Brian

I hate the look they give you at the vehicle registry when you are registering a recent purchase, and you state there is no lienholder. It's a combination of distrust and jealousy.

bhtooefr

I don't get that look, because the most I've paid for a car is $1200.

Brian

I paid a bit more, and it seems foreign to some people that you can have a car, 4WD, or motorcycle that's new, and no loan. I'm so unAmerican.

ralph12

$8000 a year!?

That's crazy. D:

cowtown_cowboy

I think it's really sad when you see people, especially young people, throwing money away on vehicles. I learned that lesson the hard way after buying a new Geo Metro. I was 19, couldn't make the payments, couldn't afford the repairs when (nearly) everything broke. I had to sell it off, and still had to borrow money off my dad to cover the loan! I understand some people need decent transportation if you live in a rural area, have children, etc. I say if you have an option to save money, do it. Put that cash towards a down payment on a house, maybe some schooling, even a nice trip-by bike! It's hard though, the automotive industry is trying their damdest to stay above water, and with the media constantly pushing cars on people, a lot of them can't make the right choice.
Look at it this way: I ride a new $400 700C machine. Even with some summer and winter tires, a new chain, new housing/cables, and any other forseeable problems i'm still spending less than $1000, easily. That includes the occasional americano!

Brian

You bought a Metro new?

In Absentia

You just don't get it. They need the Tahoe so they can save money on bulk food from Sam's Club!

adgrant

How about $800 a month for a parking space then. Not unusual in Manhattan.

adgrant

Actually they can't afford cars because they are making $40k a year in New York and spending all their money on rent.

cowtown_cowboy

Is it really that bad? I would think if I was making 40K/year in NYC I would seriously reconsider my life choices. I imagine that it's mostly single people too. If your rent was 40-60%, that would mean, what, a $1500-2500 payment/month? Too rich for my blood.

bhtooefr

But, it takes money to have the resources to move, and if you're living paycheck to paycheck, then even moving to somewhere where the cost of living vs. income ratio is better may not be feasible...

cowtown_cowboy

I've been in that boat myself. I oved from Vancouver to Calgary 5 years ago and had $50 to my name when I got off the plane. If it wasn't for friends and family I might not have been able to do it. I'm now looking to go to an even less expensive market, as Calgary has jumped something like 60% in the past 2 years. Yikes.
I could understand someone's situation in a place like New York. Never been myself, but it seems like it's turning into a playground for the rich...

kjohnnytarr

This article doesn't once mention bikes.

adgrant

One bedroom apartments in a doorman building in a decent (but not prime) location cost around $3000-$3,500. People making $40,000 are probably going to look for something cheaper by sharing or renting a walkup or living in an outer borough.

I-Like-To-Bike

That's OK; this discussion list is hardly about bicycling, but rather attitude, politics and lifestyle. Bicycling is a sideshow on this list, which is fine if you are looking for a discussion about attitude, politics and lifestyle; confusing if one thinks this list is about bicycling or bicyclists.

bmike

$40k in NYC is borderline tough to do, although personally I'd rather pay 40-60% of my income in rent in NYC than cheaper housing + car payments + fuel, etc in other locales.

dynodonn 

That's just as unfathomable as well, of course, when sombody told me that a garage in S.F. was going for $500 a month many years back, I was just as astounded then. I should know better, and not be suprised anymore.

cowtown_cowboy

Yeah yeah, rub it in. Bad decision.

Brian

A girl that I dated in college had one. She said it got totaled, and I asked if it happened in a parking lot, the punch line being that it was hit by a cart. Turned out that someone backed into it in a parking lot. That was enough to total it. Sadly, yours was not the victim of a mercy killing.

bmclaughlin807

Hey! My '79 Chevy Blazer was totaled by a Metro. Of course... the police estimated that the guy was going in excess of 100 mph when he hit the back of my truck. (Yeah.... I didn't know they could go that fast, either. There WAS a hill involved, so MAYBE that explains it.....)

Brian

A Metro at 100MPH? Only if it was dropped from a helicopter.

cowtown_cowboy

I never liked how mine would shake uncontrollably over 110km/h. It made it really hard to pass vehicles. Not to mention the violent wind forces from oncoming tractor trailers would make me piss my shorts.

bmclaughlin807

Actually, I never got the police report... I'm not sure it was actually a metro, but it was about that size/shape. And the 'shaking uncontrollably' might explain why he hit the back of my parked truck.

He hit hard enough that he knocked my blazer approximately 75 feet. OVER a curb, up a slight incline, across the grass and into a parking lot.

I had a friend that had a Geo Metro... I used to ask him to borrow his car...

"Why? What's wrong with YOUR car?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to throw your car in the trunk for a spare!"

Rob P

What people are doing with their money is crazy. What worse in my mind is when people roll car purchases into mortgages and pay interest on that car for years after they've sold it.

I think kids need to be taught the value of money over a life time in school and then parents need teaching on how to help children earn and save their incomes.

This 'I deserve it' mentality is going to break us...

Cyclon

It's amazing how so many people complain about the rising cost of gas when a larger portion of money on automotive expenses can be saved elsewhere.

-more fuel efficient car
-more affordable car which leads to lower insurance premiums
-more affordable car which also leads to lower maintenance costs
-and lots of other things mentioned in this thread