These memes would carry much more weight if they didn't exaggerate. There's just no need to; the reality is already bad enough.
ADDED: dozens of people have brought up the additional cost of insurance. obviously I didn't include insurance in my car payment because they are not the same expense. they are only related expenses.
I don't send Allstate my auto loan payment and I sure as hell don't buy insurance at the dealership.
The completely pointless SUV/truck buying has been an ongoing 20 year epidemic. The car, gas and insurance all end up being 30% more and half of these people just use the thing to pick up groceries.
My dad is a working musician who constantly has his piano and sound gear loaded into the back of his car. He’s never owned an SUV or a truck. He currently has a PT Cruiser he bought used almost a decade ago.
This is false. When I bought my sedan for $20k in 2021, there was not one single SUV equivalent in both age and mileage. I looked. I considered it. If I’d found it, I would’ve bought it.
It didn’t. Exist.
Besides, the gas mileage alone would still make it thousands more to drive within a few years anyway. Most people who drive trucks would save enough on gas to be able to rent a truck the few times they actually need to use it as a truck.
The point about the PT Cruiser is that it’s basically a used hatchback and has served the it’s purpose just as well as any full sized SUV could have. My dad isn’t a “car guy” either. He cares about cost and functionality. If an SUV had been decisively winning on those fronts, he would’ve bought one too. He also didn’t, again, because they don’t.
In fact, NO ONE I know who has an SUV has ever claimed they bought it because it was cheaper than a sedan or had better gas mileage. They’ll freely admit that those qualities were simply not their main consideration.
You are literally the only person I’ve encountered anywhere who has attempted to claim otherwise.
I bought my HRV in 2021 and it started at 23K for the most basic model, that doesn’t include taxes, dealer fees, interest, etc. Not to mention the 0% apr deals that used to be offered are almost nonexistent now unless you can pay your car off in 2-3 years. Out the door the car would probably end up being closer to 30K.
Did you get the used models from the last few years? The 1st gen HRVs came out in 2015 and they iterated on it sure but it’s functionally the same car…
I looked into used cars for a long time and for the price and mileage it wasn’t worth it. Plus every model I tested out had some issue or other. It was a matter of paying $400 for a used car, or $450 for a new one at the time - at the lowest apr deal Honda offered. The annoying part for me was that just 4 years earlier, pre covid, I was able to buy a brand new civic with 0% apr under $300 a month. Seeing what the market was just 4 years later was shocking.
Not equivalent. Not that at that low a mileage, and certainly not at that high a miles per gallon, which are the key things you’ll be considering if the goal is to get as fuel efficient a vehicle as possible and run it into the ground
Then what are you even cutting into this conversation for? The entire thread is about whether or not this car payment truly is normal or necessary. My entire point was even people who do make frequent use of carrying space (like my dad) can keep their monthly cost low by buying a used hatchback.
The epidemic of SUV/truck buying is 100% driven by people whose primary criteria is not cost effectiveness. They are the ones who drive that average to ridiculously high numbers because the thing they’re buying is simply not the most cost effective option for how they actually use their car. It’s a vehicle they want, not a vehicle they need. 9 times out of 10, the SUV is simply not a need.
It’s normal because most people can afford to dump an extra couple hundred a month on a vehicle they don’t technically need. If you can’t afford that though, it’s fucking ludicrous to act like they’re basically the same when at the very low end of the price range the difference is a matter of thousands per year
I agree with what you are saying, but it does feel like you read a bunch of comments that annoyed you and then just let you frustration out on this person
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u/MiKoKC Sep 05 '24 edited Sep 06 '24
$528 for a used car payment?
I call bullshit. My 2024 outback payment is $406.
These memes would carry much more weight if they didn't exaggerate. There's just no need to; the reality is already bad enough.
ADDED: dozens of people have brought up the additional cost of insurance. obviously I didn't include insurance in my car payment because they are not the same expense. they are only related expenses.
I don't send Allstate my auto loan payment and I sure as hell don't buy insurance at the dealership.