It occurs to me new vehicles are simply terrible. They cannot be fixed at home, they cannot be called upon to run 300k reliably (yes there may be a corolla out there maybe) and the prices/payments are terrible.
So who’s committed to their current 2010 vehicle and will be fixing it for life? For me? We have the 2010 sienna and 2008 Camry. There are parts everywhere and it’s all fixable. And if you think this is about just Toyota it’s not. I have a 2004 Chevy truck.
Personally I wish I could go bicycle but the motorcycle fits the bill. I may never buy a new vehicle ever again.
Frugal people, why are you “buying” a new vehicle?
byu/manbun78 inFrugal
Posted by manbun78
7 Comments
2010? I’m still driving my camry from 1998! 112k miles, it may outlive me….
Repairs on used cars have cropped me financially in the past, and used car prices over the past 5 years or so are a bit outrageous. If I can get a 0% interest loan on a new car with a good warranty, and I can negotiate a reasonable price, I’m doing it all day.
I mean there is a point where its no longer worth the repair costs. In terms of both time and money. Time lost repairing it, or time lost while its in the shop and you cant live your life easily, if you fix it yourself time spent diagnosing and waiting for parts.
Also you dont have to buy a new new vehicle. They deprecate fast, so you can get one thats two years old for a fair cost (at least when the market isnt batshit crazy)
I have a 2016 Camry hybrid bought secondhand that I intend to drive for many years to come
My parents always bought new cars, but we also used them pretty much until they wore out. The newest a vehicle was at the time we got rid of it was 10 years old — and we only got rid of it because a lady t-boned it. And me personally, I have a 2000 Toyota that’s still going strong.
‘03 Avalon and ‘08 4Runner in our fleet.
I value my safety and the safety of my passengers more than my money. Modern vehicles with collision avoidance and lane assist and other safety features as well as reverse cameras can save lives, and you can’t really put a price on that. Add to that buying a reputable newer vehicle, properly maintaining it, and driving it until the wheels fall off can be better than having to slap bandaids on a car that needs its life support plug pulled.