I am really seeing the effects of the economy now

originally posted by: Sircofs
Yep, I can’t buy a used (2019 or newer) truck to save my life with cash. Right now I’m finding used 2022 trucks with 30k miles or more for $10k over MSRP. One dealer wouldn’t even negotiate on price when I showed up to see a low mileage truck that was scratched, dented, dinged, and had ripped interior. Some of trucks are sitting on the lots for months and the best the dealers want to do is knock off $200! Like, I have cash in full. I’m not going to pay over MSRP, nor am I going to buy a piece of junk just so I can have a truck. This is ridiculous.

I've been watching for two years, it is coming down. Just wait.
There is a tsunami of cars & trucks coming. What happened with mortgages in 08 is going to happen with cars. Just watch!

a reply to: JAGStorm

In 3 months there will be so many repos the market will be flooded. It is already starting.

a reply to: JAGStorm

some are calling this not the great depression but the great divergence, from the west/usa...

the thing is while the west locked down china expanded its production so with the full opening of china the true cost of lockdown for the west will become apparent especially of they start the export bans on things the west wants/needas, we may have printed but the west has left itself no headroom to deal with small shocks or an expanded economic war let alone deal with the big shocks coming..

the dilemmas are many the west needs cheap energy to produce and compete and if it can't even get the green stuff without buying if from china who are looking to lock down exports.. no energy equals no production...

compare us with India looking at 6.3% annual GDP growth with a 5.7% rate of inflation while Europe is registering 1.9% annual GDP growth with an 8.5% rate of inflation...

we are screwed to another level of f*cked right now (appols for language)

a reply to: matafuchs

as far as i can see we are in the last quarter v=before the real crash... china fully opening is going to sink the west especially if it pivots to its internal market and bans exports..

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: Sircofs
Yep, I can’t buy a used (2019 or newer) truck to save my life with cash. Right now I’m finding used 2022 trucks with 30k miles or more for $10k over MSRP. One dealer wouldn’t even negotiate on price when I showed up to see a low mileage truck that was scratched, dented, dinged, and had ripped interior. Some of trucks are sitting on the lots for months and the best the dealers want to do is knock off $200! Like, I have cash in full. I’m not going to pay over MSRP, nor am I going to buy a piece of junk just so I can have a truck. This is ridiculous.

I've been watching for two years, it is coming down. Just wait.
There is a tsunami of cars & trucks coming. What happened with mortgages in 08 is going to happen with cars. Just watch!

I’m hoping. I recently started a nice side business and need a truck. Heck, I can’t even get something from the 70’s for a decent price anymore. It isn’t worth getting anything from the 80’s or 90’s because I’m in California and their emissions requirements are the strictest in the country, most of the old stuff won’t pass or the parts needed are obsolete. All so they can get you in electric or drive something that tracks you.

originally posted by: Sircofs
I’m hoping. I recently started a nice side business and need a truck. Heck, I can’t even get something from the 70’s for a decent price anymore. It isn’t worth getting anything from the 80’s or 90’s because I’m in California and their emissions requirements are the strictest in the country, most of the old stuff won’t pass or the parts needed are obsolete. All so they can get you in electric or drive something that tracks you.

This probably doesn't help you as much, living in California, as it could other people, but: I recently saw a new company advertising to buy your old car that maybe clunked out. They'll buy it cheap, put a new engine in it, or whatever it needs, and then sell it, still under what used cars are selling for these days. I think it's the way to go, in fact, I've already been doing that myself.

I found a 1996 Ford Taurus station wagon that my neighbors had, which had overheated. I paid them $200 for the car, put another engine in it and still drive it. I bought it in 2007, so I've had it myself for 16 years.

Then I found a 1996 Mercury Sable station wagon, (sister car to the Ford Taurus), and paid $300 for it. The body was perfect but it needed a new engine. I had an engine put in and have been driving that car for 7 years now.

I've spent less than $3000 for both cars and repairs, and have no car payments. It's too bad you couldn't do something like this where you live.

Edit to add:
And both my station wagons are not junky looking for that price:



They both do have some aftermarket wheels and lots of polish.

originally posted by: The2Billies

The eggs I bought during COVID were 99 cents a dozen at Walmart, admitedly to get people in the store. A few months ago they were over $2 a dozen, yesterday I paid $7 a dozen for one dozen eggs. Inflation at 8% give me a break.

I heard of some crazy prices, but Costco had 2 dozen for 8 bucks, still very high. What I saw as strange was Jewish rye bread over 5 bucks a loaf. Going out sucks 100+ dollars for anything. local beer went from 5 to 8 now too.

originally posted by: TrulyColorBlind


They both do have some aftermarket wheels and lots of polish.

I typically buy cars about 2 to 3 years old but keep them 15+ years too. It's nice having zero car payments.

originally posted by: Xtrozero
It's nice having zero car payments.

It sure is!

I've been shopping at aldis for years now. Eggs went from about a dollar a dozen in 2021 to 8 a dozen now. And aldis has always been a cheaper way to get food here and I've seen there prices skyrocket over the past few years. Milk went from 1.99 to 4.99 for example. a reply to: The2Billies

originally posted by: TrulyColorBlind

originally posted by: Xtrozero
It's nice having zero car payments.

It sure is!

Yup, that’s why I’ve kept my 1995 Lincoln for so long. Low miles and paid off. Whatever I spend on repairs is less than a monthly payment. Even used private party is insane at the moment.

a reply to: JAGStorm
Where I am in Maine, vehicle and housing prices are going up. Most folks can barely afford too survive.

originally posted by: Sircofs
Yup, that’s why I’ve kept my 1995 Lincoln for so long. Low miles and paid off. Whatever I spend on repairs is less than a monthly payment.

I think that's the bottom line. People who normally wouldn't get a used car because they prefer a new car, don't realize that if a used car breaks down, (which any car can do), they wouldn't have that expensive car payment as well as the repair costs, just the repair costs. The 1996 Mercury wagon I bought, the owner originally wanted $500 dollars, but I got it down to $300 He said they kept replacing one thing after another until they'd just about built a new car. The crankshaft broke and he said "Not one more penny." So, I got it for a discount, plus with a lot of new parts already on it. People don't realize that if they pay $30,000 for a new car, replacing parts on a used one is a whole lot cheaper.

This was done on purpose...Democrats needed a cash grab and with their distain for the American people it all came together.

Between the gas prices and inflation on products..this is a nation wide tax, a sleazy way to generate more money while hurting the people
And its very slow that it will take a year or 2 before it has slowly bled people dry.

When you find yourself in charge of a country, having the responsibility to feed and provide gas and oil to millions.
It's hard, but when the citzens seem unappreciative. The elites will spank them.

Yeah to all of that but At least Trump doesn’t tweet anymore

exactly right... But he does his untruth crap..

You, he, she is talking about life... things change. Lunch dates and housing prices? Get over it

a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

TextI think that's the bottom line. People who normally wouldn't get a used car because they prefer a new car, don't realize that if a used car breaks down, (which any car can do), they wouldn't have that expensive car payment as well as the repair costs, just the repair costs.

I am not sure if that is the dumbest thing I haver read... I mean... can we break this down? "People that get a new car do not realize that if a used car breaks down it is cheaper"?

a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

I used to be that frugal guy who drove a 12+ year beater car. I bit the bullet one day and bought a good two year old factory certified used car that still had the warranty and the previous owner spent a ton of money on options. I basically stole it. Paid cash. I should have done that a loooooong time ago.

So every now and then something newish and an upgrade is refreshing, plus worries about making a long cross country trip no longer stresses me out. No stress= gold

a reply to: nickyw

But you are ignoring China's own problems that are going to be a long time fixing, they have energy problems though with the end of zero covid in theory that should get fixed assuming the lack of natural immunity doesnt cripple them.

They have a huge water problem, which leads directly to a food problem, difficult to grow crops without usable water.

They are also still dealing with the fall out of their own banking disaster, which is going to have a huge impact on that real estate bubble that they are trying to reinflate.

Though yes the west is screwed, because of the supply issues of the last few years I think we will see more manufacturing come back into regions with shorter supply lines rather than having to go round the globe.

Last piece on china they have to import a HUGE amount of stuff to continue their economy the way it is, if they continue to be belligerent they could find themselves facing huge shortages.

a reply to: franklen

Read all the way through the post, its cheaperr if your payment is 500 or lower, vs 700+ dollars a month + the cost of the repari

ETA: or if you have the cash to pay for it outright then no payment +the cost of repair.

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: nickyw
a reply to: JAGStorm

sadly we've been living on eggshells for decades but the 2007/8 financial crisis should have been our our wake up call, a call all sides have ignored..

2008/09 was terrible for my family, but I will say that lesson stayed with us and shaped us. That’s why us middle aged folks will do better this go round than the younger people. They are already going into shock over layoffs, prices and housing. They haven’t even seen anything yet. LIKE every single person you know being laid off. Seeing lifelong friends move out of state. Seeing kids cry over having to leave the only school district they’ve ever known. Seeing marriages break down over the financial stresses. Seeing people do the unthinkable due to the stresses.

It’s not here yet, it really isn’t, but like you I don’t think we are far away from it.

Totally agree. 08/09 was the ruffest financial time of my life. Lost my house, divorce, the whole 9. I learned from it, recovered and saved as much as i could. Made alot of money in the Trump years, bought a foreclosure in cash 2019. Wont be losing my house this go around. That time period really did shape me into who i am today.