how much have you paid for a car and what would you pay for a car?

[mumof2]

wow our car has over 200,000km on it and still goes great I think a car is a tool and if it runs well then why replace it...people just look at things and want bigger and better rather than what they need...even if we were rich still wouldn't buy an expensive car...they are a tool

[JoeP]

wow our car has over 200,000km on it and still goes great I think a car is a tool and if it runs well then why replace it...people just look at things and want bigger and better rather than what they need...even if we were rich still wouldn't buy an expensive car...they are a tool

This is how we think of vehicles. They are tools to get us from point A to point B. They have to be safe, comfortable, economical and dependable. We don't need or want "luxury" or "performance" in order to be happy...those are costs that don't give us anything beyond what we need.

Unfortunately, road salt takes its toll on vehicles in the northeast and midwest, so underbody components like suspension and exhaust age much faster than engines and interiors.

[kork13]

Unfortunately, road salt takes its toll on vehicles in the northeast and midwest, so underbody components like suspension and exhaust age much faster than engines and interiors.

Have you ever gotten an under-coating sprayed onto your cars' underbelly? It's basically a semi-thick layer of ...something... that protects the metal components from corrosion due to road salt. It's not very expensive (maybe $500-$600?), and helps to reduce alot of those problems.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Have you ever gotten an under-coating sprayed onto your cars' underbelly? It's basically a semi-thick layer of ...something... that protects the metal components from corrosion due to road salt. It's not very expensive (maybe $500-$600?), and helps to reduce alot of those problems.

Yes and detailed every 4 months. But you can tell. I had a mechanic as me when we moved to the west coast if it was an east coast car? He could tell. And when I moved east with 100k corolla the mechanic was like this is not an east coast car.

[ua_guy]

The amount of salt they use here in the midwest is shocking. I get that people need safe roads because they can't slow down, but what an environmental travesty. Another reason I want to leave---right now. I'm a car guy, and I'm driving a newer midsize pickup, and it's just going to get destroyed. No idea why anyone here drives a nice car.

[Milly]

We paid cash for a 3 year old Honda Odyssey for $28,357 when we realized you couldn't fit 3 car seats in our Camry without slamming the door. It only had 27k miles, leather seats, navigation, and a DVD player. Yes, it was a fantastic deal for what it was. In fact, our sassy sales lady had an argument with management fighting for her commission because another dealership put in an offer larger than ours while we were test driving. It had been on the lot for over a month and the dealer wanted it gone.

We absolutely love our van. I know it will always start (not the case for our prior vehicle). The DVD player has been amazing on our annual 14 hr drive to the in-laws. The key with a button for the sliding doors is basically a safety feature for keeping toddlers moving forward in a parking lot.

Was it a good idea though? We thought it was worth that money, but I have since seen the "rich dad" way of buying an investment that creates the income to pay for your liabilities (although I'm still a cash paying kind of girl). I would much rather have a junk car and half another rental property. It only takes 3 of them paid off for us to no longer need a job (we spend the money from 2 of them, the third pays taxes and medical insurance). I've caught this itch that I'm not sure how to scratch without saving even more.

[kork13]

The amount of salt they use here in the midwest is shocking. I get that people need safe roads because they can't slow down, but what an environmental travesty.

I didn't realize this until moving to Alaska, but salting the roads in forested areas can actually be more dangerous. Why? Deer & (in Alaska) moose will hang out on the road lapping up the salt. Folks in the neighborhood who salt their driveways instead of scraping up the ice as it builds often get greeted in the morning by a large furry problem, and have to call in late for work until the moose moves on.

Alaska eventually banned the use of salt on the roads because of the number of moose-related accidents (which 90% of the time result in death, because they're so big, tall, & gangly that they don't land on the car's hood -- they land on top of the roof, with everybody inside crushed under 1500 lbs of Bullwinkle).