I just wanted to pull out two quotes from the last 3 pages...
Still won't make it [truck/rocket ownership] acceptable on these forums.
False. AFAICT, the essence of Mustachianism, which is all too often more like a religion as evangelized by some of the people in these forums, is "Conscious consumerism". If having a Miata gives you great pleasure in life, and you can afford to have it, then enjoy your life. If you think you need to step it up to owning a Corvette or a higher end sports car? Well, you're going to the extreme end, and you should really examine your choices, but again, it's your choice.
This is compared to unconscious, spendy and mindless consumerism, which is bad, especially if it causes you to completely miss the ideas of YMOYL/ERE/FIRE and live paycheck to paycheck, because that's stressful, short sighted, and objectively an inferior way to live if it's avoidable.
There's a difference between 1. people who buy fancy cars and trucks because they like to hang out with their friends and talk about them, or work on them, or go to drag races, or otherwise enjoy a subculture related to cars and 2. people who buy fancy cars and trucks because that's what they think they are supposed to do to be successful. The difference lies in belonging to a community versus being a mindless consumer sucka.
All of my this.
I drive a Focus ST, a decidedly un-mustachian(not >40 mpg, new, excessive horsepower), however even that could be considered mustachian on several levels for
myself.
1. I -like- horsepower, and this is one of the cheapest, and most useable horsepower from an almost-econobox grade vehicle.
2. I tried the old used car thing for 2 years, it brought negative happiness value to my life because I didn't trust the vehicle
3. Even a new car can be mustachian if it's kept for many, many years, I do plan on keeping this into the 100k-200k mile range(or till it dies), I think ownership of it will mean I won't have that fear that my prior vehicle gave me.
Those in glass houses should not cast stones, and every single one of us, with our internet, our first world electricity, our washers and our dryers and dishwashers and appliances, none of us are without sin.
P.S. As a side note, I will admit that when I was shopping for vehicles, I failed to account for doc/sales tax even after all my research on vehicles and probably should've gone with the used model... but again, every mile put on this baby, and every quirk, I will have full knowledge of, and I do sleep better at night and enjoy my vehicle more because of that.
Edit: grammar