You had me going until you got the part about the rickety old car restoration. I suspect my experience might have been an anomaly, but let me share it anyways.
Half way through college, Dad got me a 65 Mustang that we selected from a scrap yard. Together we worked on it enough to get it running time for graduation. (note the key word here: Together!). Over the next few years, I continued to restore it and used it as a daily driver for the next ten years. It worked for me because...
1) Repair and upgrade costs were less than a car payment. 2) I lived close enough to work (less than 5 miles) to make an older car a work able option. 3) By repairing and maintaining it myself, I picked up more useful skills than I did during my time in the public education system.
The best part was my dumb-ass COWorkers, who would constantly tell me to get a cheap used car. Five minutes with a spreadsheet would show that the break even point for reliability and usefulness was well above the 'cheap' range. (did I mention how many of these cow-irkers were fucked beyond any hope financially?)
My point is that older cars can be cost effective...if you still have the masculine skills of debug & repair!
My poor brother in law dated then married a woman who could not stop spending. She was addicted to spending like other people are addicted to heroin. She was also a hoarder and ended up spending on extra storage, while living in a rented house. To top it all off, she couldn't even stop spending when the bank account was empty and paid over $7000 one year in BANK OVERDRAFT CHARGES.
2 comments:
Cappy:
You had me going until you got the part about the rickety old car restoration. I suspect my experience might have been an anomaly, but let me share it anyways.
Half way through college, Dad got me a 65 Mustang that we selected from a scrap yard. Together we worked on it enough to get it running time for graduation. (note the key word here: Together!). Over the next few years, I continued to restore it and used it as a daily driver for the next ten years. It worked for me because...
1) Repair and upgrade costs were less than a car payment.
2) I lived close enough to work (less than 5 miles) to make an older car a work able option.
3) By repairing and maintaining it myself, I picked up more useful skills than I did during my time in the public education system.
The best part was my dumb-ass COWorkers, who would constantly tell me to get a cheap used car. Five minutes with a spreadsheet would show that the break even point for reliability and usefulness was well above the 'cheap' range. (did I mention how many of these cow-irkers were fucked beyond any hope financially?)
My point is that older cars can be cost effective...if you still have the masculine skills of debug & repair!
My poor brother in law dated then married a woman who could not stop spending. She was addicted to spending like other people are addicted to heroin. She was also a hoarder and ended up spending on extra storage, while living in a rented house. To top it all off, she couldn't even stop spending when the bank account was empty and paid over $7000 one year in BANK OVERDRAFT CHARGES.
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