Put it in perspective. In 12/06, I put 65% cash down on a 2007 BMW that I ordered. Today, that car is worth less than what people here spend on a new high end tool or vacation.
Cons
1. the depreciation 2. the missed money on what that cash would have earned simply using the S&P
Pros
3. The sheer enjoyment the car has provided over 19 years, problem free until this Dec. when I had to replace thrust arm bushings
4. In a very out of character move I was the first on the block and back then a new 3 coupe turned heads, glad to have experienced it, no different than when you have a girlfriend that looks like Brooklyn Decker. One probably can't hold on forever, but it's amazing to think that we did it at least one time in our lives.
So, like anything else in life, a new car isn't all bad, if in moderation. At my age, I've bought 3 new cars. only 1/3 were junked after 25 years. The other two are still in the stable at 13 and 19 years old. Do people really spend time calculating their net worth? I mean that's a lot of zeros for many of us. What does it really matter, ego?
