:sigh:
Well I'm not sure what to do at this point. I was talking with my wife about our finances a few nights ago and got kind of depressed. It's not like we don't live comfortably, but I'm tired of us not having the cash to do things when we want to. I'm also feeling like I'm at a point when I should not be worrying about my car as much as I do and not wanting to constantly mod it. I have 2 kids that I should be saving for college tuition

I'm thinking that I could part it out and sell it, pick up a nice used Civic and pocket about 5-7K. I own the car now so no car payments. The added gas mileage will also help. I'm just torn because I know how nice the TSX is and really like having the car. I have this problem where I like to have the best things.

Who knows though, maybe in a few years I could get back into cars again, but at this point, it's not where my priorities should be.

James

 

just STOP modding

 

HAHA. Easier said than done when you're addicted to this site........

And what's up with the phrase under your SN?

 

i say stop modding, sell your rims. and get factory ones back, you save on tires. or save on keep having to buy new tires. i bought this car. 20k already and i only got lip spoiler and itll stay that way. Dont sell the car and get civic to pocket that 5-7K, cfause u WILL NOT be able to get this kind of car back when u regret later with 5-7K. just keep it. and dont move. i didnt mod my car at all and there is no plan on doing so. i bought this car with the interntion of it is good enough the way it is and no mod

 

I dont see how modding his car has anything to do with it. He would still have a car payment, modded or not.

I know how you feel. I think anyone could do without a 300-500 dollar car payment. I guess you have to ask yourself if its really worth it? How far do you drive to work? Could you do that drive in a less comfortable car?

It all just depends on what you and your wife makes you happy. But I gotta say, if you are finding yourself saying "Damn, we would like to go here" or "We cant save enough to do this" then its probably time to change your priorities. And at the end of the day, your family should come before any car.

 

i thought he said his car is paid off @_@.. but i agree, enjoying life and have cash at hand is more important

as for me right now. im piss poor. im paying 1400 dollars a month for my car.. my payment is only 250 bucks a month, but i elect to pay 1400 a month so i can pay it off next march! which will make me car payment fee after 2 years since purchase date!!!!!!!!

 

i meant it will make me payment FREE after 2 yers of owning the car !

 

No, he was talking about paying off his TSX and getting a Civic with no payments.

 

psst...joe

 

Ah for fucks sake...Ityhybrid, are you making payments on your TSX or are you just spending too much money modding it???

I thought you meant if you got a Civic you wont have any payments on it.

 

So itrhybrid, are you thinking short-term monetary gains? Since you said that the car is paid off, I don't see where and/or how the TSX factors into the equation. Sure, cost to own (gas, maintenance, etc.) may be higher on a TSX vs. a Civic, but the biggest amount should be coming from your monthly payment. Since that's out of the picture then where is your money going?

 

I don't have a car payment. I own the car outright. And it's not the factor of spending money on the car each month, it's the hassle of worrying about it every time my wife takes the car out at night, or parking next to another car in the parking lot. Plus the temptation to buy something new or upgrade.....

 

Temptation is no good.

Kill that TEMPTATION and you'll be happy with your wife, kids and yourself driving in TSX.


Just my

 

sounds like what you need is a beater

 

Sell it if it worries you that much and get a car not worth worrying about, because sometimes the things you own end up owning you.

 

Are you really thinking of selling the car because you can't control your modding addiction and are worried about someone bumping into in a parking lot?

That shit can happen with the civic too you know. It's not worth it to save 5K.

The temptation to upgrade? I thought you wanted to save money???

 

Just my two cents, since I just had to go thru this whole college and paying off tuition thing... Don't save for it. Seriously. Colleges see that you have the money and they won't give you any financial aid. If you do save it, don't put it into an acct with your kids' names-- that's just telling colleges to rip you apart on college tuition. It's a lot more painful when you have to pay the full tuition (42K right now, and will be SOO much more when your kids are in college, judging from your age) than if you would aid and pay like just a chunk of that. A hefty chunk, yes, but not 42K out of your pocket.

 

Just get over it by putting a couple door dings here and there urself then theres nothing to worry about anymore, then parallel park with ur eyes closed and curb a wheel. (not tryin to be mean, just sounds like you are really very cautious with your car)

Then try to control your modding addiction.......or you can do what i do.....start a car mod bank account......yes i've actually done this, it's the only way wife will approve MY car mods haha .......and slowly add to it once a month, save up and use that to buy mods if you can't control it.

Just keep the car, you will regret not having it in the future......i know i would

 

Ok, well then your not making any sense at all. If you dont make any payments on it, how does that hurt you in "not having the cash to do things when we want to"? And how does the "hassle of worrying about it" take money out of your pocket?

Now, if you want to sell the TSX, buy a Civic and pocket the difference, I guess that makes sense. But that still dosent help you in "having the cash to do things when we want to". Your not really saving any money on a monthly basis.

 

I don't see how the modding will end by selling the TSX and buying a Civic. I can guarantee the same modding cycle will repeat again unless you buy a beater. Performance parts would cost about the same regardless it's a TSX or Civic.

 

Get another job!

 

I'll take the Tein's.

 

trade your car with wclark's tsx

 

Very financially sound advise. Along those same lines, I'd suggest just making the minimum payments on your credit cards to get the stuff you want now even if you can't afford it.

Also, don't save for retirement...I'm sure it will all work itself out.

 

That's why you buy your old lady her own ride. My old lady drives the Type S daily, so she has all the power she needs. She doesn't bust chops about my car, except how much I have spent on mods and have only tinted windows on the S.

 

holy crap...I'm glad you're not a financial advisor

 

You think there is a temptation now? Wait til youre driving around a little civic.


Yea, this is my plan. Right now, I have 12 credit cards all maxed out, but god damn, I have alot of nice stuff. Also, sometimes when I go to the store and I'm out of money, I eat the stuff right there in the store and leave an IOU on the shelf.

My plan for retirement is to get more credit cards and pay $1 per month on each.

 

What percentage of your family AGI is going into savings each month? If it is near zero and you have 2 kids at 29, then it is time to think seriously about a complete change in lifestyle. Adolescence is officially over. In addition to whatever your employers do for you and your wife as retirement plans, add at least 10% of AGI to IRA or 401k every year, then another 5% to college savings. Sell the TSX, buy a serviceable used car, and put the profit into a Roth IRA. Financial security in later years and seeing your kids graduate from college is worth far more than a nice car. OTOH, if you are already maxing out the 401k supplemental contribution and saving something for kids college, keep the TSX and drive it for 10 years.

 

She has her own car. A 2005 MDX (Which we are making payments on).
IT's not like I'd get out of the scene for long. I'd like an s2000 in a year or 2 once they have come down in price.

 

Keep the TSX. With 2 kids, you will need the additional space over a Civic. Stop modding and enjoy your TSX as is. Besides, there's not really many more things you could do to it anyway. Just drive the TSX into the ground. You can get at least a good 10-15 yrs use out of it.

 

For a daily driver with my 4 yr old, I'd rather have the Civic (previously had an 02 4 dr). My daughter doesn't spend much time in my car. She likes kicking the seats. Leather plus dirty shoes is not a good combo. Best fix I could find was to have her sit in back with no shoes on.
That's why we take the truck or RSX everywhere.

 

Let me get this straight, to save money you're going to:
1) sell your roughly 2-year-old TSX to buy a new Civic,
2) then sell the Civic in a couple years to buy a S2000?
I'm no expert, but I don't think you're going to save any money with that plan!! And where would the two kids fit in the S2000? Honestly from they way you sound, I bet you'd spend all the money you "saved" from trading down to a Civic on mods so you wouldn't "gain" anything in the end. BTW, I'm driving a Civic now (as well as a S2000) and can barely wait to trade it in on a 2006 TSX! Just keep the TSX and stop modding...

 

Keep the TSX! You will regret selling it until you upgrade from the Civic. Just stop modding and even part it out if you have to.

 

Best advice so far. I only recently learned to do this, but I don't have kids yet nor am I married. It's just a good idea to go this route and have something in the future.

 

well then if you are going to sell the TSX buy a used s2k... you can get one of the old ones and (in my opinion) an even better setup.

 

This is either the most confused person or the biggest attention whore

 

No. A 2002ish used civic and deposit the remaining 5-7k.

No we would keep the civic.

The S2k would be for my wife and I when we went out, or to take my son or daughter for a ride on a sunny day.

You must have missed the part where I said that I felt that I was at a point in my life that I should not be spending so much time, money and attention on my car when I have more important things to focus on. It would be kind of hard to spend the money when it's tied up in an account or bond........
[/QUOTE]

 

These are exactly my thoughts. My wife thinks that the temptation will still be there even if I get a civic though. Yes it may be, or it may not. Who knows. She thinks we should keep it. I currently have an IRA set up with about 10 k in it along with some other money in stock, but we are currently putting in 0% of my pay.

James

 

 

and how about those sales tax you have paid, you are not getting those back..... and you will pay it again on you next car. Doesn't make a good financial sense at this point. Like the others have said, sell the after market mods, work on a monthly budget to get some idea on your fixed expenditure, then tighten up the spending anywhere from utilities to shopping. As for saving college funds, the kids can always apply for loan as an alternative and pay it on their own later on (and work part time for some extra cash).