How much is "Too Much" car?

[Willie Boy]

Well well, well, Willy Boy gets the JUB gold star of the day for nailing some dumb bastard who kan't spel rite!

No thanks, I already own too many stars. You keep it for me.

And just to let you know, my partner can't even spell wrong...... And I nail him quite often...... Especially when he begs for it.

 

[jbrown329]

It could be an area thing. My aunt was a bus driver and I knew exactly what a dial-a-ride was.

But usually people who have disabilities and can't drive, and find it difficult to operate public transportation or it costs to much, they get anxious etc.

They use a dial-a-ride service. Which here in LA is called Access.

You basically call them up and you can either use a taxi, or a shuttle that has other people in it. They take you to your destination, and then bring you back home.

You have to qualify for it though.

There's a service here from the transit authority which sends out a small bus. You have to qualify. The last place I lived, there was a disabled (wheelchair bound) woman that used it. She said it was mostly a pain in the ass though. The wait times could end up being an hour.

Right now I'm without a car. I hate it.

My current car is 15yrs old. It has 56K original miles and runs great. In the next month or so I'll be getting the parts and getting it back on the road. It will end up being two toned then. Oh, well. I've always been more concerned about how a car runs than how it looks.

Were I to buy a new car, I don't need (or want) all the bells and whistles.

 

[peeonme]

No thanks, I already own too many stars. You keep it for me.

And just to let you know, my partner can't even spell wrong...... And I nail him quite often...... Especially when he begs for it.

Getting nailed makes it all worth it....

 

[Willie Boy]

Getting nailed makes it all worth it....

Screw you!

 

[sixthson]

You mean like your glow in the dark magnum condoms?

 

[mikey3000]

I love to drive and I do a lot of it, so I like nice cars. I still haven't figured all the toys on my current car (let alone the wife's car), but it's just like Christmas when I find a new feature. Maybe I should read the manuals ?

 

[sixthson]

Maybe I should read the manuals ?

Only if all else fails.

 

[peeonme]

Screw you!

Please.....

 

[Willie Boy]

Please.....

If my partner were willing I just might.

 

[Telstra]

I have no such craze for cars.
They are just a tool for you to use to get you from A to B.
Just a very reliable one will be the choice.

 

[offthewall14420]

They're an incredible waste of assets or leverage. I look at the total cost of transportation, including externalities. Plus I'm a really shitty driver. Odds are the car will be in an accident within a couple years.

It's sort of like a yacht. Never would want to own one myself, but having a friend with one is great.

 

[mikey3000]

I buy solid second hand luxury cars which lessens the hit on assets and leverage but pays dividends in the esteem dept.

 

[Alnitak]

They're an incredible waste of assets or leverage. I look at the total cost of transportation, including externalities. Plus I'm a really shitty driver. Odds are the car will be in an accident within a couple years.

It's sort of like a yacht. Never would want to own one myself, but having a friend with one is great.

I agree it's a terrible allocation of assets, but the point of money is to make you happy as well as secure. For many fortunate people it's an acceptable risk.

 

[Aron9000]

I buy solid second hand luxury cars which lessens the hit on assets and leverage but pays dividends in the esteem dept.

Dude, I totally agree with you. Granted my Cadillacs were kind of old lady pensioner cars, but still, I thought they were pretty cool. Plus that red 1995 Fleetwood was actually pretty fast,

 

[mbamike]

I would like a more luxurious car, but my budget won't allow it right now. So, I'm driving a 2007 Toyota Camry LE which I bought used; a very basic car. It was discounted several thousands for hail damage and severely scratched bumpers. Apparently, the previous owner did not know how to maneuver corners.

It is a very dependable car and very easy to drive. I was surprised at the amount of torque the transmission has in it. I have no problems climbing these mountains in East Tennessee.

So, "too much" car is one that exceeds one's budget and/or one that is a financial liability.

 

[jbrown329]

This. 1968 Corvette Stingray with a 427cu engine and an M22 "rockcrusher' 4sp transmission. I'd so be in trouble if I had one. Zoom!

 

[Willie Boy]

I would like a more luxurious car, but my budget won't allow it right now. So, I'm driving a 2007 Toyota Camry LE which I bought used; a very basic car. It was discounted several thousands for hail damage and severely scratched bumpers. Apparently, the previous owner did not know how to maneuver corners.

It is a very dependable car and very easy to drive. I was surprised at the amount of torque the transmission has in it. I have no problems climbing these mountains in East Tennessee.

So, "too much" car is one that exceeds one's budget and/or one that is a financial liability.

I have to disagree. Too much car is having more than one finds useful in a car, regardless of what is affordable. Otherwise there would be no such thing as too much car for a number of people. I could afford a tank, as well as financial liability for it, does that mean I should be driving one down the street? No, although it would eliminate the traffic issue. The point is a tank is way too much. How would one defend the idea of driving a tank down America's streets, there's just no need for it, nor is there any real appreciable benefit to anyone. Another way to consider it is how much car can you handle, as far as driving? I think of many of these newly licensed drivers whose parents rush out to buy them the brand new sports car...... Only to later cry when little Johnny or Jeanette wrap the machine around a tree (or another vehicle or whatever). Do little 16/17 year old kids who have barely started learning how to drive need something designed to far surpass the legal speed limit? No. Do they have the skill to safely operate such a vehicle, one better off left on the race track? No. Is such a vehicle way too much for them? Definitely. But both the kids and their parents are far too caught up in the perception of status in having the little teeny boppers behind the wheel of such vehicles that they can't be bothered with common sense. But when little Johnny or Jeanette "accidentally" (substitute the word "stupidly" for better accuracy) kills one or more people, through every fault of their own inability to control the vehicle/themselves, the parents are the first to blame everybody but themselves, the real culprits.

But I digress..... The point too much car seems best described as being more car than one can use or handle.

 

[offthewall14420]

I agree it's a terrible allocation of assets, but the point of money is to make you happy as well as secure. For many fortunate people it's an acceptable risk.

It's not acceptable risk, it's acceptable waste. I don't understand how people enjoy driving. It's just a pain in the ass and traffic is bad everywhere.

If a person buys into the whole fossil fuel marketing campaign of expensive cars = happiness and freedom then maybe they'd be happier. Maybe that's why. Not sure.

 

[jbrown329]

My first vehicle? A 1959 Chevy pickup. Rust bucket. 2nd car was a 1952 Chevy Deluxe. It burned oil so bad that I carried a gallon jug of oil under the hood. I could fog for mosquitoes with it.

3rd car was a '66 Chevy Impala, I rodded that one. When I started college, I traded for a '76 Honda Civic. When I crunched it, I bought a '62 Dodge Dart. Got my Honda fixed, parked the Dodge. When I sold the Honda, I went back and brought my Dodge out.

4th car was an '85 Ford Escort. That one I got screwed on. Got rid of that and got my current car, a '01 Ford Escort.

So, no real sports car. My current car is the only one that had power windows, power mirrors and cruise control.

Now you can get a car with all the 'goodies'. Power everything. Navigation. Heated seats. Dual temp controls for driver/passenger. More stuff to break. More $$$ to fix.

 

[Kyanimal]

The first car I drove was Dad's '63 Buick Special, a "compact" at the time, a new class for U.S. cars, it was 3yr. old.

The first car that was Mine was a new '70.5 AMC Gremlin when they first came out. I was 19, going on 20, in college. It's options were an automatic transmission, a luggage rack, and an AM radio. Had a 258 straight 6. Listed at $2,500.

People would stop to ask what country it was built in. When meeting another Gremlin, it was mandatory to flash your lights.

The most people I had in that car was 8. 3 in front. 3 in back. And, 2 behind the back seat, one being me since I was small.

The back seat would fold flat, and the front (split bench) would reline. That configuration lead to Many interesting stories! HA!

It had a 1yr or 12,000mi warranty, which was unheard of at the time. I hit the 12k in three months!

The car I learned to drive with a stick shift, "three on the tree", belonged to a buddy. It was a '60 Mercury. The steering wheel was bigger than I was!

Since then, I've driven everything from tiny MG's to limos. The biggest cars I've OWNED were a '69 Olds 88, and a '65 Mercury Monterey.

The Olds was my favorite. I bought it in '76, and drove it 'til '84. That thing was a Tank! Had a "posi track" rear end, and a 350 V8. She'd go through Anything! If I got 16mpg on the highway I was lucky!

At one time Kev had a 74 Chrysler Imperial. We had to take out some of the drywall on the garage's back wall to be able to close the garage door! (The garage was built in 1920.) Talk about a True BOAT! Even the crew cab pickups he had later weren't that long!

I did the mini-van thing. '85 Plymouth Voyager, with all the toys. Very comfy. Very useful. Our German Shepherd considered it hers.

Had a '92 Dodge Shadow Turbo Convertible. Loved that little thing! Sporty and FAST.

Current cars are All Wheel Drive mid-sized sedans. 2008 Dodge Avenger, and 2015 Chrysler 200 S (Sport). Basically the same car with a 7yr difference. The Avenger is analog, the 200 is all digital. Not too big. Not too small. Great "snow cars". (Hey! I live in Wisconsin!) And, both will SCOOT!

I remember a time when all windows were crank, and AC was a dream. Cruise Control was the right sized weighted brick. Now? The 200 doesn't even require a key, just the proximity of the fob in my pocket.

Too much car? Depends on your needs, and budget. The 200 replaced a 2013 Dodge Dart. Though the Dart was Fun, it was manual shift, and had a "tight" ride. With my older bones I traded her in before the clutch, and my left leg, gave out. HA!

I began leasing cars after the Shadow convertible. That was followed by a Sebring convertible. (Meh!) Only 18 mo. later I turned it in to lease a Dodge Caliber. That was a FUN "little shit"! Then, the Avenger caught my attention, and at the end of it's lease, I bought it.

Leased the Dart, too. And, the 200 is also a lease. Just heard they're going to stop building them, in about 18mo. I'm thinking I might also buy the 200 at lease end. We'll see ...