I totally agree...I dropped my country club last month having 2 kids in college it was an easy choice. However, I choose to live in Ft. Thomas so its all relevant. I paid 5 yrs on a new car so I have been down that road...hopefully I wont need to do that anymore.

 

It just cracks me up seeing some folks financing 2 $40K SUV's and extending themselves just to keep up with the Jones'.

 

Your side of the city has a TON of these types.

Well....I just joined the crowd. I traded in my Jeep and my VW for a new pickup truck. I really didn't think I would acquire a new vehicle again during my lifetime, but: 1) I needed a vehicle with a fairly recent model year as I am paid a car allowance; 2) It made sense to trade my two for one, and for a pickup so I can haul my stuff around the farm; and 3) I could get a better deal on new than on a recent used pickup. Still it was a scary decision to make, and I took out a car mortgage...I mean loan. However, I will pay it off in 3 years or less as I have with my company vehicles in the past.

 

I would usually recommend however, buying a used car and getting out of debt ASAP. Sometimes, there are other motivations at play.

Outside of my very first car ('72 Dodge Dart) that I got in '84...all of my vehicles have been used. Usually I end up with something 3-5 years old, and between 35-70k miles on them. Most of the time, I've had pretty dang good luck finding some gems. The only time that I haven't, was when I was pressed for a vehicle (due to an accident that made the previous vehicle undriveable) and didn't have the luxury to look around as much. I looked for my current vehicle for about 10-12 months before finally finding it at a dealership 8 hours away. (Gotta love the internet!) If we've had to finance, it's usually been in the 2-4 year range. Can't imagine going 5+.

In 2002 I got my first car, a 1992 Volvo that had about 150,000 miles on it.

 

You had to take the gas pedal to the floor when getting onto a major highway and merging was still a bit dicey if it was one of those short ramps in and around downtown Louisville.

 

I still miss that car.

 

It's a bit "dicey" no matter what you're driving when merging onto expressway in the Ville! :eek:

I completely agree that people can do whatever they want & that we all indulge ourselves in certain areas. But I would think that cars are the most common & largest expense in which people borrow so much on something that depreciates in value so quickly.

 

Big expense + depreciates quickly= The Wife j/k