• AskewLord@piefed.social
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    19 天前

    you can’t afford a 25K civic or similar?

    issue i see with people is they seem to want 50K cars. at least going by the average price of new car purchases, but most car buyers buy like 2x the car they actually need.

    • Prairie_Madness@lemmy.world
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      18 天前

      Nope not with kids and a lack of child care. One parent stays at home as their paycheck got devoured by child care and I work. Both of us with degrees in tech too. Once both kids are in school maybe she’ll be able to work part time but obviously someone still has to go pick up the kids. I have zero family support. My parents died of cancer and meth.

      I’d love a hybrid civic or corolla. Hybrid mostly to save on gas. I absolutely don’t need a F150 or something

      • AskewLord@piefed.social
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        18 天前

        childcare is about 3K a month max in a HCOL. even with 2 kids that’s 6K a month.

        if you both have degrees in tech in your 30s, you should both be making like way more than 6k a month. neither parent should stay home, unless it’s a lifestyle choice. i have known a few people who did this. a dual income tech couple should be pulling in well over 200K/yr

        and yeah if you are poor because of lifestyle choices… that’s not struggling. that’s you choosing to make less money than you could. or i suppose you could be 24 or something and both be making 60K, but why you had kids so early is against a lifestyle choice and your struggle would again be self-imposed.

        and by the sounds of it you very much could afford a cheap least or car payment. a lease on basic hybrid civic is 250/mo or so. sounds you aren’t open to leasing a car though and think you have to purchase it outright.

    • GalacticRobot@lemmy.world
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      18 天前

      At least in the US the average new car price is now close to $50k. That’s the reason car loans now are going upwards of 7 years. A lot of the car price is more and more expensive safety features being added on cars. Add in, you are quite a lot safer in a modern new car compared to even a 20 year old car.

      • AskewLord@piefed.social
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        13 天前

        yes, but all those feature are in 25K cars.

        It’s just that people don’t buy those cars, they would rather financially ruin themselves buy 2x the car for the ‘image’ of it. Just like how many people by unreliable, bad MPG, shitty cars, but whine about the cost… because well they ‘have to have a Jeep’. So now they have a 50K car that is going to need $1000s in repairs just to keep it running after a year or two.

        And 99% of people who own Jeeps never offorad them, they’d be better off with a Civic or Corolla, but they can’t get over themselves, they’d rather whine about being poor and broke while paying 4x the cost for a car that they need to.

        • GalacticRobot@lemmy.world
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          8 天前

          If you look, there are very few $25k cars these days, hence the comment, the average is $50k for a new car in the US.

          • AskewLord@piefed.social
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            5 天前

            there are tons of compact suvs and sedans at that price point. almost every major brand makes them.

            the issue is people don’t want them because they are ‘too small’ or ‘don’t feel safe’. they would rather pay 50K for a big ass car and whine about it then buy one that’s half the cost and 2/3 of the size. And almost all of them are just commuting to work in it, they will never ever use the extra space or capacity of the larger vehicle. and if you argue with them and point this out, they will tell you what a stupid ignorant asshole you are and how they ‘need’ a 50K car, and they couldn’t possibly ever buy a shitty small car like a Civic. And most of them will go further be like ‘well i can only afford the 50K car, but I REALLY WANT the 80K car.’ Tons of people buy these 80K 3-row SUVs and whine about how expensive they are, when they absolutely positively have no actual need for a vehicle that large. but psychologically they need it because it’s a status symbol and reflection of their ‘pride and value’ of themselves.

            you can get a brand new HRV or Civic for 24-26K, but people refuse to buy those cars, they want the Passport which is 45K to start.

            fwiw i drive a 10 year old hatchback and people endless tell me shit like ‘you have no self-respect if you drive such a shitty small car’. and i ask them what car I should get then, and they always say ‘audi/bmw 5/7 series SUV’. Because it’s not about the utility or use, it’s all about the fragile image they are protecting by owning a large expensive vehicle.

            • GalacticRobot@lemmy.world
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              5 天前

              Meh, knowing people that have been t-boned and are permanently disabled because they drove too small of cars, the unfortunate reality is newer cars are safer, larger, and you are more likely to survive. They are also more expensive. But hey, when your teenage daughter ends up a paraplegic in your 10 year old hatch back, maybe you will feel something about not buying a safer vehicle. At least you saved a few bucks.

              • AskewLord@piefed.social
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                1 天前

                a larger car was not going to save you from being hurt while you were t boned.

                that’s the myth they use to sell larger cars.

                often smaller cars have better crash ratings, but whatever man, keep whining about car prices while you pay for 2-3x the car you need.