Small / economy car deathwatch: we've passed "peak econobox" again

[Bicycle Bob]

It was GM that really "discovered" the used car. They didn't want to compete with the Model "T" on price, so they started taking trade-ins, and turning another profit by offering those, which were still more desirable in many ways. Thus, we have always had to make do with what someone wanted to make an impression with. The last major attempt I've heard of to offer minimal motoring was the Tata Nano, but that new-car smell just wasn't enough.

[redpoint5]

I always bring this up, but my girlfriend at the time had a new Chevy Aveo with no air conditioning, and I was driving a fully loaded 4 year old Acura for about the same price. I'm sure she doesn't have that Aveo, or the next model year Aveo she traded in the "old" one for, while I still have the Acura.

[Isaac Zachary]

And I'm still kicking myself in the rear for getting rid of that 1985 VW Golf that had cost me $600 used and I drove for over 200,000 miles on an engine that had over 300,000 on it already.

[freebeard]

I miss every VW I don't now have. It hurt to watch the Dasher drive away. Even the Forest green Super.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I miss every VW I don't now have. It hurt to watch the Dasher drive away. Even the Forest green Super.

It might have been years since I've seen a Slug Bug. Can't remember the last time I saw one. Most prominently, they were everywhere in Mexico City in 2010.

The liberal in me moves on.

[freebeard]

Liberal or Classical Liberal?

I used to say that I would drive VW Beetles until I could upgrade directly to a UFO/flying car. Then I settled for a 1990 Metro.

I talked to a Beetle driver in a parking lot last week. His had perfect paint he said was done in the 1990s and show-ready wheels and interior. I see Beetles downtown every once in a while.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Your example of a $40k earning only having $20k to spend on a vehicle seems silly to me. I've never even spent $20k on a vehicle, and I've had nice vehicles.

It's the 50% rule that I did not make up.

The most I've ever spent on a car was the Avalon for $15,000, and I make around $45k. I don't think I'd ever spend more than $20,000 on a car, and that's just going by my circumstances, not the rule.

I'm still not sure what an economy car actually is.

Looking at 5-year-old Toyota Yaris' and Honda Fits with less than 60k miles on Autotrader in a 300 mile radius of my zip code with the setting starting with cheapest gets me $15,595 and up, about the same as I paid for the Avalon.

The cheapest Nissan Versa with manual transmission (because I don't trust Nissan automatics) is $15,999 with those same search catagories, not much less than a brand new one.

If I fly to Florida I might get one of these cars for $12,000.

But if the calculations of Edmunds are anything to go by, a brand new Corolla hybrid might be cheaper in the long run.

Another question that runs through my head is, do I sell the Avalon now while it's still worth over $10k, or do I wait 3 years later when it has 200k on it, and pop in a $5k hybrid battery when that dies and keep going in a 14-year-old car with over 200k on it?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Liberal or Classical Liberal?

Liberal, in the Latin sense, which is the only legitimate sense. Not in the Democratic People's Republic of China sense, which is also known as nonsense.

I'm the most liberal person I know... although I am friends with a Libertarian who used to be on the left. We might meet up around Christmas; he'll do most of the talking, I'll disagree somewhat, and we'll be good friends. He went from listening to Rush on the radio all the time, to whatever Portland said he should think, to Libertarian in Idaho.

I struck him once on new years eve, and apologized the next day, and he admitted he deserved it, having forced entry into the room me and my girlfriend were in after I explained I'm going to strike anyone that enters the lockless room.

He persevered that relationship anyhow.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

It's the 50% rule that I did not make up.

The most I've ever spent on a car was the Avalon for $15,000, and I make around $45k. I don't think I'd ever spend more than $20,000 on a car, and that's just going by my circumstances, not the rule.

$20k is about the most I can see spending on an expensive and depreciating thing. That said, I did entertain spending $50k on a dual motor Cybertruck, which is now $80k that I will never spend that much on. Even if I were a billionaire, I'd not spend that much just out of principle.

Looking at 5-year-old Toyota Yaris' and Honda Fits with less than 60k miles on Autotrader in a 300 mile radius of my zip code with the setting starting with cheapest gets me $15,595 and up, about the same as I paid for the Avalon.

There are consequences of producing less because of a pandemic, and money being worth less due to inflation.

Another question that runs through my head is, do I sell the Avalon now while it's still worth over $10k, or do I wait 3 years later when it has 200k on it, and pop in a $5k hybrid battery when that dies and keep going in a 14-year-old car with over 200k on it?

You want to sell it the day before it exhibits the first sign of a major problem, and that's the problem.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

There are consequences to producing less because of a pandemic, and money being worth less due to inflation.

But what do those conequences mean? Don't buy a 5-year-old used car because it costs as much as a new one? So then what should a person buy if he/she needs a car?

Once the used car market returns to normal then the sub-$20k-when-new-5-years-ago cars will no longer exist.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

You want to sell it the day before it exhibits the first sign of a major problem, and that's the problem.

I'm terrible at selling cars because I'm too honest. The only car I made some decent money on (which was not necessarily a net gain, but still a good sell price) was the 1972 VW Beetle.

[redpoint5]

I disclose everything when selling a car. Honor is not something to sell for a couple bucks. When I say you'd want to sell just before a major problem, I mean you would retain honor because you didn't know a problem was coming... and that's "the problem". Not knowing when something will malfunction prevents you from knowing precisely when to sell, but then if you were aware of a developing problem, you would be responsible to divulge that knowledge.