Average new car price is $50K ? Insanity.

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It's like this. There has been a multitude of anti-new car posts recently. Mainly it's a price discussion or a debt discussion. As we all know who are regulars on this forum-acquisition of new beater posts have ground to a halt. My take-is there is a lot of pent of frustration of those who wish to upgrade their beater-who can't or won't pay the pricing for used vehicles that have gone up dramatically. I can't imagine anybody happy driving a Corolla with 400,000 miles on it. Bit then again-I could be wrong.
Like I tell my kids, if you don't like my car, you can give walking home a try...
My oldest is getting to the age where "looking cool" is of primary importance. I'm of the age, that not looking cool and retiring early once they are through school is sounding better all the time! My car's value is now totally dependent on maintenance, so if I can run it for a few more years and then let the kids have it, its what I want to drive!
I kind of like beater cars anyways,, you can find the fancy model seat at the wreckers for $20 when yours wears out, learn mechanics, and let your kids learn to drive around the farm with it. It becomes like a pair of work boots, you use them till they fall apart.
 
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My oldest is getting to the age where "looking cool" is of primary importance.

Don’t punk him/mock him/put him down for it. Enable him. Unless he’s a bad apple, I’d buy him a decent car that he’d enjoy to drive and be seen in, be proud of his father, and other kids would envy him regarding him having such a cool father. The “I ate **** and it made me a man, so you will too” is not a very productive doctrine, to put softly.

*I’m generalizing from your post only.
 
Don’t punk him/mock him/put him down for it. Enable him. Unless he’s a bad apple, I’d buy him a decent car that he’d enjoy to drive and be seen in, be proud of his father, and other kids would envy him regarding him having such a cool father. The “I ate **** and it made me a man, so you will too” is not a very productive doctrine, to put softly.

*I’m generalizing from your post only.
I think of it as motivation to buy his own "nice stuff". A manual wagon is pretty elite anyways ;) He just isn't mature enough to know that yet!
Punking/mocking isn't a good strategy for parenting or anything else, but I do share the perspective of age and non-youtuber income level with him.
 
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Like I tell my kids, if you don't like my car, you can give walking home a try...
My oldest is getting to the age where "looking cool" is of primary importance. I'm of the age, that not looking cool and retiring early once they are through school is sounding better all the time! My car's value is now totally dependent on maintenance, so if I can run it for a few more years and then let the kids have it, its what I want to drive!
I kind of like beater cars anyways,, you can find the fancy model seat at the wreckers for $20 when yours wears out, learn mechanics, and let your kids learn to drive around the farm with it. It becomes like a pair of work boots, you use them till they fall apart.
I sorry-not calling you a liar by any stretch-but I just don't believe this. If you are driving it with the "long game" in mind-that's understandable. But "wanting to drive it"? REALLY?
 
I’m currently driving a Ford Mustang as a rental, not by my choice.
The 2.3 ecoboost by the sound of it. What a snooze fest! Granted the engine pulls nice and from very low RPM, but between the fake V8 sounds, different steering and vehicle modes, that don’t change anything that much, it may as well be a Corolla.

I can’t imagine plunking $30k for it.
 
I’m currently driving a Ford Mustang as a rental, not by my choice.
The 2.3 ecoboost by the sound of it. What a snooze fest! Granted the engine pulls nice and from very low RPM, but between the fake V8 sounds, different steering and vehicle modes, that don’t change anything that much, it may as well be a Corolla.

I can’t imagine plunking $30k for it.

Today’s $30k is $19k in 2005 dollars. Was $19k a lot for a new mustang back in 2005?

Today’s one is better built, faster, safer, is quieter, and has more features. All for the same $19k - adjusted for inflation

Oh look, nothings changed. Same price, but you get more for it today thanks to progress:
IMG_1766.webp
 
Today’s $30k is $19k in 2005 dollars. Was $19k a lot for a new mustang back in 2005?

Today’s one is better built, faster, safer, is quieter, and has more features. All for the same $19k - adjusted for inflation

Oh look, nothings changed. Same price, but you get more for it today thanks to progress:
View attachment 151336
My point was that it feels like an appliance, may as well buy a new Corolla and save around $7k in the process and probably on insurance and possible theft target as well.

Given how a lot of new model driving experience are sacrificed in favor of infotainment systems and other features, I can see how someone would prefer older models.
 
My point was that it feels like an appliance, may as well buy a new Corolla and save around $7k in the process and probably on insurance and possible theft target as well.
It is an appliance, but the engine is fun and faster vs one in Corolla. Bet it handles nicer too. Better brakes. It certainly is different from Corrola, which I think (I could be wrong though) comes with non-independent rear suspension?
 
I sorry-not calling you a liar by any stretch-but I just don't believe this. If you are driving it with the "long game" in mind-that's understandable. But "wanting to drive it"? REALLY?
For me it's more like I don't mind driving it. Would I like something newer and nicer? Of course. I'm just not willing to pay the insane prices today...
 
For me it's more like I don't mind driving it. Would I like something newer and nicer? Of course. I'm just not willing to pay the insane prices today...
I could actually see myself enjoying it, at least parts of it, such as "how far can it go"! I had an '03 Corolla that I sold to my good friend. He still drives it daily, but she's a junior with 225K on it.
 
I sorry-not calling you a liar by any stretch-but I just don't believe this. If you are driving it with the "long game" in mind-that's understandable. But "wanting to drive it"? REALLY?
Well, its utility for its cost to run is a pretty good deal at the moment, I have a parts car, so its been 3 years driving for of gas, oil, and insurance, watching some youtube and then swapping some parts.
For sure a newer VW wagon would be nice, but they are near $20k and an old one around $5k might not be as good as mine?
I'm not going to say an old Focus wagon is super fun to drive, but its got good steering feel, the suspension is mostly the same as they ran in the european market, the gear box shifts pretty good with good ratios, it still has a throttle cable too. I used to do quite well at autocross with it too (2nd overall one year by a couple points) but I won't be doing much of that this summer. Of cheap cars, this is the one I want to drive as it fits lots of stuff in the back when needed as well.
These new compact raised suv/cars kind of look cool, but seem so impractical to me, with more complex drivetrains, with worse mileage, and stuff like 18-19" wheels and fake leather a biggish screen? all for "just" $25-30k... They are not for me anyways... To me something like the base Forester or Outback make the most sense, for those kind of dollars, as they aren't really that base anymore.
 
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Something that's mentioned often is the auto makers need to sell vehicles that are loaded with all sorts of bells and whistles in order to make a decent profit margin, which is why we don't see stripped vehicles on dealer's lots. I say if this is the only way they can make a decent profit, then there's something drastically wrong with the auto maker's business model...
 
For me it's more like I don't mind driving it. Would I like something newer and nicer? Of course. I'm just not willing to pay the insane prices today...

May I ask, 1) what is your budget? 2) what would you have gotten for it at pre-Covid prices?
 
I could actually see myself enjoying it, at least parts of it, such as "how far can it go"!

Best way to do this - I think - is to buy a quality car, like a Mercedes (for (example), preferably new or a supremely kept example, and do that experiment with it, by continuing supreme upkeep vs buying a clapped out penalty box Corolla at 150k mi and taking it to half a mil, fixing it with 2nd rate Chinese parts along the way
 
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