Author Topic: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?  (Read 3497 times)

Yanisimo

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Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« on: May 28, 2019, 11:32:42 AM »
Seeking advice about a car purchase:
The husband currently owns a 2018 Honda Civic Sport. We paid in cash last year (we were financially illiterate!) and now, after reading the MMM blog, we realize our mistake. We plan to sell this car and buy a used vehicle in cash, then take the expected $10K in proceeds and invest it.

The problem: We are not certain what size vehicle we want. We have 3 large dogs, and at least once a year we take a vacation with all the dogs from Florida to Arkansas. The husband's drive to work is 10 miles one way. It makes sense to buy a small car for his drive to work but, on the other hand, to comfortably fit 3 large dogs for the occasional vacation, we would need a larger sized vehicle. However, I am nervous about buying an SUV when, 90% of the time, it would be used to commute to work.
I believe it would make more sense to get a small car for commuting, and then rent a larger vehicle for our annual road trip with the dogs ($400 to rent an SUV for 10 days per a rental car website). However, the husband is not convinced. Also, I have been told by the ChooseFI Facebook group that I should just keep our current car, which I believe Mr. Money Mustache would disagree with. I believe this community is more rational/financially saavy. I don't want to keep the car because I would rather have $10,000 extra in my investment account. I don't see why it would be a good idea to keep it, especially since it is a manual and only the husband can drive it.

Dancin'Dog

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2019, 11:47:21 AM »
You already took big depreciation hit when you purchased the car, so it might make better sense at this point to keep it.  It obviously has no mileage and a full warranty.  A brand new Civic should last a long time & you know its history.


Maybe you can carry the dogs in a small trailer when you travel?  Trailers are handy to have for other uses when you drive a small car. 

Sibley

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2019, 12:16:57 PM »
Keep the vehicle - it's paid off, just keep it for the next 20 years. Do not buy a SUV. The next trip, rent a larger vehicle. When you get back, evaluate how it went.

Then you decide if you buy a bigger vehicle. Hint: the answer will be no.

JLee

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2019, 12:27:56 PM »
You already took big depreciation hit when you purchased the car, so it might make better sense at this point to keep it.  It obviously has no mileage and a full warranty.  A brand new Civic should last a long time & you know its history.


Maybe you can carry the dogs in a small trailer when you travel?  Trailers are handy to have for other uses when you drive a small car.

An enclosed trailer is basically an oven.

Cassie

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2019, 12:33:14 PM »
Plus if the trailer gets hit the dogs are dead. Keep the car and rent for a trip.

Rural

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2019, 01:22:01 PM »
Keep the car and rent for the trips.

Dancin'Dog

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2019, 01:30:49 PM »
You already took big depreciation hit when you purchased the car, so it might make better sense at this point to keep it.  It obviously has no mileage and a full warranty.  A brand new Civic should last a long time & you know its history.Maybe you can carry the dogs in a small trailer when you travel?  Trailers are handy to have for other uses when you drive a small car.
An enclosed trailer is basically an oven.
Not if it has vents.  Farmers haul their horses in trailers.  Hunters haul their dogs in metal crates in the bed of their pickup trucks.  Of course you can't park them in a hot parking lot for hours, but they should be fine while you're moving. 


I'm just trying to help think of creative ways to economically haul dogs.  I have dogs too & realize that they can cost a lot more than I'd like at times.  I had to pay $840 for a dog sitter earlier this month, which I'm still aching over...

Syonyk

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2019, 02:26:31 PM »
What's your overall financial state?  Are you hair-on-fire in debt, or somewhat significantly positive net worth?  I'd assume the 2nd, if you're buying the car with cash.

If you've still got massive debt, selling the car is probably the right answer, but if you're otherwise stable, I agree that keeping a paid-for, low-mileage Honda is probably the right option.

For the dogs, can you fold the rear seat down and get a luggage rack for the hitch?  Not sure if it's a hatchback or not, but if you did swap it out, getting a hatchback or small wagon might work well for everything.

SweatingInAR

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2019, 03:24:45 PM »
I don't see why it would be a good idea to keep it, especially since it is a manual and only the husband can drive it.

I totally agree with the overwhelming majority... Rent a bigger vehicle for the road trips.

However, you should take this opportunity to learn how to drive a manual transmission!

six-car-habit

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #9 on: May 28, 2019, 03:53:14 PM »
  Keep it.   Read the "how to learn to drive a manual transmission" thread also on page one of the "Ask a mustachian" section.
  Maintain it per the maintanance schedule in the owners manual.   Sounds like a fun car to drive, a modern version the old "Civic Si ".
  Don't force your husband into some soulless old camry.

  How did you used to get your dogs from FL to AR ?

John Galt incarnate!

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #10 on: May 28, 2019, 04:21:18 PM »
Seeking advice about a car purchase:
The husband currently owns a 2018 Honda Civic Sport. We paid in cash last year (we were financially illiterate!) and now, after reading the MMM blog, we realize our mistake. We plan to sell this car and buy a used vehicle in cash, then take the expected $10K in proceeds and invest it.

The problem: We are not certain what size vehicle we want. We have 3 large dogs, and at least once a year we take a vacation with all the dogs from Florida to Arkansas. The husband's drive to work is 10 miles one way. It makes sense to buy a small car for his drive to work but, on the other hand, to comfortably fit 3 large dogs for the occasional vacation, we would need a larger sized vehicle. However, I am nervous about buying an SUV when, 90% of the time, it would be used to commute to work.
I believe it would make more sense to get a small car for commuting, and then rent a larger vehicle for our annual road trip with the dogs ($400 to rent an SUV for 10 days per a rental car website). However, the husband is not convinced. Also, I have been told by the ChooseFI Facebook group that I should just keep our current car, which I believe Mr. Money Mustache would disagree with. I believe this community is more rational/financially saavy. I don't want to keep the car because I would rather have $10,000 extra in my investment account. I don't see why it would be a good idea to keep it, especially since it is a manual and only the husband can drive it.


For everyday use I think you should keep your paid-for Civic. They are reliable vehicles.

For vacation trips with your 3 dogs you can rent a larger vehicle that will accommodate them.

 From the standpoint of long-term operating cost,  manual transmissions are exceptionally reliable. They will easily last 300,000 miles with ZERO maintenance required except for  an oil change @ ~35,000 mile intervals.

An automatic transmission is a MUCH more complicated piece of machinery. They have  filters, modulators, torque converters, bands, transmission-fluid coolers, etc.

I think you should learn to drive your husband's stick-shift  Civic.

He can teach you how.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2019, 04:26:13 PM by John Galt incarnate! »

JLee

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #11 on: May 28, 2019, 04:28:28 PM »
Seeking advice about a car purchase:
The husband currently owns a 2018 Honda Civic Sport. We paid in cash last year (we were financially illiterate!) and now, after reading the MMM blog, we realize our mistake. We plan to sell this car and buy a used vehicle in cash, then take the expected $10K in proceeds and invest it.

The problem: We are not certain what size vehicle we want. We have 3 large dogs, and at least once a year we take a vacation with all the dogs from Florida to Arkansas. The husband's drive to work is 10 miles one way. It makes sense to buy a small car for his drive to work but, on the other hand, to comfortably fit 3 large dogs for the occasional vacation, we would need a larger sized vehicle. However, I am nervous about buying an SUV when, 90% of the time, it would be used to commute to work.
I believe it would make more sense to get a small car for commuting, and then rent a larger vehicle for our annual road trip with the dogs ($400 to rent an SUV for 10 days per a rental car website). However, the husband is not convinced. Also, I have been told by the ChooseFI Facebook group that I should just keep our current car, which I believe Mr. Money Mustache would disagree with. I believe this community is more rational/financially saavy. I don't want to keep the car because I would rather have $10,000 extra in my investment account. I don't see why it would be a good idea to keep it, especially since it is a manual and only the husband can drive it.


For everyday use I think you should keep your paid-for Civic. They are reliable vehicles.

For vacation trips with your 3 dogs you can rent a larger vehicle that will accommodate them.

 From the standpoint of long-term operating cost,  manual transmissions are exceptionally reliable. They will easily last 300,000 miles with ZERO maintenance required except for  an oil change @ ~35,000 mile intervals.

An automatic transmission is a MUCH more complicated piece of machinery. They have  filters, modulators, torque converters, bands, transmission-fluid coolers, etc.

I think you should learn to drive your husband's stick-shift  Civic.

He can teach you how.

Manual transmissions can also require clutch replacement and synchros can wear (which requires a transmission rebuild/replacement to fix), so they aren't necessarily bulletproof / maintenance-free.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2019, 04:47:01 PM by JLee »

AlotToLearn

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #12 on: May 28, 2019, 04:43:07 PM »
Another vote to keep the paid off Civic. Enjoy it for many years to come.

ysette9

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #13 on: May 28, 2019, 04:56:43 PM »
I’ll chime in to vote for keeping the civic. My husband’s went 217k miles on the original clutch before starting to make funny noises. They are really forgiving cars for learning to drive manual transmission on as well. Or at least the older ones were.

Radagast

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #14 on: May 28, 2019, 11:23:59 PM »
Buying a new 2018 Civic was a not-great financial decision.
Buying a used 2018 Civic in perfect working order would be a fairly good financial decision.
You can't go back in time and get your money back, but you can buy a used 2018 Honda Civic in great condition from yourself right now for 0 down and 0 monthly payment :-)

Basically, it was not the best choice but it is water under the bridge. Your only choice now is keep or sell. You could go through a lot of hassle and save maybe $8k to end up with an older possibly less reliable vehicle. Or you can enjoy a few years of low cost trouble free car ownership while you watch your shiny new purchase degrade into just another used car as the lesson sinks in.

At least you got a Civic. The year before I found MMM I got a Forester! 8-|

Yanisimo

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #15 on: May 30, 2019, 07:21:14 AM »
  Keep it.   Read the "how to learn to drive a manual transmission" thread also on page one of the "Ask a mustachian" section.
  Maintain it per the maintanance schedule in the owners manual.   Sounds like a fun car to drive, a modern version the old "Civic Si ".
  Don't force your husband into some soulless old camry.

  How did you used to get your dogs from FL to AR ?

We had a 2017 Toyota Tacoma from Jan 2017 - July 2018. We used that to travel with the dogs. In July 2018, we traded it in for the 2018 Honda Civic. I know - very un-mustachian.

RWD

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #16 on: May 30, 2019, 07:39:29 AM »
Selling an efficient 2018 Civic and replacing it with an old gas guzzling SUV just to free up $10k for investing seems pretty shortsighted, in my opinion. Keep it. Rent if necessary when you need a larger vehicle.

Yanisimo

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #17 on: May 30, 2019, 07:42:20 AM »
Thanks everyone for your opinions. Unfortunately, the husband has now decided that he wants to trade in his 2018 Honda Civic for a used truck. He is from Arkansas, and as a country boy, he has this foolish mindset that "everyone needs a truck." We can get about $18,000 for the Civic, and hopefully buy a used truck for about $15,000, so our net worth won't take a hit. We are debt free, not including the mortgage. Our financial goals are to achieve financial independence in 13 years.
The husband's new revelation irks me because, in July 2018, we traded in his 2017 Toyota Tacoma (a TRUCK!!) for the 2018 Honda Civic, and now, almost a year later, he wants to go back to a truck. We have pretty much gone full circle. I find it ridiculous. He seems to want a truck for emotional reasons and not for practical reasons.
This whole conversation about replacing his Honda started because I wanted him to sell it and replace it with a used, reliable car so we could free up cash to speed up our path towards FIRE. But, after almost a year of owning the Honda, he realizes he prefers driving trucks over cars (he is a country boy). So instead of replacing the Honda for a used car like I planned, he wants to replace it for a used truck.

Should I let him replace his car for a truck? He says a truck is more suitable for him. If I do let him do this, then I will prevent him from further trading in vehicles in the future, and convince him to drive the truck to the ground. We're trying to reach financial independence in 13 years, and his habit of trading in vehicles (3 trade-ins since 2014) is NOT going to help us get to financial independence sooner. What would you do? Should I continue to fight?
« Last Edit: May 30, 2019, 07:50:43 AM by Yanisimo »

ysette9

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #18 on: May 30, 2019, 07:46:34 AM »
What would be use the truck for? Can you write out use cases and % of times you would do each activity? Like, 90% of the time commuting, 5% of the time road trips, 5% of the time hauling crap, or however it falls out for you?

FIPurpose

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #19 on: May 30, 2019, 07:57:44 AM »
I spent many years in the south. I never understood the need for so many people to own trucks. They are more status symbols than they are tools. The number of times I've needed a truck, I just do the hourly rental from Lowe's or Uhaul. A truck is going to use 50% more gas than your civic, so no this is not an even trade. Your costs will be going up by about 1.5k per year in gas alone.

If your husband is a self-employed contractor, I can maybe see a use. But if he's an engineer that just wants to drive a truck....

Yanisimo

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #20 on: May 30, 2019, 08:00:21 AM »
What would be use the truck for? Can you write out use cases and % of times you would do each activity? Like, 90% of the time commuting, 5% of the time road trips, 5% of the time hauling crap, or however it falls out for you?

Great question. 90% of the time it would be used to commute to his job that is 10 miles from home. Round trip - 20 miles per weekday. We live in the Southeast, so no hills/mountains.
10% of the time would be used to travel to the mountains and for hauling stuff for home projects.
So, as you can see, there is no practical reason to get a truck. We live in the city. I originally wanted him to replace the Civic for a used car to free up cash to invest. I like everyone's idea about renting a larger vehicle when needed. But now I am going against a man who doesn't like cars to begin with because he has an irrational, emotional attachment to trucks.
I feel like replacing the Honda for a used truck will negatively affect our financial independence journey, but I wish I new exactly how. For example, would it mean that we have to work for x number of months more if we got a truck?

Which decision will reduce our mandatory working years? Because that is what is most important to me. I want to get out of the rat race sooner, not later. 

RWD

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #21 on: May 30, 2019, 08:11:05 AM »
I spent many years in the south. I never understood the need for so many people to own trucks. They are more status symbols than they are tools. The number of times I've needed a truck, I just do the hourly rental from Lowe's or Uhaul. A truck is going to use 50% more gas than your civic, so no this is not an even trade. Your costs will be going up by about 1.5k per year in gas alone.

If your husband is a self-employed contractor, I can maybe see a use. But if he's an engineer that just wants to drive a truck....

Yep, 50% is probably on the low end too. Their previous Tacoma used 52%-75% more fuel than the current Civic (depending on which models you compare). A 2010 Ford F-150 4WD (about what you can get for $15k) uses 119% more fuel than the Civic (more than double!).

RWD

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #22 on: May 30, 2019, 08:17:06 AM »
What would be use the truck for? Can you write out use cases and % of times you would do each activity? Like, 90% of the time commuting, 5% of the time road trips, 5% of the time hauling crap, or however it falls out for you?

Great question. 90% of the time it would be used to commute to his job that is 10 miles from home. Round trip - 20 miles per weekday. We live in the Southeast, so no hills/mountains.
10% of the time would be used to travel to the mountains and for hauling stuff for home projects.
So, as you can see, there is no practical reason to get a truck. We live in the city. I originally wanted him to replace the Civic for a used car to free up cash to invest. I like everyone's idea about renting a larger vehicle when needed. But now I am going against a man who doesn't like cars to begin with because he has an irrational, emotional attachment to trucks.
I feel like replacing the Honda for a used truck will negatively affect our financial independence journey, but I wish I new exactly how. For example, would it mean that we have to work for x number of months more if we got a truck?

Which decision will reduce our mandatory working years? Because that is what is most important to me. I want to get out of the rat race sooner, not later.

To calculate you need to know how much money you are saving now and how that would change with the truck. Getting the truck will absolutely increase your mandatory working years.

20 miles per weekday is about 5k miles per year. You're probably looking at an additional $30-40 in gas per month compared to the Civic. Additional considerations are differences in maintenance, insurance, registration, depreciation.

Sibley

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #23 on: May 30, 2019, 08:24:33 AM »
Ok, for marital peace - he can get a small truck. Not a HUGE truck. And then he drives it until the wheels fall off. He wants to be a country boy? He can have the country boy's truck - rusted, ugly, barely legal.

RWD

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #24 on: May 30, 2019, 08:25:20 AM »
To follow up with an example of how to calculate additional working years. Let's say you are saving $2k per month now and your expenses are $3k per month. Assume the truck will cost an extra $50/month. The current lifestyle requires $900k. Keeping a truck as part of your lifestyle indefinitely will require an additional $15k saved (4% rule), so $915k. And you'd be getting there slightly slower. Assuming starting from 0 and throwing these numbers into a spreadsheet to calculate compound interest (7% returns)... Gives an extra 5 months of working for the truck (222 vs 227 months).

The less you are saving now the bigger the impact of increasing expenses.

acepedro45

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #25 on: May 30, 2019, 08:29:29 AM »
Your husband's commute is not terrible at ten miles. A used truck or an SUV can handle that passably well (not as well as a 2018 manual Civic).

The bigger problem I see is the constant switching of vehicles and the attendant transaction costs every time you guys change your minds and swap another one out. That will hurt your journey to FI much more than the extra costs of a truck over a Civic. So if the truck is truly important to your husband, I would cede ground there but only on the condition that he stick with whatever vehicle he chooses for the next 5+ years.

P.S. Learn to drive a stick!

RWD

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #26 on: May 30, 2019, 08:38:06 AM »
P.S. Learn to drive a stick!

^^^ Yes, do this. It's very rewarding and could come in handy some day.

thesis

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #27 on: May 30, 2019, 08:42:08 AM »
A Civic is probably the least un-mustachian new vehicle you can purchase. I agree with the others that you may as well keep it at this point. At the very least, the warranty, reliability, and known history of it should keep you from needing to pump more money into it any time soon, and the money saved there can definitely be put toward investments.

What line of work is your husband in? Is he feeling pressured to "fit in" and buy a truck? You are absolutely correct that renting a larger vehicle for long trips is the way to go.

FIPurpose

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #28 on: May 30, 2019, 08:50:43 AM »
Not just gas, you also have to include the loss of the warranty protection for the next 1-2 years. (Or however long that was). If your truck breaks down or has to run a new transmission that costs you $2k, all you'll see is the additional dollars adding up.

But does your husband really have the same goal of retiring early? Is he really just being a consuma sucka for truck life? We call what he needs a facepunch around here.

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/04/28/what-does-your-work-truck-say-about-you/

65fl

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #29 on: May 30, 2019, 09:22:35 AM »
You've already received some excellent advice, so I'm not going to bother repeating what has already been said, but little car/large dogs reminds me of a story. I have a pair of Great Pyrenees (110 lbs each) and was picking them up from the kennel. I was loading them into my little Suzuki SX4 when another customer pulls in with a F-250 crew cab pickup. He made a comment about how comical it is to have such large dogs in such a small car. I smiled, nodded and agreed. He then reaches into his truck and pulls out his little lap dog. I didn't say anything but thought to myself, which is more comical a large truck hauling 15 lbs of dog or a small car hauling 220 lbs of dog?

calimom

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #30 on: May 30, 2019, 02:00:34 PM »
Agree with the consensus that you should just keep the Honda. Buying and selling stuff like cars and houses just because of restlessness is a waste of time and money. Transaction fees eat up more than people think.

And if you decide to rent a large vehicle to transport your dogs, check the fine print carefully. Some car rental agencies do not allow animals.

use2betrix

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #31 on: May 30, 2019, 05:50:47 PM »
FYI - a lot of rental vehicle places do not allow dogs in their vehicles.

Catbert

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #32 on: May 31, 2019, 03:04:26 PM »
Your husband's commute is not terrible at ten miles. A used truck or an SUV can handle that passably well (not as well as a 2018 manual Civic).

The bigger problem I see is the constant switching of vehicles and the attendant transaction costs every time you guys change your minds and swap another one out. That will hurt your journey to FI much more than the extra costs of a truck over a Civic. So if the truck is truly important to your husband, I would cede ground there but only on the condition that he stick with whatever vehicle he chooses for the next 5+ years.

P.S. Learn to drive a stick!

+1

mschaus

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #33 on: June 03, 2019, 02:05:57 PM »
I’m also not sold on all this “keep the car” stuff. Having a paid-off car is a reason to sell it, not to keep it, since selling a car you don’t own has extra hurdles. For example, you won’t need to bring cash to the table, you will instead walk away with cash. Keeping a car because it’s paid off or because it has already depreciated is just a sunk-cost fallacy.

Instead, you are where you are, so ask: If you had $18k (or whatever the value is) in cash to buy that same 2018 Civic, would you do it, knowing what you now know? Is $10k a meaningful amount of money to you? If yes, sell the damn thing and drive a much cheaper alternative, which may still be a small Honda. It’s possible that the car you want to buy is a lightly used 2018 Civic… in that case you already have one. But again, if $10k is a lot of money, you can make the change and drive a nicer car in the future when $10k is less impactful.

And yes, rent a larger car for the extended trip or tinker with the other creative hauling ideas people have had here. And learn to drive stick while you've got the car.

Though it goes without saying, do not get a truck. If you get a cheaper vehicle, a 2006 Civic could work, for example. Also, trade-ins are tragically inefficient. It will be good for you to learn how to buy and sell cars on the private market.

Ha, it turns out someone with much more social clout already wrote what I’m trying to say: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/07/02/if-you-wouldnt-buy-it-you-should-probably-sell-it/

Of course, unless the car-trading gets under control, there are bigger fish to fry. If the alternative is changing cars and NOT recovering $10k of capital, then absolutely stick with the Civic.

mschaus

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Re: Should I sell our paid off 2018 Honda Civic?
« Reply #34 on: June 03, 2019, 02:18:00 PM »
[...]I feel like replacing the Honda for a used truck will negatively affect our financial independence journey, but I wish I new exactly how. For example, would it mean that we have to work for x number of months more if we got a truck?

Which decision will reduce our mandatory working years? Because that is what is most important to me. I want to get out of the rat race sooner, not later.

One way to think about this: Calculate the monthly (or yearly) cost difference in the TOTAL cost of ownership for each vehicle (which includes depreciation and opportunity cost of the capital, in addition to all the usual gas/insurance/registration/parking/tires/oil/maintenance... I should write a blog post on this). That increase in cost is the amount you would have to add to your "FI number". Let's say it's $4000/yr more to operate a larger vehicle. Using the 4% rule, it takes $100k in invested assets to cover that cost in the FI budget. How long does it take you to save $100k? 1 year? 5 years? That's how long FI is delayed.

People routinely underestimate the costs of driving, which is why articles like MMM's commuting calculation are so shocking. I'm shocked by the math I just wrote!