Comments on: The “But Everyone Has A” Mentality

By: DoctorJay

DoctorJay — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:13:59 +0000

Great post. While I agree that upkeep on an older car isn’t as nice as a new car that’s under warranty, if you do regular maintenance and fix minor problems before they become major most recent cars can last up to 200k miles.

3 years ago I bought a ‘92 Volvo 240. I sank some cash into it when I could to bring it up to speed on maintenance and now I’ve got a nice, reliable brick approaching 150k.

I find it best to not treat it like a beater. Regular waxing, vacuuming, painting in scratches keeps it from looking like a rusted heap. It’s fun having an older vehicle that doesn’t look as old as it is.

NY Times had a ridiculous article on a woman who was saving money by keeping her car after the warranty expired. Poor woman had to make do with a 2004 BMW X3. The horror!

http://jayboucher.com/blackbrick/archives/273/

By: #035 — Links O’ The Week | MyMoneyMinute.com

#035 — Links O’ The Week | MyMoneyMinute.com — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:54:13 +0000

[...] How many times have you heard that it is “normal” to have credit cards, car payments, and student loans — to the point where you’re ridiculed if you don’t have this bondage in your life? Frugal Dad discusses this in what he calls The “But Everyone Has A…” Mentality. [...]

By: Jean Farris

Jean Farris — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 04:37:23 +0000

I drive a 1991 Honda Accord, 5 speed, with 240,000 miles on it.Paid cash for it, used. Still gets 35 mpg in town, runs great and is rarely seen by my mechanic, and then mostly for oil changes and scheduled maintenance. Recently the young man selling me new wiper blades at the local auto parts store asked me if I wanted to sell it. I thought he was joking, told him how many miles were on it, and he said he was thinking of replacing his wife’s 1984 Accord–still running with 350,000 miles on it! I honestly dread the day we will have to replace this car, but am pretty sure it will be a cash purchase, used Honda.

By: I Was Broke. Now I'm Not.

I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:44:56 +0000

When that guy with his Toyata Tundra reaches his IHHE moment (I Have Had Enough moment) he will remember what you told him about not having a car payment and maybe he’ll follow your example…

By: DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad

DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:09:27 +0000

People have been sold on this idea that a car loan is part of life– the American Way. It wasn’t always this way– people did save and pay cash. I say to my wife all the time, as we drive down the road and see beat up old cars, “Hey, at least it’s paid for . . . ”

I paid my car off months ago and I love the idea of no car payment. My intention is never to have a car payment again– I will pay cash and buy what I can afford at the time.

Logically, financing a depreciating asset does make sense. We need to get our minds back on right thinking and not “marketing think”.

By: chris

chris — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:48:21 +0000

I have already made one comment and have enjoyed reading the various perspectives. Frugal Dad’s perspective is correct, if you only go into debt to buy a new car so that you look the part bad move. But if your circumstances require a newer vehicle because of a large amount of travel, safety of children, need of reliability, then all those points have to be taken into account, not just how much you are spending. Due to our changing needs I have down graded to a vehicle 3 times older than my last vehicle. Eventually I’ll buy another new vehicle, but with cash.

By: Jason from MoneyTheory

Jason from MoneyTheory — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:02:01 +0000

Great example about the car. I keep driving an older car (11 years) too because it still runs great and I have no payment for it. Yeah, it’s not all decked out with rims, custom this, and custom that, but it’s comfortable, reliable, and gets excellent gas mileage. Why would I want to trade that in and pay $500 per month just because everyone else may have a car payment?

By: Squeaky

Squeaky — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:11:54 +0000

I fear I’ve heard the “but everyone” phrase come out of my own mouth a few times.

“But everyone has a side job.”
“But doesn’t everyone do their own ironing?”
“But everyone likes fresh garden vegetables.”
“Doesn’t everyone know how that if you put a rubber spatula on a hot frying pan, it’ll melt?”
“Can’t everyone at least sew up a seam or put a button back on?”
“Doesn’t everyone know how to change the oil in their cars?”

It turns out that what I think is obvious often isn’t. I think the odds are that I’m clueless about a bunch of things that are really obvious to other people.

In my particular case I think the “but everyone” argument comes from a desire to validate my point of view by projecting it in a larger social context. Either that or I’d like to believe I’m normal.

By: marci

marci — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:48:32 +0000

For those of us living in very rural america, going without a vehicle is not a real option, as there is no public transportation here, keeping a horse is more trouble and money than I care to spend, and my elderly knees cannot handle a bike, nor would I want to in the 200 days a year that we have rain here, along with all the coastal winds.
Freedom is having my paid for old rig available to me at all times.

By: Irv Thomas

Irv Thomas — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:19:59 +0000

Aha! It looks to me like all of you . . . ALL of you, are just happy where you’re stuck: with the world of lifelong wage-slavery in order to keep up on WHATEVER it is you are ‘keeping up’ on!

I draw that from your inability or unwillingness to respond to the single response in this long list of them that advocates doing without the automobile entirely!

Well, to each his own, I guess. Freedom doesn’t need company, but indebtedness sure does.