how much have you paid for a car and what would you pay for a car?

[msomnipotent]

what did you buy? A truck?

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. I throw up in my mouth a little every time I look at the mpg and the collision avoidance could be better, but other than that it is frigging awesome. My husband wants one now as well, but we will probably get a hybrid or plug in for him since he drives so much. If they have a Trailhawk hybrid version in a few years, we will probably get him one.

[kork13]

um wow. Is that for work though?

Work...yeah...sure...

Ask any guy with a massive truck, and they'll say "I like to have it for when I need to haul big loads." Ask how often he does that, and he'll avoid answering the question (truth for most: 1-2x a year, max). Some guys may use it to pull a trailer/RV/boat... But in general, guys buy trucks for the exact same reasons that they buy sports cars -- they think it makes them look cool.

Having lived in Oklahoma, where trucks and cattle each outnumber humans, I've become a bit cynical about America's obsession with trucks...can you tell?

[disneysteve]

Work...yeah...sure...

Exactly. Pick up trucks used to be work vehicles. Now they are more often than not personal vehicles, which is why they have gotten so expensive. When you see a 50K+ pick up with leather seats, BOSE stereos, and all of the other creature comforts, you can be quite sure that truck is never going anywhere near a construction zone. Just like how the super luxury SUVs aren't going anywhere near an off-road path.

[rennigade]

What sort of pickup costs $50k? Inflation? Or just really expensive?

all of them. they're basically luxury suv's now with space in the "trunk" to haul stuff. ACtually, not all pickup trucks are that much...but you can find a lot of them pushing $50k and more.

My father bought a new gmc (sierra I think?) I bought his 2009 tacoma. I really like the tacoma but its a tin can compared to the gmc, in terms of comfort and how it handles. Its impressive what trucks have become.

[Fishindude77]

What sort of pickup costs $50k? Inflation? Or just really expensive?

Last several pickups I have owned have been the full size Ford F-150 and Chevy 1500 four door, four wheel drive trucks with 6.5' bed and all the bells and whistles.
That's just what they sell for.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I was just reading MMM blogs and I had to post something that struck me. Okay so I get tesla are environmentally friendly. The cheapest where I live would be $43k without any bells and whistles after taxes I believe. But something I didn't get is how can you live so simply but justify ever buying a tesla? I mean that car would be many people's 1-2 year living budget? I get you spend money on what you love, I'm a big spender on traveling, but I am not a frugalite by any stretch. It's why we are still working and planning until kids finish college. But I don't get how anyone following his mantra of living simply which I think is great to be honest and justify that sort of car? Versus say picking up a used nissan leaf or even volt or bolt? I ask because three friends bought electric cars used recently and told me they got them at under $15k as commuter cars because they couldn't justify the $40k new tesla.

[disneysteve]

But I don't get how anyone following his mantra of living simply which I think is great to be honest and justify that sort of car?

I agree. If you are following a hard core frugal lifestyle, you don't spend 40-50K on your car. That's not a frugal thing to do. There's nothing wrong with buying one if you can afford it and value the product. Go right ahead. But it's a luxury purchase for sure.

[Singuy]

I was just reading MMM blogs and I had to post something that struck me. Okay so I get tesla are environmentally friendly. The cheapest where I live would be $43k without any bells and whistles after taxes I believe. But something I didn't get is how can you live so simply but justify ever buying a tesla? I mean that car would be many people's 1-2 year living budget? I get you spend money on what you love, I'm a big spender on traveling, but I am not a frugalite by any stretch. It's why we are still working and planning until kids finish college. But I don't get how anyone following his mantra of living simply which I think is great to be honest and justify that sort of car? Versus say picking up a used nissan leaf or even volt or bolt? I ask because three friends bought electric cars used recently and told me they got them at under $15k as commuter cars because they couldn't justify the $40k new tesla.

MMM is probably changing his mantra since he got a divorce. So yeah I got yelled at with the MMM crowd simply suggesting buying luxury goods even if you can afford it. Their mantra has always been "meditate until you become a monk so you can retire with 50k saved up".

That being said, used Leaf is probably a terrible idea since they put in zero battery management system which means degradation is actually very real for that car. There were reports of 10%+ degradation in a Leaf after year 1 while a Model 3 with 100k miles only saw 5% degradation. This is why any electric car besides a Tesla drops like a rock in resell value because none of these companies do the powertrain any justice.

[Snave]

I think we paid around 42K for my wife's Suburban a few years ago and it was 2 or 3 years old at the time, but was a fully loaded LTZ. We aren't car people really and the last one she had we put just under 200K miles on it. I bought a used Outback and think I paid 19K for it and it was also 3 years old. Both cars are paid off though, so we will drive them as long as possible.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

No I don't think it's a bad idea but I don't get how it jives with living simply to buy a car that is more than your annual consumption.

[bjl584]

Speaking of trucks.

I went to Ford's website and build my own F450.
$88,685

[myrdale]

We paid right at $20,000 for my 2002 Nissan Frontier when it was new. I am currently saving for a new Toyota Tacoma, 4 door 4 wheel drive. I am budgeting $32,000, but I am hoping by the time I have the cash in hand to talk them down to $30,000 or so.

I have a very hard time justifying anything over $40,000.

I do have an uncle with a $75,000 truck, but I suspect they earn in the range of $250-300k per year.

I am sure you're aware of Dave Ramsey's suggestion that all of your vehicles together should not equal more than half of your annual income.

Ultimately I would suggest shop around hard. Don't buy anything off of emotion. When you do find that perfect car, go home and sleep on it for the night, it will still be there in the morning.

[disneysteve]

Speaking of trucks.

I went to Ford's website and build my own F450.
$88,685

I'd love to know who is buying the 90K pick up trucks.

[disneysteve]

I do have an uncle with a $75,000 truck, but I suspect they earn in the range of $250-300k per year

I'm at the low end of that income range and there's no way in hell I'd spend 75K on a vehicle with the possible exception of a motor home but that puts it into a different category in my mind.

[bjl584]

I'd love to know who is buying the 90K pick up trucks.

The F450 and all of the heavy duty class trucks are built for heavy hauling and towing.
I'd guess that most are company owned.
I see a fair amount of them around here hauling for the oil fields.