new alt, new windshield, etc...

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Zanix

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: rpbri2886

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix

Originally posted by: archcommus
We all know that many luxury car owners out there don't make enough to justify such a purchase (but of course many DO make enough to justify it, as well). IYHO, what do you think is the MINIMUM income level you should make to buy a...

$20,000 to $30,000 car?
$30,000 to $45,000 car?
$45,000 to $60,000 car?
$60,000 to $80,000 car?
$80,000+ car?

Someone who has $20k-30k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $30k-45k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $45k-60k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $60k-80k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $80k+ to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.

In their respective order.

:roll:

Does no one know what IN YOUR OPINION means? i.e., what income YOU would need to justify said price range?

No one likes your thread, or cares what you have to say.

You lost the respect of most people of AT with your thread about yelling at your girlfriend unjustly.

That being said, why don't you go yell at your girl, or throw her down the stairs or something.

I hope trolling enhances your life.

You're the troller.

I'm posting threads with a legitimate topic. If you think it's a dumb topic then why are you using your time reading it?

You post attacks with no value or contribution to the thread...that is trolling.

 

[FlyLice]

Hyundai Exel Baby

 

[Zanix]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: Zanix

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: rpbri2886

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix

Originally posted by: archcommus
We all know that many luxury car owners out there don't make enough to justify such a purchase (but of course many DO make enough to justify it, as well). IYHO, what do you think is the MINIMUM income level you should make to buy a...

$20,000 to $30,000 car?
$30,000 to $45,000 car?
$45,000 to $60,000 car?
$60,000 to $80,000 car?
$80,000+ car?

Someone who has $20k-30k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $30k-45k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $45k-60k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $60k-80k to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.
Someone who has $80k+ to spend on a car and feels compelled to spend that much.

In their respective order.

:roll:

Does no one know what IN YOUR OPINION means? i.e., what income YOU would need to justify said price range?

No one likes your thread, or cares what you have to say.

You lost the respect of most people of AT with your thread about yelling at your girlfriend unjustly.

That being said, why don't you go yell at your girl, or throw her down the stairs or something.

I hope trolling enhances your life.

You're the troller.

I'm posting threads with a legitimate topic. If you think it's a dumb topic then why are you using your time reading it?

You post attacks with no value or contribution to the thread...that is trolling.

It wasn't bad till we started calling names.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: dderidex

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: dderidex
That seems....difficult to believe.

My wife and I make darn near $80k between the two of us (both work full-time), no kids, and 'get by'. We don't have 'a lot of expensive electronics', don't even HAVE a TV or stereo system - only have ONE car, etc.

I can't imagine how you could add a person into that equation, cut the income in half and NOT be considered 'poverty level'.

Unless, of course, you are living seriously 'upside down' and/or are not saving for retirement. But if EITHER of those conditions are true....well, that's too close enough to 'poverty level' for my taste. And seriously short-sighted (especially if Bush gets his way with Social Security - if YOU don't plan for retirement, you may not GET any).

Uhhh.... wtf are you doing wrong, then? The cost of living in Bend, OR is 78% of where I just bought a house. Unless you are putting some ridiculous amount of money in retirement you should look at your finances again.

LOL - where did you get that info from? Pre-2000 survey data?

I'd be REAL surprised if the price of property *anywhere* in Michigan was 80% of Bend. Heck, our house has gone up in value 20% since LAST YEAR and we've done NO improvements to it. They are expecting a BIGGER jump in value next year.

The property values in this town in the past...hmmm...4 years?....have just been SHOOTING up. (LOL - the last time the house was sold, think it was 1993 by the deed info, it was appraised at HALF what we bought it for last year.)

I live in one of the richest counties in the United States.

Again, you didn't answer my questions. Are you putting an obscene amount away for retirement? Are you living outside of your bounds in regards to your house?

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Many of the millionaires I know buy used cars...staying rich doesn't mean blowing loads of cash on depreciating assets.

Agreed. I personally know two people with some serious net worth (that I know of), but you'd never guess it from their cars, homes, or their frugal lifestyles. One of them is your classic workaholic--he has a full-time union job (he's waiting on that union retirement pension before he quits), and works another 25-30 hours a week at the restaurant he bought some 11 years ago. He drives a nine year old Ford Contour, and also owns an '84 Ford F-150. He recently paid me a compliment on my $50 '85 Civic. "Great deal!," he said. I delivered pizzas for 2 months in that stinky oil-burning POS before the brakes went out and I gave it away to a friend. (I didn't fix the brakes because the stench from the oil burning was starting to make me nauseous every time I drove it.) He was only semi-impressed with the Civic's replacement, a '91 Accord for $800--"Not too bad," he said, "I hope it lasts awhile."

The other rich dude I know is married, has three kids (one of whom is one of my best friends), lives in a paid-for house that's now worth $200-250 thousand (it's been paid off for more than 10 years, too), and has never bought a new car. He owns a Ford Windstar (a '98, I think) and a '97 Accord.

I think that unless a person can afford an unnecessarily expensive car without going into debt (i.e., you can pay cash) he/she should buy the least expensive car that meets his/her needs. Note that I'm not saying that everybody should drive $1000 cars--not everybody is capable of choosing and maintaining such beasts, but I think that far too many people who go $30,000 into debt for a brand new vehicle would be much better off either keeping what they already drive, or buying a 1-3 year old vehicle for 50-60% the cost of a new one.

BTW, the new car smell that everybody talks about stinks to me like a plastics factory (yes, I've worked in one before), and no smell is ever worth the kind of money that a new car costs.

 

[Stumps]

have 2 cars and i earn around $30000, both are registered and running, one owes me around $2000, the other..beyond $25000 and climbing

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Many of the millionaires I know buy used cars...staying rich doesn't mean blowing loads of cash on depreciating assets.

Agreed. I personally know two people with some serious net worth (that I know of), but you'd never guess it from their cars, homes, or their frugal lifestyles. One of them is your classic workaholic--he has a full-time union job (he's waiting on that union retirement pension before he quits), and works another 25-30 hours a week at the restaurant he bought some 11 years ago. He drives a nine year old Ford Contour, and also owns an '84 Ford F-150. He recently paid me a compliment on my $50 '85 Civic. "Great deal!," he said. I delivered pizzas for 2 months in that stinky oil-burning POS before the brakes went out and I gave it away to a friend. (I didn't fix the brakes because the stench from the oil burning was starting to make me nauseous every time I drove it.) He was only semi-impressed with the Civic's replacement, a '91 Accord for $800--"Not too bad," he said, "I hope it lasts awhile."

The other rich dude I know is married, has three kids (one of whom is one of my best friends), lives in a paid-for house that's now worth $200-250 thousand (it's been paid off for more than 10 years, too), and has never bought a new car. He owns a Ford Windstar (a '98, I think) and a '97 Accord.

I think that unless a person can afford an unnecessarily expensive car without going into debt (i.e., you can pay cash) he/she should buy the least expensive car that meets his/her needs. Note that I'm not saying that everybody should drive $1000 cars--not everybody is capable of choosing and maintaining such beasts, but I think that far too many people who go $30,000 into debt for a brand new vehicle would be much better off either keeping what they already drive, or buying a 1-3 year old vehicle for 50-60% the cost of a new one.

BTW, the new car smell that everybody talks about stinks to me like a plastics factory (yes, I've worked in one before), and no smell is ever worth the kind of money that a new car costs.

I bet they are the same people that never go on vacation and end up 80 years old and bitter about everything in life. IMHO, there is more to life than simply trying to amass the most money at the end, because it isn't going to do a lick of good when you are 6 feet under.

 

[archcommus]

If I was making a good income, I'd probably spring for the cheapest car that fit my tastes visually and with good performance and features. If I could afford it comfortably, I'd probably get a new one every four to five years. I'd say that's modest and not over-doing it.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Many of the millionaires I know buy used cars...staying rich doesn't mean blowing loads of cash on depreciating assets.

Agreed. I personally know two people with some serious net worth (that I know of), but you'd never guess it from their cars, homes, or their frugal lifestyles. One of them is your classic workaholic--he has a full-time union job (he's waiting on that union retirement pension before he quits), and works another 25-30 hours a week at the restaurant he bought some 11 years ago. He drives a nine year old Ford Contour, and also owns an '84 Ford F-150. He recently paid me a compliment on my $50 '85 Civic. "Great deal!," he said. I delivered pizzas for 2 months in that stinky oil-burning POS before the brakes went out and I gave it away to a friend. (I didn't fix the brakes because the stench from the oil burning was starting to make me nauseous every time I drove it.) He was only semi-impressed with the Civic's replacement, a '91 Accord for $800--"Not too bad," he said, "I hope it lasts awhile."

The other rich dude I know is married, has three kids (one of whom is one of my best friends), lives in a paid-for house that's now worth $200-250 thousand (it's been paid off for more than 10 years, too), and has never bought a new car. He owns a Ford Windstar (a '98, I think) and a '97 Accord.

I think that unless a person can afford an unnecessarily expensive car without going into debt (i.e., you can pay cash) he/she should buy the least expensive car that meets his/her needs. Note that I'm not saying that everybody should drive $1000 cars--not everybody is capable of choosing and maintaining such beasts, but I think that far too many people who go $30,000 into debt for a brand new vehicle would be much better off either keeping what they already drive, or buying a 1-3 year old vehicle for 50-60% the cost of a new one.

BTW, the new car smell that everybody talks about stinks to me like a plastics factory (yes, I've worked in one before), and no smell is ever worth the kind of money that a new car costs.

I bet they are the same people that never go on vacation and end up 80 years old and bitter about everything in life. IMHO, there is more to life than simply trying to amass the most money at the end, because it isn't going to do a lick of good when you are 6 feet under.

:thumbsup:

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

I bet they are the same people that never go on vacation and end up 80 years old and bitter about everything in life. IMHO, there is more to life than simply trying to amass the most money at the end, because it isn't going to do a lick of good when you are 6 feet under.

The workaholic I described possibly is one of those people--but I can hardly pass judgment like that without knowing him better. (And you, having never met him, are even less qualified than I to make such a statement.) The other one, and his wife, are most definitely not--they're well-traveled, having been to Africa, Europe, all over the US and Canada, and more. The guy has recently "retired" at age 50, having sold his small business, and now enjoys life more than ever. He spends a lot of time at his lake cabin in the summer (which is also paid for, having inherited a share of it from his parents and buying out his siblings), but he's always enjoyed a lot of the less expensive, close-to-nature activities such as camping, canoeing (the Boundary Waters is practically a second home to him) and hiking in the Grand Canyon.

 

[archcommus]

Hmm, what kind of business did this man own?

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

I bet they are the same people that never go on vacation and end up 80 years old and bitter about everything in life. IMHO, there is more to life than simply trying to amass the most money at the end, because it isn't going to do a lick of good when you are 6 feet under.

The workaholic I described possibly is one of those people--but I can hardly pass judgment like that without knowing him better. (And you, having never met him, are even less qualified than I to make such a statement.) The other one, and his wife, are most definitely not--they're well-traveled, having been to Africa, Europe, all over the US and Canada, and more. The guy has recently "retired" at age 50, having sold his small business, and now enjoys life more than ever. He spends a lot of time at his lake cabin in the summer (which is also paid for, having inherited a share of it from his parents and buying out his siblings), but he's always enjoyed a lot of the less expensive, close-to-nature activities such as camping, canoeing (the Boundary Waters is practically a second home to him) and hiking in the Grand Canyon.

So he spends the twilight of his life attempting to recover what he could have done previously?

I can honestly say that I have never been happier than the time I have spent travelling. The experiences, events, and memories I had the opportunity to live are things that I will always remember and will look back upon with happiness. I'm even more proud that I could pay for it myself, even if I incured an expense of the a few thousand dollars.

 

[radioouman]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

I bet they are the same people that never go on vacation and end up 80 years old and bitter about everything in life. IMHO, there is more to life than simply trying to amass the most money at the end, because it isn't going to do a lick of good when you are 6 feet under.

The workaholic I described possibly is one of those people--but I can hardly pass judgment like that without knowing him better. (And you, having never met him, are even less qualified than I to make such a statement.) The other one, and his wife, are most definitely not--they're well-traveled, having been to Africa, Europe, all over the US and Canada, and more. The guy has recently "retired" at age 50, having sold his small business, and now enjoys life more than ever. He spends a lot of time at his lake cabin in the summer (which is also paid for, having inherited a share of it from his parents and buying out his siblings), but he's always enjoyed a lot of the less expensive, close-to-nature activities such as camping, canoeing (the Boundary Waters is practically a second home to him) and hiking in the Grand Canyon.

That sounds exactly what I would like to do with my life. I feel like making good choices when I'm young is the best way to do it.
The smartest way to do this is to start investing at a young age, before you start spending all of every paycheck that you get. Then you are force to live within your means, but you are paying yourself with every paycheck.

Image is almost nothing to me. I have to maintain a respectable appearance, as I often attend business meetings with customers and suppliers, but for a couple years I've been driving an old pickup because it was my project vehicle. The money that I saved from driving a paid-for vehicle went into a used boat that I bought last summer. I am enjoying my life, and I certainly don't need to financially strap myself to enjoy it. Do I notice the difference between driving a 3 year old car and a brand new car? Not at all! Do I notice the difference in crusiing in my 8 year old vs. a new boat? Not at all! How about my 30 year old house vs. a new house? Nope.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

So he spends the twilight of his life attempting to recover what he could have done previously?

No, that's not what I said. The month-long trip to Africa, for example, was taken while he still owned his business, and when I said that he's always enjoyed canoe trips and stuff, I didn't mean that he recently made a second home out of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area--he's been vacationing there regularly (at least once a year) for nearly his entire life. And 50 is hardly what I would call "the twilight of his life;" I think he's still got a lot of good years left, and he can enjoy them all the more, because money is not a problem.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Many of the millionaires I know buy used cars...staying rich doesn't mean blowing loads of cash on depreciating assets.

Agreed. I personally know two people with some serious net worth (that I know of), but you'd never guess it from their cars, homes, or their frugal lifestyles. One of them is your classic workaholic--he has a full-time union job (he's waiting on that union retirement pension before he quits), and works another 25-30 hours a week at the restaurant he bought some 11 years ago. He drives a nine year old Ford Contour, and also owns an '84 Ford F-150. He recently paid me a compliment on my $50 '85 Civic. "Great deal!," he said. I delivered pizzas for 2 months in that stinky oil-burning POS before the brakes went out and I gave it away to a friend. (I didn't fix the brakes because the stench from the oil burning was starting to make me nauseous every time I drove it.) He was only semi-impressed with the Civic's replacement, a '91 Accord for $800--"Not too bad," he said, "I hope it lasts awhile."

The other rich dude I know is married, has three kids (one of whom is one of my best friends), lives in a paid-for house that's now worth $200-250 thousand (it's been paid off for more than 10 years, too), and has never bought a new car. He owns a Ford Windstar (a '98, I think) and a '97 Accord.

I think that unless a person can afford an unnecessarily expensive car without going into debt (i.e., you can pay cash) he/she should buy the least expensive car that meets his/her needs. Note that I'm not saying that everybody should drive $1000 cars--not everybody is capable of choosing and maintaining such beasts, but I think that far too many people who go $30,000 into debt for a brand new vehicle would be much better off either keeping what they already drive, or buying a 1-3 year old vehicle for 50-60% the cost of a new one.

BTW, the new car smell that everybody talks about stinks to me like a plastics factory (yes, I've worked in one before), and no smell is ever worth the kind of money that a new car costs.

I bet they are the same people that never go on vacation and end up 80 years old and bitter about everything in life. IMHO, there is more to life than simply trying to amass the most money at the end, because it isn't going to do a lick of good when you are 6 feet under.

:thumbsup:

go figure, that kind of thinking means you'll still be working at age 60.

poor, poor fools.