There are over 100 for sale in the US right now, today, for less than $20,000.
For comparison, that's in the same price range as the Dodge Dart, Chevy Cruze, Ford Focus/Fiesta, Honda Civic, Hyundai Veloster/Sonata, Kia Soul, etc.
Same holds true for TONS of "nice" cars.
2003 Range Rover? $15,000
2003 Land Rover Discovery? $8,000
2003 BMW 750Li? $8000
2003 Mercedes CLK430 convertible? $9000
2003 Mercedes' flagship S600 sedan? $18,000
You just need to be willing to gasp live without a car loan (I know, right?). You'll want to set aside a little money each month for periodic maintenance. BMWs and Mercedes especially will run 300,000 miles if you keep up with the maintenance schedule.
So judgy. Damn.
Reshared post from +Pristine S.
If there's one image that sums up the ridiculousness of the present economy and culture, it's this image. Saw it on the way home an hour ago.
So somebody saves their money (you know, being thrifty) to get a nice if older car, and people mock them. >.<
Or someone drives by a thrift store in a nice car and it is parked there?
really? Who cares? I shop at thrift stores all the time. We also have 2 cars, a truck, a motorcycle, an atv, and a dirtbike, and own our own home. However, all of our vehicles are 10 years old or older, completely paid off, and the cars have between 165k-185k miles on each, the truck is over 300k miles.
I STILL plan on saving up to buy a Camaro by keeping these cars going for as long as possible… and I will take it to the thrift store, as needed.
In my old neighborhood I routinely saw a Rolls Royce at Walmart. Of course one way people can afford nice things is saving money in other places. Toilet paper at Walmart is the same as toilet paper at whatever hoity-toity market people think you should be shopping at, but at probably half the price.
Come to think of it, the people getting upset about somebody else's budget choices are indulging in the same "Keeping Up with the Joneses" mentality they claim to disdain. There are all sorts of entirely reasonable explanations for this (driver is going past a store; driver has lost a job and needs to tighten the belt; driver just doesn't want to overspend on simple household goods). Most of them come down to "mind your own damn business".
There are real issues around people making poor decisions that impact their families and, occasionally, lead to a burden on others. I believe passionately in the value of welfare programs, but I also recognize that a small subset of people misuse them. The result is that some people will tar everybody using those programs, or even just going through a financial crunch, with the same broad brush.
Sorry for the wall of text, but since I already typed it, might as well leave it. 😉
You want to see something to be upset about? Go check out the welfare office in Inglewood CA. Take a look at all the Escalades and other expensive SUVs with $10,000 rims and tvs in them stopping by to pick up their welfare checks and renew food stamps.
THAT^ is the problem I have. I know many people capable of working (or who work under the table), but choose to live on government aid instead. And when I actually needed it, I got denied.
Everyone thinks they can spend everyone else's money better than them.