The Price of New cars

Nothing wrong with buying a new car if you keep it. Problem is when you trade it in every 3 years and have the endless payments on just depreciation and little to no principle. . Don't recall the exact formulas, but I believe 10 years is the number where you get your moneys worth. After 10 years, maintenance costs put you in a hole. Less than 10 years then you pay for depreciation and have zero ownership.


I do all my own repairs so I've only owned 4 new vehicles in my life and I still own 2 of them. I literally wore out a 1993 Toyota 4 Runner and had to sell it for parts. I would still own my 1987 Ford T-Bird but it was T-Boned and destroyed in 1993. If you cant do your own repairs, then vehicles get very expensive after 8 - 10 years.

The problem is that manufacturers are making it impossible to work on new cars, forcing you to take it a factory authorized shop for 90% of problem. Trannies are sealed, cant even check fluid level. No more zerks, you have to have expensive code readers to check any trouble lights. Everything has a computer sensor connected, even the tires.

I do my own oil changes and check what fluids I can. 175,000 and still going strong on my F-150. I would love to buy a used one next time, but trucks are made to haul and tow, and I know lots of people who abuse trucks in that capacity because they know they will only have them 2 or 3 years and they wont have to deal with the problems and shortened life they created.
 
The prices of new trucks are outrageous!!! And I will admit I have a bad habit of buying them. However, don't forget the art of negotiation. I've never paid anywhere close to sticker price--I'm talking double digits from that. There are so many "extras" that aren't necessary. If you really do your homework--you'll come out ahead of the game...:cool: Anyway.. What do I know:laughing:
 
The prices of new trucks are outrageous!!! And I will admit I have a bad habit of buying them. However, don't forget the art of negotiation. I've never paid anywhere close to sticker price--I'm talking double digits from that. There are so many "extras" that aren't necessary. If you really do your homework--you'll come out ahead of the game...:cool: Anyway.. What do I know:laughing:
When I was truck shopping about two years ago, seemed every truck on the lot was loaded with options. Couldn’t find a plain Jane! Ended up buying an eight year old Z71 for 1/3 the price of new.
 
A strategy that I've found works well, is to wait 'til the last week of the month, the last month of the quarter. That is when they are really doing their best to meet sales goals, and that is when you have leverage as a buyer.
Don't be afraid to play dealerships against each other either. Get printouts on trucks (or cars) that you're interested with their lowest price and a salesman's signature on them, and take the best one to other dealerships to see who wants to beat it. You'd be surprised to find out how much they will knock off to make a sale and meet quota. I always tell them, "I'm going to buy a truck this week. It can be from you, or it can be from someone else."
 
This is my new ride a 05 tng 50cc scooter(40$ in parts and 180$ to title), and now the newest vehicle i own. Got a 99 cherokee(2000$), 01 dakota(2700$), and 00 gmc extended van for work(2300$). Plus the wife owns her mazda 3 she has had since new. Always bought used vehicles, getting ready to put the for sale sign on the jeep, she doesnt like to start when it get down to -0°F but is a great vehicle. Almost got the house paid off now and driving used cars has helped get to that point. Have lots of friends with crazy car payments and its something I will never have. :p
 

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I actually enjoy driving cheap old !!!! I can wrench on myself, so horrible looking and invisible nobody would steal, carjack, or break into, and so slow looking no Cop would pull over for speeding...I've owned some pretty swank rides, but you know what I discovered? A guy cant have anything nice!..Plus, a new car price is a loss from jump...costs a guy X 2 or 3 once the dust settles..If a guy calculates 'Cost per mile', figures in what you had to earn to drive this thing, what you sold it for or traded it in at, its a real eye opener...

I dont even wash my cars, for camoflage's sake...But, by gosh, mechanically? My old rottens are dependable!

I loved my 77 Plymouth Volare Wagon with the Slant 6 deuce and a quarter, stick, could roll start it if need be...paid $300 for it...I now like the older Corollas...point A to B as cheap as possible...

I consider cars as just another tool a guy needs to survive...like a good dog or horse, intended to get a guy where he needs to be going without a lot of fanfare or attracting any kind of adverse attention...I bet I've saved myself 1/2 a million dollars by doing my own work and squeezing miles out of cast offs...I dont have that money, but I bet I did once! :laughing:

As with dogs, Cars tend to mimic the personality of the owner..smokes, stinks, half rotten, dirty, beat up to be damned, leaks all over the place, not a chick magnet, but dependable and always ready to go?...yeah..thats me! :laughing:
 
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As long as people keep paying what they charge for new cars they will not only keep charging that but they will continue to push the price higher. There are a lot of " excuses " for the high price of new cars these days but they cant charge what we wont pay , so gullable consumers are ultimately the reason for the ridiculous car prices.
 
I am curretnly driving a company vehicle, thank goodness!
We have never been too interested in new vehicles, but we just got a new Ford Ecosport for the wife. 0% financing for 5 years, so why not, she earned it:D $22K
 
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