wackura

That's fine, but the notion that you're "smart with your money" is comically wrong. By your own admission you've chosen a lifestyle that will leave you with less assets so that you can have it all now, which is obviously the exact oposite being "smart with your money".

You said "But at some point I'll have a family, a house, and many more expenses at which point I may not be able to afford such a nice car." The funny thing is that if you were smart with your money now that problem might not exist later. You are predicting that will be as bad with money then as you are now, and I don't know what your career plans are but you can certainly do better than $40k through any number of avenues.

If you had bought a $15k car rather than a $28k (or so) car then that $13k difference would be there waiting for you in a few years to help with a downpayment for property which increases in value instead of losing it. You have no ability to delay gratification, and you will suffer for it later. It's as simple as that.

wackura

People are acting like they'll be dead in a few years and that they're materialistic desires must be fulfilled rigth now. If they like nice things now I assure you they will still like nice things in five or ten years, and they will constantly be chasing their tails if they only donate to their entertainment fund.

bluefang08

I never drove "nice" cars when i was in college. But when i got done I got myself a used TSX while my other friends were spending all their money on M3's and S4's. But then I would rather have a house then a M3...

House + TSX > M3

dom

Fixed.

Comp-Sci

Wackura, I don't want to further hijack this thread with our discussion. If you're really that interested in carrying on a conversation, pm me and we can continue on this topic. Otherwise, good day sir.

LukeaTron

Lol at wackura. I guess since I was still (half assedly) still in school and generally just fucking around with my life at 25 I'm screwed forever then. Hah!

Get off your high preachy ass horse there. There's more paths through life than the perfectly straight one you've chosen. I've made my fuck ups but god damn, they were fun. Amazingly, I'm living pretty damn well. Shouldn't I be in a van down by the river by now?

wackura

I don't think it's off topic since obviously young people having a TSX easily involves unwise spending if they aren't self made business men or receiving the car as a gift. I would PM you but that would exclude the chance that somebody else could reply. I'm addressing your scenario but anyone can comment.

wackura

Whatever you say. I have no idea what your finances are or were. If someone says "I make $40k a year and am modding a $28k car" I feel too happy to comment, you know, that's what you're supposed to do on a forum.

manda

What's your problem sweetie?

So I can't voice my opinion or experience? The OP commented about people in their 20's owning a $30K car.

My priorities are not inverted - I happen to live in a high cost-of-living area. I'm living with my parents so that I can save money to buy a place. I think if I can buy a place in the SF/Peninsula on my own before I'm 30, I think I'm doing pretty okay.

Secondly, I didn't have anything to trade in as this was my first car purchase. Sure, I could've purchased a Civic or basic Accord but the TSX had everything I was looking for, especially since I'm keeping my car for 10+ years.

Why the hell am I even defending any of this?!

I'm sorry I didn't follow your "right" plan for doing things. I didn't know the TSX should be owned by people who have already purchased houses and whatnot who have their priorities straight.

LukeaTron

Passing judgment on complex issues with only tiny sliver of information is what this forum is for?

Well now I know.

wackura

The fact that you are saving for a place where places are expensive is an excellent argument against buying a TSX. The fact that you didn't have a trade in only makes it worse. The TSX having "everything I was looking for" is just another way of saying "I want it all now."

Of course you and everyone else have every right to spend your money however you want, but why do you and others get upset when someone tells you like it is? Does the truth that you can't control your impulses hurt your brain?

wackura

This is not complex by any stretch of the imagination.

zguy95135

Somebody's on the rag today.

DiaBando

iTrader: (3)

I tend to agree. Though, I see mostly male, middle-age, TSX drivers in my area of NJ.

davidspalding

You may be right, but I'm not seeing how a) that's your problem to fix, or b) that justifies you dressing down the younger folk. You don't have a monopoly on "the truth" (only Bible-thumpers have that ), so when you say, "the way it is," I have to chuckle. Your viewpoint is only that; valid, but not universal, and certainly not one-size-fits-all.

And when I say "younger folk," I'm snickering,... from where I'm sitting, you are the younger folk, too.

So all I'm suggesting is a little humility, and respect others' life choices.

Okay, I'm done thumpin' my cane on the porch from my rockin' chair.

Manda, I'll applaud you for having a clear strategy. You've got moxie for trying to buy a home in the SF Bay Area, I left a few years ago so that I could just do that elsewhere (and have, twice now). Getting into home ownership out there is scary. Keeping the car (getting one that ought to last 20 years) is a good idea. I bought my last car to keep for 10 (financed for 5), and just sold it 9 months after its 20th birthday (and it still looked great, woot!). The TSX is a relatively new model, so I'm hoping that this one'll last 10-20 as well.

wackura

A lot of people are in denial about their reckless spending and take comfort in knowing others will look the other way as they succumb to all the marketing and gorge on excess. Don't be such cowards.

jlukja

:shakehead kids

hunterk1

Wackura, I generally agree with your statements on consumerism and also try to practice a more simple, less consumer-driven lifestyle... And I also postpone gratification frequently, knowing that I'm better off that way. But my lifestyle isn't for everyone.

Try to step back and get some perspective on this...

You are harping on 20-somethings for buying a $28k car that is a known great value (Hondas last forever) and gets reasonably good gas mileage. Sure, that's expensive for some of them, but not for others. So, "reckless"? Probably not for many of them.

Sure, they would technically and undoubtedly do better in the long run if they bought something cheaper and invested the other money in a non-depreciating asset, but logic does not drive all decisions. Cars especially have an emotional component in the decision making process. Is that good? Well, it doesn't always make financial sense, but... Does everything you do make financial sense? Wouldn't you do better too? Why didn't you by a cheap-ass car? Why don't you ride your bike, I mean, come on, think of all the money you would save!

I would agree with you more if their spending was reckless and implied financial impacts such as bankruptcy (such as that recent case in other posts) that cost us all money. But that does not seem to be the case for most here.

With regard to "gorge on excess": uh, are we taking about the same car here? I mean... we drive a European Accord with leather... we're not talking about a $300k Bentley. Sure, it's a lot nicer than basic transportation (Smart Car, perhaps? Honda Scooter? Bicycle?), but for real impact try taking your argument to the 18-year olds who drive RS4s or other $80k sports sedans (or even $50k sports sedans: M3, IS-F, etc) that daddy bought and who whine about how they aren't fast enough, how they wish daddy had bought them the Gallardo, etc...

The TSX does not "excess" make... especially if you're buying it because you plan to keep it for its lifetime.

And... "coward"? What exactly are you doing to curb anti-consumerism and "gorging on excess" other than bitching about it on this site? And how much bravery exactly does that take? Not much. If you are taking other actions they might be brave. But what you're doing here is effortless and minimal. If you do indeed do more I applaud you, but your efforts here at advocating your point of view are not winning many converts.

czr

I'm 22 and i fully paid off my 2006 TSX, The price of the vehicle is only a little less than a 3rd of my earnings, I think it's only then it's reasonable to buy a tsx. otherwise i think if you love the tsx so much it would be priority to get it even if it isn't logical

acura_ak

I would rather have a house than any car, no matter how nice. Hell, I would even give up my TSX.....maybe.

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

I have to say i was probably one of the youngest when i got my 05. Went to an acurazine meet back in march 2005.

My car was an early graduation gift from my parents since I was attending University at Buffalo about 450 miles away from Long Island, NY.

wackura

You haven't payed attention. All of my posts are in regard to two specific financial equations where a $30K car is an unreasonably large burden on their budget. One person claimed that a TSX is easily affordable with an income of $40k a year, another person bought a TSX with no trade in while attempting to save for a house in the bay area. Your criticism is out of context.

Advertising and peer pressure have made living on credit a socialy acceptable and applauded life style. The idea that warning people against stupid spending is therefor uncool, and very few people bring up the subject out of fear for of looking like a prude. That's cowardous. And yes, I am pro-active, I bake cookies for people who save money.

davidspalding

And you're saving up to buy a spell-checker. Good luck with that. :P

wackura

Oh great, here we go with the pointing out of spelling mistakes. I didn't think we'd get to that point so quickly.

iVTECdailyy

I think I beat you to it. I got mine 2 weeks after I passed the Pennsylvania permit test. It was decided in my family that a car would be purchased for me. I wanted to go used, since it would be my first car. However, my dad did not want to deal with "the troubles of a used car" as he would put it, and so, my 05 ABP 6speed was purchased.

I'm almost 19 in my second year of college now, with the same TSX..... with minor modifications

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

haha nice, well i got the car when it first came out luckily no problems with m 05 =)
running up to 96,000 miles right now.

davidspalding

We have a winner! (I know your dad would've gotten a good used car, but he made a reaaalllly sensible choice for you IMPO. The TSX will likely take you through college, and then some.)

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

I agree the tsx wasn't a bad choice for the commuter car, but for me commuting back and forth the poor car has way too many miles on it.

manda

Again, you're going on a lot of assumptions and imposing your priorities on others. How many people in their early 20s are ready to purchase a home without knowing what they are going to be doing in 5 years? Some are, some aren't. There are a ton of factors that you're NOT accounting for (ie, moving back home to care for a sick relative, considering going to graduate school). What if you wanted to enjoy life (however that may be) just a little before settling down and having more responsibliities?

I purchased my car knowing that it will last me over 10 years. I feel in that respect, the enjoyability and reliability, was worth the money. And FYI, I have a nice down payment for a house socked away and lookie, I'm nearly done paying off my car. OMG, the grand plan was off by 2 whole years. I'm screwed for life now. Was the 2 years worth it for the experiences I enjoyed? To you, you can look down on me and say no. IMO, it was worth it. I refuse to work myself to death and not have a few pleasures in life.

Wackura, you can say what you want to say - I don't fully disagree with you on the saving aspect, but don't judge others when you don't have the full picture. Have fun sitting back and criticizing others!!!

I think I'm done with this thread.

davidspalding

No, you're just done with Wackura. He goes on and off my ignore list like NPR pledge drives, it's a cyclical thing. Stick around, please.

LukeaTron

^^^ Lol. I think I hate the way NPR tries to make me feel guilty about not giving them money more than I do the advertisements on commercial stations. The only reason NPR might have an edge is because they dedicate less time to the pledge drives than other stations do to the commercials. Anymore though it seems like there's a drive more often than not. I've found myself driving with radio off more often than not as a result.

bluexcrush

wow, well said.

hunterk1

Actually I have paid attention, and no, my comments are not out of context. I find it difficult to believe that
applies to two people - particularly these two individuals who, while they have perhaps not exercised the greatest financial restraint, are not examples of wanton reckless spending. Give me a break.

No, here (and IIRC in other posts) you are proclaiming then railing against what you perceive as the evils of wider society, not just against specific examples. That's fine, this is a forum, do what you want - but, If you are indeed attempting to advocate financial restraint, remember as in all things, honey attracts more flies that shit. You've got your financial opinion, and it's better than that, since you can (surely) back it up with numbers - but IMO you're being very pompous and self-righteous about it. And when other people call you on it, you call them cowards? For what? For not being a ranting loony on a forum?

I don't disagree with many of the points you are trying to make. I just think you could make them better, in ways that people would be more prone to listen.
FYI I never said it was uncool, I happen to agree that financial restraint is a good thing. I don't think many of the older forum members here said it was uncool either. While there are components of society at large that your comment would apply to, I'm not sure whether you're saying this 1) in reply to other posts, in which case I think it's a strawman against what they have said (since they have not said it's uncool), or 2) is referring to society at large, in which case I agree. Regardless, I find it unlikely that forum posts will significantly change the minds of people with reckless financial attitudes, and I find your 'coward' statement way over the top.

And... cookies? Yeah, that's definitely going to make a big impact.

Anyway. I hope I'm also done. I've gone off-topic far enough...

wackura

You take me off your ignore list long enough to point out spelling mistakes? Please put me back in.

wackura

You keep moving the target to make your circumstances appear more favorable. Now you're caring for sick relatives, and apparently live with your parent by choice rather than out of necessity. I think my evaluation is accurate up until the point you choose to leave out key details.

I can appreciate the concept of having fun before "settling down and having responsibilities", but that usually means going on European back packing adventures or partying until the sun comes up, reasonable things you can't do if you have children. I don't personally believe buying an overly nice sedan qualifies as an activity dependant on youth, but to each their own I guess. You're paying more for your car now so that you will have to borrow more for your house later.

An aside, for all the people who claim they'll keep their 1G for 10 years, I find it hard to believe they will follow through on this plan for several reasons a) you must like new cars b) if you are capable of tolerating worn cars you could have bought CPO for cheaper c) you're willing to submit a portion of your income for a nice car now, why won't you be willing to later, especially when you have a car to trade-in? If a person wants an old car there's no reason to wait, you can buy one at any time.

wackura

No, they're not examples of egregious spending, if only because such spending is so common, but they seem unwilling to even admit that they're current spending will compromise their future goals, and act as if purchasing an entry lux sedan was a "smart" purchase and not an extravagant one. I almost smell a sense of entitlement, like, everyone else has one so why shouldn't I?

Sorry, I'm not a motivational speaker. I don't know how to sugar coat things very well.

hunterk1

I've claimed this so...
True, I like having the opportunity to drive a virgin car (excuse the phrase) and make sure it's well cared for from day zero.
No, because see above. It's a crapshoot if you buy from someone else, I've been lucky and unlucky. As a kid, I drove the new cars my parents drove from day zero, and they made sure were well cared for. I was taught this as a child; now, I do it myself.
No, because I know the best way to recuperate the most out of my rapidly depreciating asset is to drive it into the ground. So I will. Besides, I have a lot of other financial responsibilities now - paying off my house, putting money into a taxable investment portfolio, saving for my daughter's college, saving in a tax-deferred retirement plan (yes I put away 15% of my salary yearly, sometimes much more), saving for a down payment on my daughter's house in 30 years, I could go on...

I'd love to mod my car... but to me, it's not financially advisable since it too is a depreciating investment. A lot of fun things are, unfortunately...

LukeaTron

I think it's cute how all the stuff you're railing against is stuff you're blatantly assuming about people.

The current American culture disgusts you, we get it, hell, I even agree. But to berate people the way you are and tout you viewpoint and so vastly superior is just making you look like a pompous ass. I think you've dug a nice little hole to bury your reputation in as far more than a few members are concerned so I don't see any point in this thread continuing.

hunterk1

I guess some form of acknowledgement might be nice (perhaps in the form of "yes, your analysis is correct, I could potentially have done better financially by postponing my purchase of an expensive depreciating asset"), but it's difficult for people to admit errors; and it's difficult (and wrong, IMHO) to say it's a (life) error. I could run the numbers (and have in other cases)... how much, really, are we taking about here? $5k? $10k? That's really not that much.

I appreciate your logic, but not everyone is that logical.

A TSX isn't a dumb purchase, that's for sure. A smart purchase right now is a Camry Hybrid (IMHO). Not as fun as a TSX but man... easy on gas! I mean, jeez, they could have bought a $30k SUV instead, that would have been dumb! Talk about depreciation!

Extravagant... well I considered the TSX VERY extravagant... but I'm not sure most people do. I like my hair-shirts.

I agree that there is a broad sense of entitlement in the US today. I do not know if it has been around for a long time. Certainly our grandparents (the 'depression generation') did not seem to have it.

Fair enough. Don't go into business or grant writing, you've got to be a little more diplomatic there...

wackura

This is nothing new. davidspalding keeps taking me in and out of his ignore list, he can't make up his mind. There is one member who I'm sure intends me physical harm. The mods can lock this thread, that wouldn't be a first for me either.