Grew my first mustache hairs: Sold my $60,000 7speed, now on a $300 1speed

[johnnyd]

I'm feel'n super good about this move.  Thanks to all the information and inspiration provided by this site and forum, I sold my $60,000 7-speed.


 
And am now exclusively getting around on a $300 1-speed.



Some of my friends and family think I must have gone crazy or must be going through a mid-life crisis. haha.

[EnjoyIt]

Welcome and congrats on getting that $60k monkey of your shoulders. Would you be so kind as to elaborate a bit more on how you came to this decision, and what your plans/goals are?

[o2bfree]

That is truly inspirational! Plus you must be saving a bunch on your insurance bill!

[johnnyd]

Welcome and congrats on getting that $60k monkey of your shoulders. Would you be so kind as to elaborate a bit more on how you came to this decision, and what your plans/goals are?

Thanks.  I actually bought the bike last year sometime and I found myself hardly ever driving my car simply because I always had fun riding my bike.  Until this year when I was turned on to MMM, I was just under the mindset that I HAVE to own a car and at the time, the car expenses didn't seem like that much money.  Before I committed to the idea of selling the car and going bike full time I kept the car in the garage for a month, just to make sure I'd be ok with really doing everything by bike, and perhaps the occasional uber ride.  Surprisingly, now that I've made the switch, I've only taken an uber once and handled everything else by bike.  It seems like no matter how shitty of a day I'm having, or how tired I'm feeling, once I hop on and start riding, I'm feeling good. 

As for goals, It's been 3 months now since I heard MMM op the TF podcast for the last 2 month I've had my total expenses dialed down so I'm socking away 70% of my take home.  I hope to be able to tweek that a bit more so I can get to 75%. 

[scantee]

Good work. Although that is a very pretty car...

[Step37]

Nicely done! I have to agree that my happiness level goes up immediately when I'm riding my bike on a lovely day. It's such a wonderful feeling. I'm not able to ditch the car at this point, but it's a worthy goal. You'll probably have some good stories to post about your friends' reactions. :)

[Eric]

Yeah buddy!  That's a good looking ride!

[PDXTabs]

This is great!
FYI, the Living Car Free forum on bikeforums.net is pretty good: http://www.bikeforums.net/living-car-free/

[elaine amj]

That's amazing! Kudos for managing to live car-free!!!!

I started bike commuting a year ago and I have to say - I feel like superwoman when I bike in adverse conditions. Somehow it has become a part of my daily routine now and I just shrug and deal with rain, sun, and crappy schedules. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to give up our second car as an emergency spare. Both our cars are getting older and the plan is to keep them for our teen kids (DD turns 16 in a couple of months and DS is a year behind her). It will be weird when the kids drive while Mom bikes though.


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[Tyson]

As for goals, It's been 3 months now since I heard MMM op the TF podcast for the last 2 month I've had my total expenses dialed down so I'm socking away 70% of my take home.  I hope to be able to tweek that a bit more so I can get to 75%.

Damn son, you are crushing it!

[Mr Mark]

Great decision! Congrats and welcome.

I'm sure just the insurance you're saving will more than provide plenty of Uber backups.

[MasterStache]

Good work OP!

[prognastat]

Congrats on both switching to the bike and also achieving 70% savings rate already. Keep up the good work. If you can manage to get your savings rate up to 75% even if you had nothing saved up yet you'd be Financially Independent(FI) in under 7 years and if you already have some saved up it'll be even sooner.

Even if your family and friends think you are crazy as long as you are enjoying yourself, getting in to better shape due to the extra exercise and improving your financial situation then being crazy is a good thing.

[lifeanon269]

As for goals, It's been 3 months now since I heard MMM op the TF podcast for the last 2 month I've had my total expenses dialed down so I'm socking away 70% of my take home.  I hope to be able to tweek that a bit more so I can get to 75%.

Grew your first mustache hairs?? Are you kidding me? Sounds like you got yourself a full on mustache growing! Nice job!

[HBFI]

Love it.  Another card carrying member of the fixed gear club right here.

[aperture]

Congratulations!! This gave me a smile this morning. Best wishes, ap.

[loyalreader]

Am I the only one who loves the numbering on what I assume is OP's mailbox..?

Also - congrats OP!

[spokey doke]

Wow!

Very nice move...I have a 91 specialized epic I used to ride as my mountain bike that is now my town bike, and I really like it, but haven't been able to pull the plug on even one of our 2 cars.  This has me revisiting the topic I've gone over many times with DW...and we always seem to justify keeping both...just in case (read- lame excuses):

- the weather is really bad and we both need to get somewhere beyond walking and biking distance (winters are pretty gnarly here)

- the bad weather is really good for skiing and, say, one of us heads up to the mountain early for first tracks, and the other wants to join in later (we have a rough life)

- we want to haul stuff we don't want to put in the newer car (our old compact car also serves as our truck of sorts)

- one of us takes the car out of town for an extended trip, leaving the other one carless (this happens a 2-4 times a year).

- because this is America and we are living the dream...(?!)

[spokey doke]

and BTW, the moderators may be forced to move this to the Badassity forum...

[Lan Mandragoran]

hah, thats awesome. I would have just waited for a model 3 and called that good enough ;P (even if it probably would end up being like 45k after upgrades lol)

[Socmonkey]

Great financial move!

Plus, looking at the landscaping and lack of front license plate makes me think you live near to me.

[FireHiker]

I'm impressed! As for your people who think you're going through a mid-life crisis, wouldn't that generally result in the purchase of a $60k car, and not the letting go of one? Way to go!

[honeybbq]

I'm impressed! As for your people who think you're going through a mid-life crisis, wouldn't that generally result in the purchase of a $60k car, and not the letting go of one? Way to go!

It's the anti-midlife crisis!

[YK-Phil]

Nice bike, and great decision to ditch the car. I had a single-speed bike for several years and indeed my level of happiness increased every single time I rode it, especially on my daily incursions downtown when I would pass guys stuck in traffic in their Audi or Mercedes. A single-speed definitely adds the cool factor in the biking equation, plus you get a really good workout if you live in a hilly area.

[Epor]

OMG! This is the first time ever that I hear someone actually selling the car and getting something cheaper. Specially a super car like that!

Would you mind give us some numbers? How much you pay for it, how much you sold it for and how much the insurance was?

Your post was very inspiring! Tip of the hat to you!

[johnnyd]

OMG! This is the first time ever that I hear someone actually selling the car and getting something cheaper. Specially a super car like that!

Would you mind give us some numbers? How much you pay for it, how much you sold it for and how much the insurance was?

Your post was very inspiring! Tip of the hat to you!

Thanks!  glad I could contribute some inspiration to a group that I've drawn so much inspiration from.  With insurance and financing, I was paying about $800 a month.  I've owned it for a few years, and with depreciation, I ended up shelling out another $3,000 just to sell it.  Even though 'paying' to sell my car wasn't a ton of fun, I knew it was the right move and was very happy to get it done with.

For the longest time now I've been in a sort of financial haze.  Before discovering the wisdom of MMM, I'd always maxed out my IRA contribution and never had any debt, but I had lost the concept of a dollar. I made enough money to live comfortably, and just never second guessed the concept of working until I was 65+ (with not much retirement $).  I'm super grateful to have been turned onto MMM by the Tim Ferris podcast because there is no doubt that due to how comfortable my lifestyle was that I'd just keep chugging along and since my financial situation wasn't dire I probably wouldn't realize the error in my ways.

[big_slacker]

Awesome man! Can't tell if it's an SS or fixie but either way there is nothing quite like the simple joy of having one solution to every problem, pedal!

[GetItRight]

I hate pedalcycling and I'd much rather get around on the pedalcycle than that hipster-mobile. $300 seems steep for one gear though. At that price you're getting close to a car or motorcycle. Either, congrats on dropping the frivolous waste.

[WhiteTrashCash]

Holy cow, that car is luxurious. What do you do for a living if I may ask?

[KarefulKactus15]

I came here cause I thought you had a 60k bicycle lol....

[Nightwatchman9270]

I hate pedalcycling and I'd much rather get around on the pedalcycle than that hipster-mobile. $300 seems steep for one gear though. At that price you're getting close to a car or motorcycle. Either, congrats on dropping the frivolous waste.

Good luck finding a $300 car that runs.  Or a motorcycle for that matter.

[ducky19]

Dude, why is this not in the "Share your Badassity" thread??? Awesome!!!

[Slee_stack]

SS are not enough fun for me.  I need 3 gears minimum.  Plus you have to be a hipster to ride one around here :D

Good job dumping the car.  I had a stupid pricey car I got rid of 1-2 yrs back.  The monthly depreciation pained me to no end.

[Brother Esau]

This post just made my day!

[DumpTruck]

I hate pedalcycling and I'd much rather get around on the pedalcycle than that hipster-mobile. $300 seems steep for one gear though. At that price you're getting close to a car or motorcycle. Either, congrats on dropping the frivolous waste.

Good luck finding a $300 car that runs.  Or a motorcycle for that matter.

I have found many cars in that price range that run, maybe not $300 exactly, but I have found a Volvo S40 for $400 that just needed two brake lines which I got at the junkyard for a couple bucks, I sold that car for $1k

Volvo 740 Turbo, i found for $450 and it ran perfect, it had an oil leak. I removed the interior, detailed everything, fixed a sunroof issue, did a new timing belt, water pump, and front seals (super easy on a B230) and sold it for $1950.

Volvo 240 Wagon I bought for $300 and just finished doing a fuel pump on it (I put a $20 pump from a mustang on it) and I'll probably sell that for $800 or so.

I got a 93 Suburu Impreza AWD manual (fun car!) for $600. It ran but intermettely would not run. A used fuel pump for $25 off a newer subi and it was fixed. Sold for almost $2000

Just as a few examples.

[Much Fishing to Do]

Some of my friends and family think I must have gone crazy or must be going through a mid-life crisis. haha.

You're definitely going through a mid-life crisis.....Congrats....most people keep on the same path or have the crisis divert them to an even more destructive path

[dodojojo]

I came here cause I thought you had a 60k bicycle lol....

Yes, I thought he traded in his $6000 7 speed bike for a single speed.  Then I realized it was $60000.

[zinnie]

I came here cause I thought you had a 60k bicycle lol....

Me too! Great story, OP. Thanks for sharing

[MatthewK]

I came here cause I thought you had a 60k bicycle lol....

Haha, me too!!

[skeeder]

I personally hate fixies, but I love bikes.

[KarefulKactus15]

I personally hate fixies, but I love bikes.

I dont see the purpose, and it seems counter productive if any hills are around...

[powskier]

This is a great post. Made me day......after the initial disappointment of not laying my eyes upon a $60 000 bike, LOL.

[DumpTruck]

Ya, fixie makes no functional sense to me, but I can appreciate the minimization of components and simplicity. Maybe some people like the challenge. I can't hate it since I have not ridden one. I don't understand the narrow bars either. But I also don't understand tattoos and like 95% of fixie riders have them.

[Dicey]

Cars, bikes, schmikes... Can we talk about that address marker? Is it also a mailbox? Did you put it in or did it come with the property? Our house is so set back that no one can see the address. This could be a great solution. If it is also a mailbox, I'd be willing to throw down some serious dough (it looks spendy) to get one.

[soccerluvof4]

awesome! I was thinking "who would spend 60k on a bike" had to see it.  Congrats on the move and the stash %

[Johnez]

This is a great post. Made me day......after the initial disappointment of not laying my eyes upon a $60 000 bike, LOL.

This. Heheh.

[WhiteTrashCash]

I loled at the "midlife crisis" accusation. Do you know what a "midlife crisis" really is? It's someone waking up one morning, looking at their life, and realizing that they aren't actually living. It's a good thing to want to make your life happy and meaningful again. That's pretty much the purpose of Mustachianism.

[albireo13]

That is awesome.

Enjoy the freedom of less debt.

It's amazing how much money people put into a car for hauling their sorry a$$ all around.

[bash]

Good work. Although that is a very pretty car...

I'm going to have to disagree; what is the appeal of the E-class coupe?  The old CLKs had the beautiful, B-pillarless roofline.  These E-class coupes are all cut up in the back with rear windows, though.  Ruins the look of the 2-door for me. 

[Dicey]

Meh, I still wanna know if the address pillar is also a mailbox. OP, where are you? Oh, yeah,  you must be out riding your bike.