Father In Law's Comment About My Car

[WynnDuffy73]

He obviously isn't aware of my mustachianism.   Funny because lately I've actually gotten satisfaction out of seeing others continue on with their out of control consumerism.  It just further reinforces I'm on the right path.

[pachnik]

Oh, man.  I drive a 2009 Civic (with only 44,000 kilometres on it).  I wouldn't dream of  getting a new car.  Lots of people out there would I guess. 

[Duchess]

I wonder what you father-in-law would make of our 2004 Skoda Fabia then. It has 130,000 miles on the clock and we're planning on running for as long as possible. (Don't think you have Skodas in the US. It'd probably be described as a 'compact' car.) It has a diesel engine and routinely does 50+ MPG even on winding English country lanes.

ETA: It's good that you don't seem too bothered by your FIL's comments.

[Davids]

Oh boy your father in law would then have a heart attack if he saw my 10 year old car.

[big_slacker]

He would have shit himself had he seen my wife's former car. 92 accord with no muffler, cracked windshield, power steering fluid had to be refilled every 2 weeks, sunroof sealed with caulk. Well, that wasn't being frugal. We were just poor. :)

The idea of needing a new car when you have one well under 100k miles that (I assume) has no major problems is insane.

[Vertical Mode]

I wonder what you father-in-law would make of our 2004 Skoda Fabia then. It has 130,000 miles on the clock and we're planning on running for as long as possible. (Don't think you have Skodas in the US. It'd probably be described as a 'compact' car.) It has a diesel engine and routinely does 50+ MPG even on windy English country lanes.

I can't say for certain that we don't have Skodas here, just that I've never seen one before and had to look it up. That's a nice looking car :-) There are a whole host of cars that are actually illegal to own/drive here because of strict NTSB rules (Nissan Skyline comes to mind, and others are limited by local emissions laws). It appears that they're just not imported here, destined instead for the UK, China, and India markets. We haven't gotten the memo about the awesome diesel fuel economy yet ;-)

OP, just had to chime in and LOL. I've never understood the compulsion to always be driving something <3 years old that everyone seems to have. I'd bet your Civic will last at least another 10-15 years if it's only got 67k on it as an '09.

[music lover]

I have a 2007 Subaru with 80k kilometers (50k miles) on it. I hope to keep it at least another 10 years. My only complaint is that the trunk is too small by 3 inches to fit my "World's Greatest Ladder" or a bass in a hardshell case.

[okits]

Just spent a week at my in laws Lake House.  When we were packing the car to leave my father in law looks at my 2009 Honda Accord and says "time for a new car".  Now this Accord only has 67k miles on it and has no cosmetic damage.   It could easily go another 5 years no problem. 

He obviously isn't aware of my mustachianism.   Funny because lately I've actually gotten satisfaction out of seeing others continue on with their out of control consumerism.  It just further reinforces I'm on the right path.

Give your car a name so you can needle you FIL with comments like "my trusty steed Pegasus" and "Bessie has delicate sensibilities and likes me to polish her with a diaper at night." =)

[ender]

My FiL drives a car that is older in years and higher in miles than me.

The only people I get crap from about my car are my younger brothers (one of whom is the typical 30k truck guy) and some previous coworkers who think wagons are lame, or something.

[wienerdog]

I wish we had Skoda here.  They are owned by VW aren't they?  I drove in a pretty nice one the last time I was in the UK and it seemed like a really good price.  Price wise and quality seemed better than a Hyundai.  Anyway a 2009 has many more years left than 5.

[G-dog]

I have a 2005 RAV4, 2WD with about 82000 miles on it. No plans to get rid of it until it is unsafe at any speed. No problems so far!  My hope is that I never need to get another car, but that may be unrealistic. Since I just retired, it will be getting even fewer miles. I'll probably have to make an effort to drive it more in the winter just to keep it charged up! #mustachianpeopleproblems

Hubby has a 2007 Civic, I don't know the mileage.

[ChrisLansing]

98 Ranger with 150K and plenty of cosmetic issues.   Plan to drive it another 5 years if possible.   

[AccidentalMiser]

Wonder what he'd say about my '94 Mazda B3000 2WD Pickup I drive to work?  It's ugly and doggy but it gets me home every day!

[geekette]

Six years is "old"?  I still think of my '09 as my new car...

[nobodyspecial]

I wish we had Skoda here.  They are owned by VW aren't they?

Not only owned by VW, built on the same platform as VW and Audi.
VW are a very mustachain car company. Build exactly the same car and sell it with a Skoda badge to one set of people, put a VW body and badge for another and then a Audi badge for the richer customers.

It lets you build everything from a VW Bug to a Porsche Cayenne with only two sets of car designs

[CU Tiger]

Six years is "old"?  I still think of my '09 as my new car...

I KNOW! My 2009 Fit is still so nice and shiny, and drives well and can get me around everywhere I want to go. It is also less old than the 14 year old car it replaced, so I think of it as my new car.

I try not to want to slap people who have new cars every 2-3 years, but sometimes I do anyway.

[nobodyspecial]

The UK has a special extra feature dreamed up by the car dealers - the year the car was bought is shown on the licence plate.

It used to change in mid-august and the vast majority of cars were sold within a few weeks of the new plate year.
Now it changes twice a year so the dealers get 2 opportunities to convince people that they must be the first at the golf club to have a new car

[Cpa Cat]

If you did buy a brand new Accord, I doubt he could even tell the difference.

Honda Accords and Civic look substantially the same rolling off the lot today as they did ten years ago!

I drive a 2006 Civic and sometimes I get confused in parking lots because every Civic of the same color looks like a twin.

[Luck12]

Next time you go to the house, tell him "House seems a bit worn, don't you think?  Time for a new one".   Or if you really wanna be an asshole, look at your mother in law, point to him, and tell her "He looks old, time for a new husband".     

[eostache]

98 Ranger with 150K and plenty of cosmetic issues.   Plan to drive it another 5 years if possible.   

2001 Subaru Outback with a bad paint job. I got it cheap because of the bad paint. It had 109k on it, I paid $4600, it was $3000 under KBB value (if it had good paint). I've had it for 8 years now. I plan to drive it for several more years. I have 147k on it, I don't drive it a lot. It looks fine from the driver's seat.

We also have a 1996 Toyota Tacoma 4wd truck. Almost 20 years old!

[nobodyspecial]

2001 Subaru Outback with a bad paint job. I got it cheap because of the bad paint. It had 109k on it, I paid $4600, it was $3000 under KBB value (if it had good paint). I've had it for 8 years now. I plan to drive it for several more years. I have 147k on it, I don't drive it a lot. It looks fine from the driver's seat.

There is an entire forum for Subaru owners that have done more than 200K miles. Full of cars that are on their 3rd cambelt change.

Mine just had a squeaky wheel bearing replaced at 190K - the first non-routine service.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

LOL, I also have an Accord. It is 16 years old and when I got rear-ended, I was too cheap to get the bumper fixed (I pocketed $700), so it is hanging low (but securely). There are dents in both the trunk lid and the hood.

And I have been advised not to drive it to remote areas, as the transmission may be a bit sketch.

But, well, it got me to work this morning!

[Potterquilter]

I would not bother with any retorts. Just nod and say something like "one of these days". No sense causing trouble. So what if one of these days is ten years down the road.  Some models just go and go. My Honda Accord gave me 200,000 miles then my son 42,000 before he had to replace it.  DH taught both the kids lots of routine car stuff, even replacing brakes and one time a catalytic converter.   My friend who replaced her SUV every four years ended up working ten years longer than I did and never made the connection. Have you seen the price tags on these SUV's?  Plus an old car is far cheaper to insure. 

[Eric]

Just spent a week at my in laws Lake House.  When we were packing the car to leave my father in law looks at my 2009 Honda Accord and says "time for a new car".  Now this Accord only has 67k miles on it and has no cosmetic damage.   It could easily go another 5 15 years no problem. 

FTFY

The best response is always "I'm happy with it right now".

[Dicey]

Just practice smiling and saying "I love it and it's paid for." Do it so it comes naturally, like a mustachian mantra. You will develop a perfect shield to protect you from your FIL's alien comments.

[wienerdog]

Not only owned by VW, built on the same platform as VW and Audi.

Nice I knew it felt like a nice ride.  I was impressed for what he said he paid for it.  I have a 1999 VW Cabrio that is a pleasure to drive. It has 164,000 miles on it.

98 Ranger with 150K and plenty of cosmetic issues.   Plan to drive it another 5 years if possible.   

My 2001 Ranger still has the original alternator, starter and water pump.  192,000 and still going.  The rust will eat it before the motor gives out.  I had to replace a leaf spring bracket earlier this summer that fell away from the frame.  I noticed the rocker under the passenger door is starting to show signs of rust also.

[Duchess]

I wish we had Skoda here.  They are owned by VW aren't they?

Not only owned by VW, built on the same platform as VW and Audi.

Exactly. They were originally a Czech company and had a reputation for poor build quality but that's very different now they're part of the VW group.

[NumberJohnny5]

My FiL drives a car that is older in years and higher in miles than me.

How high in miles are you?

[firewalker]

Next time you go there, find the right moment and glance at the house and say "Hmm, time for a new lake house."

[Telecaster]

Just spent a week at my in laws Lake House.  When we were packing the car to leave my father in law looks at my 2009 Honda Accord and says "time for a new car".  Now this Accord only has 67k miles on it and has no cosmetic damage.   It could easily go another 5 years no problem. 

He obviously isn't aware of my mustachianism.   Funny because lately I've actually gotten satisfaction out of seeing others continue on with their out of control consumerism.  It just further reinforces I'm on the right path.

I get shit from my in-laws too.   The ones that, of course, don't have any money.   The wife and I have good jobs with nice salaries and they cannot under-fucking-stand why we only have one car, why we don't have cable (goodness!  You mean you have to wait one whole day before you can stream a show?!?), how we can stand to live in our tiny 1,200 sf house (which is more than large enough for the two of us), how come the heat isn't set at 72 in the winter, etc.  One time, I casually mentioned we were planning on retiring early, and MIL was stunned and couldn't understand how someone could fill their day if they weren't punching a clock for the man.   I mean, why on Earth would you retire early if you could have your life sucked away in the office instead?   And they definitely didn't understand the logic behind the 2001 Nissan Sentra which we drove into the ground before finally getting a new rig.   A car of that type apparently was far beneath our social class. 

[alsoknownasDean]

Haha, a 2009 Honda is virtually new. It's got another decade at least in it :)

A 2009 Honda with only 67k miles on it is considered a luxury car in Mustache-ville.

I've got a small 2002 GM hatchback with 117000km on it. It's got plenty of life left. Fortunately my family doesn't make comments about cars like that, when I was growing up my parents used to drive older cars as well, and my brother recently traded in a 1995 beater van for a 2009.

[regulator]

how come the heat isn't set at 72 in the winter

This one is a bit of a poser.  72F in the winter?  Do most people set the heat that high?  What ever happened to changing with the seasons?  We set it at 67 and since we don't have a programmable thermostat that is pretty much what it stays at all the time.  After being outside in cold weather it feels really warm to me.  72 would have me sweating, especially when I am dressed for the season.

[mrshudson]

Just spent a week at my in laws Lake House.  When we were packing the car to leave my father in law looks at my 2009 Honda Accord and says "time for a new car".  Now this Accord only has 67k miles on it and has no cosmetic damage.   It could easily go another 5 15 years no problem. 

FTFY

The best response is always "I'm happy with it right now".

Awesome! Beat me to the FTFY!

[BTDretire]

Oh boy your father in law would then have a heart attack if he saw my 10 year old car.

 Well I hate brag :-)
But, I can beat you with my 97 Lexus 160k miles,
98 Toyota 94K miles and a 2000 Avalon 82K miles.
All Southern cars and look pretty, oh, did I go to far?  :-)
 We can all take joy knowing we have transportation and the they have a payment.

[Argyle]

1994 Toyota here.  75,000 miles.  Will last me the rest of my life.  And in fact, I have never had a car payment, on any car, ever.

A friend of mine -- high-earning, perpetually broke and in debt, with a fancy car -- said, "I envy you your ability to put up with a car like that."  Say what?  I translate this into: "I envy you your ability to live with hundreds of thousands of dollars more than I have."

[sheepstache]

Next time you go to the house, tell him "House seems a bit worn, don't you think?  Time for a new one".   Or if you really wanna be an asshole, look at your mother in law, point to him, and tell her "He looks old, time for a new husband".   

Ha ha, yeah, I was thinking along the lines of, "Figured I'd upgrade it when I trade in the wife for a new one."

[Reynolds531]

Don't say anything to him in defense. Just continue down the road towards your goal. Dude has a lake house. He's actually probably a good guy to learn from on some things about money. Not to mention if you stay on his good side you will probably spend more time at the lake. Win win, and he will respect you more.

[Davids]

1994 Toyota here.  75,000 miles.  Will last me the rest of my life.  And in fact, I have never had a car payment, on any car, ever.

A friend of mine -- high-earning, perpetually broke and in debt, with a fancy car -- said, "I envy you your ability to put up with a car like that."  Say what?  I translate this into: "I envy you your ability to live with hundreds of thousands of dollars more than I have."

Wow a 21 year old car with just 75,000 miles, that is impressive.

[Hummer]

Some real good cars listed here. Thought I would add mine in.

2002 Subaru Impreza 180,000 km (120,000 miles). I intend to drive it until it drops at least another 5 years. And this is in Canada with the horrible winters, ice, snow and salt all over the road. Salt is really bad. But if one just washes the vehicle a couple times a winter, they won't rust out nearly as quickly.

[Telecaster]

how come the heat isn't set at 72 in the winter

This one is a bit of a poser.  72F in the winter?  Do most people set the heat that high?  What ever happened to changing with the seasons?  We set it at 67 and since we don't have a programmable thermostat that is pretty much what it stays at all the time.  After being outside in cold weather it feels really warm to me.  72 would have me sweating, especially when I am dressed for the season.

In context, I work at home and I set it at 65 and I'm used to a cool house, and I wear warm-ish clothes.  That's a little cooler than is comfortable for most people, so I don't mind turning it up for guests.  But they like it  to be snug and cozy warm. 

[Technigull]

Ha, I have a 1997 Honda Civic with 190k miles on it.  Starting to rust at the edges, but I can get at least 40 MPG on her.

[broketriathlete]

I'd love to see what he'd say about my Jeep. It's an 02 Laredo with about 135K on the clock, but it's very well taken care of inside and out. It looks a lot newer than it is. I plan on taking it up to 400K if it'll allow me to. My friend, who is also my mechanic, has with with that much mileage.

[Potterquilter]

1994 Toyota here.  75,000 miles.  Will last me the rest of my life.  And in fact, I have never had a car payment, on any car, ever.

A friend of mine -- high-earning, perpetually broke and in debt, with a fancy car -- said, "I envy you your ability to put up with a car like that."  Say what?  I translate this into: "I envy you your ability to live with hundreds of thousands of dollars more than I have."

This is what it is all about.  not trading your money if not necessary so you have to make even more Money. Life on the hamster wheel. 

[ender]

My FiL drives a car that is older in years and higher in miles than me.

How high in miles are you?

2005, with 125k miles.

[NumberJohnny5]

My FiL drives a car that is older in years and higher in miles than me.

How high in miles are you?

2005, with 125k miles.

Well that's not too bad. But aren't you little young to be on the internet by yourself?

[Wilson Hall]

If you did buy a brand new Accord, I doubt he could even tell the difference.

Honda Accords and Civic look substantially the same rolling off the lot today as they did ten years ago!

I drive a 2006 Civic and sometimes I get confused in parking lots because every Civic of the same color looks like a twin.

I own a 2008 Civic, and a coworker recently purchased a 2015 Civic of the same color. In spite of her bragging that it's the high-end Si sport package and not the boring LX or EX (like mine), she has on two occasions attempted to get into my car instead of hers.  Ha! So much for her shiny new toy, which she is financing for 6 years, being so superior to my 7-year-old paid-off car.

[sleepyguy]

LOL, 03 Impreza (200k~km) with rust in areas... I think your FIL would get it towed to the scrapyard, haha.

[FrugalShrew]

If you did buy a brand new Accord, I doubt he could even tell the difference.

Honda Accords and Civic look substantially the same rolling off the lot today as they did ten years ago!

I drive a 2006 Civic and sometimes I get confused in parking lots because every Civic of the same color looks like a twin.

I agree. Given that your mileage is low, there are no cosmetic issues, and the newer models look pretty much the same, even for non-mustachians there doesn't seem to be any reason to get a new one!

Plus, Hondas are known for lasting for many, many miles. Maybe tell your FIL that you can't give up now -- you are not even halfway to the goal of 200,000 miles ;)

[BTDretire]

Oh boy your father in law would then have a heart attack if he saw my 10 year old car.

 Well I hate brag :-)
But, I can beat you with my 97 Lexus 160k miles,
98 Toyota  94K miles and a 2000 Avalon 82K miles.
All Southern cars and look pretty, oh, did I go to far?  :-)
 We can all take joy knowing we have transportation and the they have a payment.

There's a guy on this site - SurfHB -  who has a 1980-something Toyota truck he bought used when he was in high school. He's now in his early 40's and the truck has over 400K miles on it! I think he beats everyone here :-)!

We're not worthy, we're not worthy!!!   :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FucbvoFFy0

btw, weird corner of the internet, bragging about whose got the oldest low cost car. :-)

[Eric]

btw, weird corner of the internet, bragging about whose got the oldest low cost car. :-)

There's a whole 7 pages of this if you're interested:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/brag-on-your-mmm-high-mileage-or-old-car/