Author Topic: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)  (Read 7430 times)


randymarsh

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2016, 03:17:03 PM »
Ugh I've been reading that thread and it's so frustrating. Sure, they can afford it. But some people keep saying that because cars are his hobby so it's not right for anyone to suggest not buying it or suggesting other uses for that money. Just because something is your hobby doesn't mean you have a blank check to spend on it.

Werthless

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2016, 03:50:29 PM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.

Chris22

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2016, 04:01:31 PM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.

Given one is a hobby and not worth much, and likely doesn't cost much, no it isn't. 

I mean, we have a thread here with the zillions of bikes everyone owns, but god forbid someone have a different interest, that's a "waste".

Werthless

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2016, 04:07:00 PM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.

Given one is a hobby and not worth much, and likely doesn't cost much, no it isn't. 

I mean, we have a thread here with the zillions of bikes everyone owns, but god forbid someone have a different interest, that's a "waste".
"I enjoy real estate, fixing up old houses and flipping them. I have a new baby on the way, should I buy a 5 bedroom house to live in?" I think the sentiment would be the same. He's calling it a hobby, but the $40k that is being spent is not to satisfy his desire to work on old cars.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2016, 04:21:03 PM »
The fact he's a car hobbyist may well give him some DIY skills a non-hobbyist, non-mechanic would not have. It may also give him an advantage when shopping for and buying the vehicle, because he might just be able to get a better price. Not too long ago, MMM wrote a blog entry about a man who pays nothing to drive: he finds cheap cars, has enough DIY skills to get them running, drives them for a while, and then sells them for more than he paid. This hobbyist may be in a similar situation, and the vehicle might hold more value than one might otherwise expect. He may also be able to get a deal on a used vehicle.

randymarsh

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2016, 05:06:19 PM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.

Given one is a hobby and not worth much, and likely doesn't cost much, no it isn't. 

I mean, we have a thread here with the zillions of bikes everyone owns, but god forbid someone have a different interest, that's a "waste".

I agree the extra cost of the hobby car isn't that much overall, but bikes aren't a great analogy. Owning 5 or even 10 bikes usually doesn't cost 40K.

Chris22

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2016, 07:32:15 AM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.

Given one is a hobby and not worth much, and likely doesn't cost much, no it isn't. 

I mean, we have a thread here with the zillions of bikes everyone owns, but god forbid someone have a different interest, that's a "waste".

I agree the extra cost of the hobby car isn't that much overall, but bikes aren't a great analogy. Owning 5 or even 10 bikes usually doesn't cost 40K.

I was talking about owning the hobby car.  It's not ridiculous to own a hobby car worth probably a few thousand dollars.  That is what is analogous to bikes, not the potential new car.

Papa Mustache

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #8 on: July 07, 2016, 07:38:44 AM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.

Depends on what that third car is. We have two that don't get driven much and are kept out of the weather slowly going up in value. I don't know if his older BMW counts as a collector car or not.

I think he ought to buy a mustachian car of some sort if he doesn't think the old BMW is up to daily child transport (safety or reliability).

There are likely a laundry list of expenses that he hasn't considered. Depending on where they live, they might decide that their house isn't in a neighborhood where they want to raise children. Or they are entertaining extended family enough now that they want to upgrade the decor.

Suddenly what he drives isn't the important topic he thought it was. Or what brand he drives IS important and the world sees his true colors... ;)

Edited: because the first 4000 revisions are never quite right...
« Last Edit: July 07, 2016, 07:40:47 AM by Mybigtoe »

mm1970

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2016, 09:19:28 AM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.
My single neighbor has...4?  Wait, the Porsche 911 got run over by a Mini Cooper.

So, that means he has 3 and a motorcycle.

Chris22

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2016, 09:22:41 AM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.
My single neighbor has...4?  Wait, the Porsche 911 got run over by a Mini Cooper.

So, that means he has 3 and a motorcycle.

If I was single I'd have more cars too!  But daycare is expensive, and wives are not agreeable to living in a giant garage with a bed in the corner, so...no. 

Sibley

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2016, 11:32:37 AM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.
My single neighbor has...4?  Wait, the Porsche 911 got run over by a Mini Cooper.

So, that means he has 3 and a motorcycle.

Wait, how does a Mini Cooper run over anything, even a Porsche? They're tiny.

TheAnonOne

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2016, 11:54:05 AM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.
My single neighbor has...4?  Wait, the Porsche 911 got run over by a Mini Cooper.

So, that means he has 3 and a motorcycle.

Wait, how does a Mini Cooper run over anything, even a Porsche? They're tiny.

I am assuming it just got into a wreck, and "ran over" was an overstatement. I could see a small car be thrown over another though, but I agree 'ran over' is more a term for a monster truck literally driving over another vehicle.

JLee

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2016, 12:15:05 PM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.
My single neighbor has...4?  Wait, the Porsche 911 got run over by a Mini Cooper.

So, that means he has 3 and a motorcycle.

If I was single I'd have more cars too!  But daycare is expensive, and wives are not agreeable to living in a giant garage with a bed in the corner, so...no.

I'm incredibly fortunate in that my SO supports my car hobby...and she'd be okay with a (shared) shop/garage and small/efficient living space.  Just gotta make that part happen..

Helvegen

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #14 on: July 07, 2016, 12:48:10 PM »
My perpetually broke mother traded in a perfectly good car that got great gas mileage and bought an SUV at 14% interest because she said she needed something to haul firewood around in.

She had no fireplace or pit or anything else to burn wood in.

When confronted on that, she then backpedaled to she needed something new in the driveway, otherwise the neighbors would think poorly of her.

She had just bought a house (another dumb purchase) in a upper lower class subdivision. None of us had the first idea who she was trying to impress.

Papa Mustache

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #15 on: July 07, 2016, 03:27:31 PM »
Who puts firewood inside an expensive vehicle anyhow? That said I know someone who used to haul unbagged mulch and straw in his sedan trunk. Made a huge mess too but he wasn't the type to worry much about it. (not a clean car type)

Buy a little utility trailer and a hitch for your grocery getter and have fun! I'll pulled alot of firewood with a 2.0L four cylinder and it has not hurt the tow vehicle in 300K miles.

When I was a kid my grandfather hauled rocks, firewood and a fishing boat around with his little Datsun pickup truck (though not all at once). That little truck had less power than the average four cylinder getter does today.

notactiveanymore

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #16 on: July 07, 2016, 03:46:32 PM »
I read most of the thread. So so typical:

"I don't want to haul my future baby around in an old BMW so I'm thinking about spending 40k on a very specific, brand new luxury vehicle."

*If you're worried about having a vehicle that's good for kids, here are some great options that are still really nice and actually have a bit more room than what you've said you're looking at. That way you can haul baby easier and it's a safe vehicle for way less*

"Well my wife is going to do the vast majority of the kid hauling, so I'm not too worried about size."

I mean, dude, do whatever you want with your money. I just don't understand why these kinds of people post on advice forums. Validate your own decisions. Ask for advice if you're actually going to listen and weigh it.

Also, they're doing well financially, but he acts like they're millionaires. 128 gross (including employer contributions to 401k - he did not mentioned if those are vested) and a 180 net worth. Probably. But then he is banking on free childcare and essentially no other changes to their lives when they become parents. Again, do whatever you want, but why do you need others to puff up your decisions?

Chris22

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #17 on: July 07, 2016, 03:52:02 PM »
Who puts firewood inside an expensive vehicle anyhow? That said I know someone who used to haul unbagged mulch and straw in his sedan trunk. Made a huge mess too but he wasn't the type to worry much about it. (not a clean car type)

Here's ~20 (IIRC) bags of mulch I hauled in the back of our $40k SUV.  Put a tarp down first, no big deal. 


Papa Mustache

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #18 on: July 08, 2016, 08:10:10 AM »
I meant unbagged mulch... ;)

We've moved all sorts of odd things in the back of our CUV with a blanket down to catch any mess. No big deal.

Helvegen

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #19 on: July 08, 2016, 10:25:06 AM »
I think in my mother's case, it could well be argued that there was never any need to buy the SUV in the first place. For the one or two times a year that she *might* need to haul something (and this is a huge might), you can just rent a truck from Home Depot or Uhaul or whatever. No reason to trade in a perfectly good, low maintenance, great gas mileage car for some gas guzzling and more expensive to maintain/insure/make payments on SUV. But my mother never uses her head when she makes major purchases. It is all about what she *feels* she needs and deserves, reality be damned.

My mother is a nice and decent person, but in the realm of personal finance, she is a huge walking textbook of what not to do with your money.

yourusernamehere

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #20 on: July 09, 2016, 12:54:29 PM »
Ar I am having this conversation with my mom right now by text. The context is that she is at a dealership looking for a new vehicle, an SUV to replace her awesomely badass retired California Highway Patrol car that has 200k miles on it. :-( She is basically texting me the vehicles and I'm looking them up on edmunds for her.

Mom: What about a 2012 Jeep Liberty?
Me: It says cons are outdated transmission, poor fuel economy, sloppy on-road handling, subpar interior materials, sluggish engine, and poor headlight illumination. It literally says "when Patrick Henry famously declared 'give me liberty or give me death, he was not talking about this vehicle."
Mom: lol I like it though.

UUGGGHHHH she is obsessed with having a jeep for her commute, because snow. Granted, she lives and works in the buffalo snowbelt and it is common in the winter to have 6 feet of snow fall inside 24 hours. On those days she WORKS FROM HOME. She wants to spend less than $10,000 and get an AWD SUV that drives like a car, has low mileage, is good on gas, has high safety ratings, and "isn't a Honda, toyota, Kia, Hyundai, or ford." For fucks sake.

randymarsh

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #21 on: July 09, 2016, 01:53:24 PM »
She wants to spend less than $10,000 and get an AWD SUV that drives like a car, has low mileage, is good on gas, has high safety ratings, and "isn't a Honda, toyota, Kia, Hyundai, or ford." For fucks sake.

That's funny since a Honda CRV or Ford Escape are probably the most obvious choices, although maybe not at that price point.

trashmanz

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #22 on: July 09, 2016, 02:02:18 PM »
They seem to have less than 40K in savings, so I would say no, they shouldnt...  Also, if you have to ask, then you can't afford it. 

SeaEhm

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #23 on: July 14, 2016, 10:46:48 AM »
She had just bought a house (another dumb purchase) in a upper lower class subdivision. None of us had the first idea who she was trying to impress.

That's very interesting from an upper lower class subdivision.  ... I doubt my neighbors are that judgmental and I live in a pretty superficial and materialistic county.


I've put bagged fertilizer in the back of my wife's car.  Luckily, she and I enjoy the smell.

renata ricotta

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #24 on: July 14, 2016, 03:58:26 PM »
She had just bought a house (another dumb purchase) in a upper lower class subdivision. None of us had the first idea who she was trying to impress.

That's very interesting from an upper lower class subdivision.  ... I doubt my neighbors are that judgmental and I live in a pretty superficial and materialistic county.


I've put bagged fertilizer in the back of my wife's car.  Luckily, she and I enjoy the smell.

We're probably not the right demographic, but I can't ever remember having an opinion on what anybody else drives, other than cars that are clearly extremely expensive for no reason. The closest I can think of is when driving in winter with a friend whose car window was broken thinking that maybe she should think about upgrading it or getting the window fixed. (After graduation, she upgraded to a used civic with working windows).

Prairie Stash

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #25 on: July 15, 2016, 08:52:43 AM »
I think its his version of a baby present for himself. I think buying baby presents is hilarious, I wish more people did it.

mm1970

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #26 on: July 15, 2016, 08:59:48 AM »
It's amazing that no one mentioned that it's silly to have 3 cars for 2 drivers. What a waste.
My single neighbor has...4?  Wait, the Porsche 911 got run over by a Mini Cooper.

So, that means he has 3 and a motorcycle.

Wait, how does a Mini Cooper run over anything, even a Porsche? They're tiny.

I am assuming it just got into a wreck, and "ran over" was an overstatement. I could see a small car be thrown over another though, but I agree 'ran over' is more a term for a monster truck literally driving over another vehicle.
Sorry, haven't been back to this thread in awhile.

We aren't really sure.  From what we surmise, maybe the older lady driving it wasn't paying attention and drifted.  She must have swerved left and then jerked the car right.  She sideswiped one car (also my neighbor's car), Porsche was in front of that car.  I think it was an old 911?  You know, the kind of car that's sort of like a ramp in the back?  She drove UP over the back of the Porsche, and the Mini Cooper landed on the driver's side door.

mm1970

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Re: Should I buy a $40K car for baby hauling? (Reddit)
« Reply #27 on: July 15, 2016, 09:03:29 AM »
She had just bought a house (another dumb purchase) in a upper lower class subdivision. None of us had the first idea who she was trying to impress.

That's very interesting from an upper lower class subdivision.  ... I doubt my neighbors are that judgmental and I live in a pretty superficial and materialistic county.


I've put bagged fertilizer in the back of my wife's car.  Luckily, she and I enjoy the smell.

We're probably not the right demographic, but I can't ever remember having an opinion on what anybody else drives, other than cars that are clearly extremely expensive for no reason. The closest I can think of is when driving in winter with a friend whose car window was broken thinking that maybe she should think about upgrading it or getting the window fixed. (After graduation, she upgraded to a used civic with working windows).
I was recently visiting family in rural PA.  Saw a few luxury SUVs.  Commented on it to my brother and nephew (who are car people).  It was atypical when I was growing up. 

Of course jacked-up trucks are common (in my family even).  Anyway, I noted that luxury SUVs are very common in So Cal.  Porsche Cayenne, Lexus, and BMW seem to be the most common. But you'll find Cadillac, Audi, Acura, Mercedes also.