Buying a car during these weird times

[zaphod4prez]

Considering buying a car. A friend is selling a 2012 Prius C w low mileage for ~8k. I am currently staying with my friend at his mom’s house in the suburbs for the duration of all this quarantine stuff. Home is a major US city where I normally wouldn’t need a car.  I am very tempted to get a car in order to stay mobile and independent. I am very pessimistic about the effects of covid-19... I think this is going to be severe and last for a long time.

I just keep thinking that it would be good to have in a time of crisis like this— if public transit is closed down (or just filled w sick people), or if I end up staying out here for longer... I just feel very uncertain about the near future and wonder if having a car will make me more secure. At the same time, well, cars are expensive. It’d be 7.5-8k plus 1200/yr for insurance, plus some gas (though it is a Prius), plus who knows if I’ll need any repairs.

Right now we’re just renting a car for a month but if I don’t buy this we’ll likely return it and just depend on his moms car.

What do you think, Mustachians? Am I crazy for thinking about buying a car in these times? I’ve been car-free for a year and a half but can’t help but feel like I’d be safer if I had one right now. Any thoughts or feedback would be so helpful.

[Askel]

I wouldn't make a fear based purchase around "might" needing one. 

You can literally wake up on any given morning, decide you need a car- and have one before lunch. 

And if you're right, and the crisis does worsen- the deals will only get better. 

[Hirondelle]

So, what exactly do you need the car for at this moment?

Where are you going during this period of quarantaine, which public transit trips would it replace?

It seems like it's mostly a peace of mind thing, but as Askel already says, you can buy a car anytime if you really suddenly need one. You don't sound like you need one right now.

[dougules]

If public transit is shut down, why are you going out in the first place?

[John Galt incarnate!]

And if you're right, and the crisis does worsen- the deals will only get better.

Precisely.

[lutorm]

Yeah, the incentives on new cars have started spiking up. We (very un-mustachianly) ordered a new minivan two months ago, but it won't be delivered for probably a month, or worse if the transport infrastructure stops. I'm hoping by the time it gets here the auto manufacturers will be so desperate for my cash that the incentives will be sky high...

[zaphod4prez]

Thanks everyone, that was helpful. Actually thinking about whether this purchase is "fear-based" was really useful, bc I think that's exactly what it is. If I need a car later, I'll just... get one! For now I don't actually need one though.

And lutorm, agreed, things are already getting cheaper. These are weird times

[Just Joe]

Buy ebike and borrow Mom's car when necessary?

[nereo]

I wouldn't make a fear based purchase around "might" needing one. 

You can literally wake up on any given morning, decide you need a car- and have one before lunch. 

And if you're right, and the crisis does worsen- the deals will only get better.

This (particularly the last part).  Best deal I got on a vehicle was during the depths of the 2008 financial crisis.

There are over 250 million cars in the US and (currently) a glut of never-driven new cars several million deep piling up in depots and filling up dealership lots. As long as you aren't so consumeristic that you need an exact make/model/color/trim you can always find a car that will fit your needs. As people get hit with mounting bills and no job to commute to they sell their cars.