are your neighbors buying nicer cars?

markio26 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 12:46 PM

i went outside today to sweep the front patio and flash sweep the garage floor.. sat down and looked around... 3 of my neighbors have newer vehicles.. and i feel for them... true happiness does not revolve around the material things you have... all of these neighbors live paycheck to paycheck, i know them well.. some ppl. are unchangeable and unteachable.
and 2 of them are recently retired from fomoco, must be spending the $100,000 payout... one just returned from 2 weeks in mexico... i think they said they have to pay their own medical now... anyway, i feel for them and their future.

Haku · #2 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 12:55 PM

I've sworn my life to low-cost, reliable vehicles for transportation. In an ideal world, I would not even need one in the first place, but alas, I live too far away from work for that to be practical.

Ima saver · #3 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 01:53 PM

That is the one thing we do splurge on, cars!! But we kept the bronco 10 years and gave it to someone needy and we kept the camero 7 years. My husband has worked 7 days a week almost for 30 years, and he likes cars!! It is the only thing he splurges on. We still have the 78 vette we bought in 78.

katwoman · #4 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 02:16 PM

Most of my neighbors are renters. Many have newer cars. If they are single moms, they're lucky to even have a car that runs.

The owners drive older cars. Mine is a 1996 Buick.

Thrifty Ray · #5 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 02:21 PM

I do not pay attention to others' things like cars, clothes, jewelry.

If they have it, good for them.

We are happy with what we have- I drive a 2000 Ford Escort (bought used)...DH Drives a 99 diesel F350 (also bought used)- for all the heavy wood that he totes and the better gas mileage....

I plan to drive my car 2 more years, then DD3 turns 16 (yikes) and I will give it/share it with her...I guess I'll walk afterthat

Ima saver · #6 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 02:40 PM

To be truthful, I don't pay attentions to my neighbors cars either. I can't tell one car from another or how old it is. My husband can.

Snoopy2645 · #7 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 02:42 PM

I drive a 99 dodge van & yes I do see others getting nicer cars oh well I dont care. I also know the situations behind them dh's brother has 2 or 3 new cars & a home loan thats interest only & I know its a matter of time before the crash & burn because at his old house the water was always being shut down.

Also the lady who rents my trailer from me drives a new car too oh well I have a almost paid for house & a trailer & a paid for vehicle hmm think I will take my life anyday over thiers I am sleeping well at night. OH Ya & the guy who got evicted he drives a brand new truck too guess we all have priorities. I do have an aunt & uncle though who always buy a new car but only in cash & they drive them forever & I mean forever!! I may some day get a brand new car just to do it 1 time in my life but that would be the only time just to do it once but not tell the kids are grown trust me they would destroy a new vehicle anyways!!

eisor · #8 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 04:12 PM

Speaking of nice cars, hehe (I probably shouldn't be laughing because it isn't funny). This neighbor our ours bought a new car a few months ago. Although, i'm pretty sure she had been saving up a while for it and put a fairly big chunk down on it. The reason I know this is because I was going to buy her old car. Well, we were trying to work a deal with her because she wanted way to much for the old car. Well, we find out the next day (only about one week she had her car) that the car was no longer for sale. Why? Because she backed into. Sadly, she totaled both cars. Had she just sold me the car, she'd still have her SUV and $2000 in her pocket. I would HATE to have been in that position. But, I would never go out and buy a new car. And, I ended up getting a car for FREE, so it worked out better for me anyways.

getforfree · #9 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 05:05 PM

I think we have the nicest cars in the neighborhood, except for one neighbor, but he has only one. We don't owe anything on them too.

tgavin71 · #10 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 06:00 PM

HI there (waves over the fence). I am your neighbour. We bought a "new to us" car last Tuesday. Our previous one had done 210,000kms and was starting to cost us a lot of money in repairs so it had to go. We have been paying off credit card debt at $920 a month which is down to $500. Most of that is work expenses that we claim back off my husbands work. We plan to use $240 a month to meet minimum payment requirements on the car and the rest to pay off the final CCs.

Thrifty Ray · #11 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgavin71

HI there (waves over the fence). I am your neighbour. We bought a "new to us" car last Tuesday. Our previous one had done 210,000kms and was starting to cost us a lot of money in repairs so it had to go. We have been paying off credit card debt at $920 a month which is down to $500. Most of that is work expenses that we claim back off my husbands work. We plan to use $240 a month to meet minimum payment requirements on the car and the rest to pay off the final CCs.

Nice to meet you. I am eager to learn more about you and your family. DH and I are not going to buy new cars anywhere in the near future as we are saving money for retirement, plus we are happy with what we have.

As you may or may not have noticed, we also don't dress to impress...we are pretty down to earth. Nope, we don't really hit those restaurants too much either...but we will fire up the bbq and visit...or bake a casserole or offer to mow your lawn if one of you falls ill... Would you like a glass of iced tea?

tgavin71 · #12 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 07:25 PM

LOL Thrifty Ray. Our car that we bought is a 2002 model with 73,000kms on it. We do around 10,000kms a year and all things going well we will keep this one until it does 200,000kms then we will trade it in for something else. We only have one car. Two cars just cost way too much run.
Will pass on the iced tea but a beer would be nice!

NoWayNovember · #13 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 07:41 PM

I read posts like these and can't help but think that perhaps we ought to judge less. I couldn't help but pick up on a bit of superiority in this message.

Right after my husband graduated college we bought a brand new car last year and drove it off the lot with 7 miles on it. I enjoy my new car but we probably won't do that again in the future. Does this mean that you're worried about me, too?

True happiness doesn't revolve around material things, but it also doesn't revolve around being smug, either.

abowers · #14 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 07:43 PM

My first car was a 1986 Chevy Caprice Estate station wagon, complete with wood trim, that I drove from december 1999-june 2001, when the transmission started to die.

Then I got a 1989 Ford Tempo with 78k miles from July/August 2001 - September 2002.

I had a 1995 ford contour that I bought in 2002 with only 32k miles on it. I had it until May 2005, and had racked up miles to something ridiculous like 75k miles. That is because someone drove into it while it was parked outside my apartment over night, totalling it.

After my rental car was up, my boyfriend's parents lent me their "extra" car until my boyfriend and I moved to NJ in July. We shared his 1998 Toyota Avalon (from his parents) until we bought a 2006 Ford Focus at the end of October 2005.

---
In western NY, the neighbors around my parents house had a mix of used and new cars, mostly domestic or honda/toyota. Nothing too flashy.

Now in Princeton, we see Porsches, Jaguars, BMWs, Acuras, Audis, Mercedes, Lexus(es) everywhere.

sweeps · #15 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 08:00 PM

I buy new cars. I like the fact that I'm not inheriting someone else's headache (or bad maintenance habits). I like that I get favorable interest rates (usually 0-2%). I also like that I can get a 5-year bumper-to-bumper warranty at a reasonable price (after playing some hardball with the finance manager).

I'm not really concerned about depreciation... I drive my cars for about 6 or 7 years, so it all balances out for me.

Thrifty Ray · #16 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoWayNovember

I read posts like these and can't help but think that perhaps we ought to judge less. I couldn't help but pick up on a bit of superiority in this message.

Right after my husband graduated college we bought a brand new car last year and drove it off the lot with 7 miles on it. I enjoy my new car but we probably won't do that again in the future. Does this mean that you're worried about me, too?

True happiness doesn't revolve around material things, but it also doesn't revolve around being smug, either.

Nope. I say more power to you. Everyone has their 'carrots' in life...and are entitled to enjoy them.

My 'carrots' just revolve around having enough 'time' to care for my parents and enjoy my kiddos....which means I choose not to work outside the home...which means I do not want a new car and the payments that would come with....

I hope I didnt come across as judging....as I truly believe we all have to live our own journey.

Enjoy!

Thrifty Ray · #17 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgavin71

Will pass on the iced tea but a beer would be nice!

Oh, pardon me....It is after 5 o'clock! lol

elcheapo · #18 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 08:42 PM

Heck, I'm 45 so at my age I can afford very nice cars and motorcycles but it took me almost 20 years before I could live like I do but when it comes to everything else I am still cheap when it comes to day to day expenses I am steal cheap.

Bookie · #19 (**permalink**) 05-09-2006, 10:18 PM

I'm happy to see the neighbors buying nicer cars.

Those are the clean used cars I save money by buying down the road.

sakigt · #20 (**permalink**) 05-10-2006, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoWayNovember

I read posts like these and can't help but think that perhaps we ought to judge less. I couldn't help but pick up on a bit of superiority in this message.

Right after my husband graduated college we bought a brand new car last year and drove it off the lot with 7 miles on it. I enjoy my new car but we probably won't do that again in the future. Does this mean that you're worried about me, too?

True happiness doesn't revolve around material things, but it also doesn't revolve around being smug, either.

I agree entirely.

When my boyfriend talks about how nice others' cars are I always mention, they have a nice payment too! It helps keep us in check