I am really seeing the effects of the economy now

originally posted by: 38181
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

You call this car a beater? My $200 Ford Taurus station wagon got me from Southern Illinois to Florida and back in two days without a hitch. I wasn't worried about it making the trip at all. Just because a car may be older than 12 years, doesn't mean it's a beater:

originally posted by: franklen
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"?

I'm not so sure about your reading capabilities, but for example, let me ask you this.

How much did you pay for your car and include all repairs you've had to do on it. What is that total amount?

I've got less than $2,000 in my Ford Taurus station wagon, including the price to buy it and all the repairs. I'd be willing to bet it's a lot less than the amount of money you paid, and that you're going to be honest about and post, right?

That's what I mean about it being cheaper to go the used route.

a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

Good lord! How do you see at night with those lenses!

J/k no that’s not hardly a beater, you should have seen mine at the time, had mine looked and drove like that I would still have it.

originally posted by: 38181
a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

Good lord! How do you see at night with those lenses!

J/k no that’s not hardly a beater, you should have seen mine at the time, had mine looked and drove like that I would still have it.

Thank you! That picture was taken before I polished the headlights. They were much brighter afterwards. That's why I hate that Detroit went super cheap. When I first started driving in the late-1970s, there were two sizes of lights and they fit all cars with round headlights. $2.50 for the small size and $5.00 for the large size. Headlights these days are super expensive. And it's by design.

I sure miss those days!

a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

mine is 21 years young, certainly not an old banger (old beater) this year is the first I've had to spend anything to pass its road worthy/emissions tests, and all she needed was new shocks (total inc full service was $500).

edit to add: ass far as I'm concerned the longer I have her the more eco friendly I am being.. the idea to keep consuming new eve few years feel the opposite of being eco friendly..

I've ben talking to a few people and since Christmas many has said they feel the economic pinch has become an economic punch..

I had to agree its gone from pinch to punch and worry what next..

a reply to: nickyw

Another indicator is airline furloughs, that’s a huge indicator of lack vacationers and travelers and it spirals down from there.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Purely anecdotally, things seem good here in the suburbs around Philly and Wilmington, DE. Restaurants seem full. Went out to a nice restaurant in Glen Mills, PA recently and had to wait 15 minutes on a Monday night (a little unusual for said restaurant). Jobs seem great. Have several friends that recently got awesome new gigs. I've recieved a significant raise. Investments have recovered nicely. I'm a saver, though, who lives off rice and beans. I drive a 2011 Ford Fusion with 180,000 miles on it, have no debt, and I have significant investments so I know that's not normal. I imagine those living paycheck to paycheck with a significant portion of their budget going towards food are really struggling.