Government 4500 cash for clunkers.. what to get

[joey]

Ah, that reminds me of something: if you can't afford to buy a car all at once (i.e., with a signed check), you can't really afford the car. At some point in society, people began viewing cars like houses (which merit a thread unto themselves), replete with monthly payments and finance rates. It's bizarre.

There are a lot of things viewed as normal that are wholly abnormal; one of them is buying a car piece by piece and paying extra for the privilege because you can't actually afford to buy the car in one go, but are too (greedy) to buy one within your means.

Simply put, if you can't drive off the lot knowing every part of that car belongs to you, you just bought something beyond your budget, and have signed over years of unnecessary wage labor to the dealership.

[hyperyaris]

I agree, although as a poor person with a job, I could never afford any car, new or used, unless I paid on time. I would have to walk 20 miles every morning and night, which is not reasonable to survive. So I for one am glad to buy certain necessities on time.

P.S. I used to buy cheap, used, old cars for the only money I had all at once. They would drive for a month or two, then have some major failure that I could not afford to fix. So, I would buy another. I once calculated a monthly payment for a new Toyota with how much I was paying by buying clunkers every few months, and the new car was cheaper. Sorry, but some of us are poor and HAVE to pay on time, or else we could not drive, and therefore could not work, and therefore would starve to death and die.

[cfg83]

ebacherville -

I like your thought processes. I think one of the reasons that the Fit/Jazz has been a worldwide hit for Honda is that it serves as a stylish mini-van in a compact footprint.

CarloSW2

[hyperyaris]

Yaris gets better mileage than Fit hehe. Don't shoot me.

[cfg83]

hyperyaris -

Originally Posted by hyperyaris

I agree, although as a poor person with a job, I could never afford any car, new or used, unless I paid on time. I would have to walk 20 miles every morning and night, which is not reasonable to survive. So I for one am glad to buy certain necessities on time.

P.S. I used to buy cheap, used, old cars for the only money I had all at once. They would drive for a month or two, then have some major failure that I could not afford to fix. So, I would buy another. I once calculated a monthly payment for a new Toyota with how much I was paying by buying clunkers every few months, and the new car was cheaper. Sorry, but some of us are poor and HAVE to pay on time, or else we could not drive, and therefore could not work, and therefore would starve to death and die.

I hear people saying that "driving is a privilege". But, the economic argument can be made that driving is a *necessity* for making a living. It has been true for me, especially in Los Angeles.

Today a new car is considered second only to a mortgage in terms of "lifetime purchases". This was not always true. You can also use the new car loan to build-up your credit rating.

I've never bought a car with cash. In my life, I've bought two new cars and one used car, all with 60 month loans. Then I make block payments to pay-off the car early (so the bank gets less total interest, hee hee hee). However, if I were to lose my job, I have a low payment. If I then get a lower paying job, I'm still able to make my payment.

CarloSW2

[cfg83]

Hello -

Here is a buying guide :

Cash for Clunkers: Brand-by-Brand Buying Guide

CarloSW2

[The Atomic Ass]

Originally Posted by joey

Ah, that reminds me of something: if you can't afford to buy a car all at once (i.e., with a signed check), you can't really afford the car. At some point in society, people began viewing cars like houses (which merit a thread unto themselves), replete with monthly payments and finance rates. It's bizarre.

Why a signed check? Why not roll into the dealership with a briefcase full of musty dusty twenty dollar bills, some dating back into the 90's?

If you're going to buy in CASH, why not use cash...

[cfg83]

The Atomic Ass -

Originally Posted by The Atomic Ass

Why a signed check? Why not roll into the dealership with a briefcase full of musty dusty twenty dollar bills, some dating back into the 90's?

If you're going to buy in CASH, why not use cash...

When I was buying my first new car (a 2nd gen Honda CRX), they brought in the "closer" to get me to sign on the dotted line. The closer said something like this :

"Look, we really like you. We want to sell you the car. You're not like the other people who come in here with bags of money. You know who I'm talking about. We charge them FULL price, no exceptions!"

What he was talking about was drug money. If he was telling the truth, then he was *boasting* that he was laundering money for drug dealers. I was stunned and too wet behind the ears to get up and walk out the door.

CarloSW2

[99LeCouch]

My fiancee just got an 09 Fit Sport. It's a very nice little car. Well, little on the outside. It feels like a much bigger car when you're driving, until you go to park it.

Talk about roomy, it only gives up ~10 cubic feet of space to my Buick for interior volume. And the back seats are super-easy to use.

She really likes it, and it's impressed me for sheer utility, driving fun, and gas mileage without trying. I got 42 MPG on a highway stretch when the car had 600 miles on the odo. That figure will only get better with time.

[KJSatz]

I'd probably get the Yaris...I love the Fit and Civic though.