Is it just to hard to go from a 08 car to a junker

[debtmonster]

That's a beautiful SUV, but why would you buy something that is such a gas hog for? Did you not learn something from all of this bankruptcy stuff?

With the bad economy and high prices of gas, I would have tried to get something that gets over 30 MPG. There are other SUV's that get much better gas mileage than the FJ Cruiser. Look at the Saturn Vue Hybrid that gets 32 MPG. You can get those cheap now.

[Logan]

All this for nothing since yesterday I bought a Toyota FJ Cruiser so I'm no longer in the car market. You can guess how I paid for it....One hint....It's not financed.

Also, goodbye to all since I'm finished with this board as I'm moving on in my life (see thread in rebuilding credit) and good luck to everyone here.

Logan

[Keebler]

WOW...What an A$$HOLE!!!!

My GF is a nurse with NO debt and lots of savings and could pay cash herself.

I guess since we have 75K in the bank and we choose to finance a car for 12 to 14K we will end up end BK.

You guys need to get a clue!!!!

BTW...We make over 150K between us....Do you really think we shouldn't buy a vehicle for 14K.

Sometimes the truth hurts and it seems like there's a nerve in there somewhere that just got tweaked. Nobody else finds it necessary to call people names on this thread.

Look at everything you've written and then look at all the replies.

All you've done is explain what you WANT and all you've done is give reasons why what you WANT is completely reasonable. Not once does it seem like you've honestly considered what you NEED.

I have the same conversation with my grade-school aged kids because they don't get the difference between NEED and WANT either. Like you, it's like pulling teeth to get them to stop for a minute and think about the advice they're given because they can't stop thinking about satisfying the craving for what they WANT.

You said yourself that you swore never to finance anything after you filed bankruptcy and yet you're here two years later eager to buy whatever it is you want without even trying to imagine what it is that you need. It even seems like you understand that dipping in to your safety fund is bad but somehow borrowing the money makes it all better.

Explain what you NEED and then compare it to what you WANT. Keep adjusting your wants until they meet your needs.

Or, buy what ever you WANT when you can do it with CASH that doesn't involve cutting in to your safety fund.

[debtmonster]

BTW...We make over 150K between us....Do you really think we shouldn't buy a vehicle for 14K.

NO! There's no guarantee that you will make that kind of money. My aunt has been an RN for almost 40 years. She lost her house and everything from financial problems in the past. She used to make up to $40 per hour at many times of her life.

After taking the bankruptcy course... I have learned... "Buy what you need, not what you want."

Every time I will make a purchase, now I have to ask myself, "Do I need this or do I want this?"

Anything that is a "want" you should write it down. If you still want it after 30 days, then get it.

I had 2 repo's in the past 2 or 3 years. From what I understand, even after filing bankruptcy, because of those repo's, I still may not get an auto loan, even with the bankruptcy full discharged. Looks like I will have to pay cash for a car whether I like it or not. One dealer told me that I may have to wait a full year from the discharge date before I can get another car. Man, this will suck!

[Logan]

At the same time, the problem with too many people is how they REFUSE to see themselves or their situation or their decisions differently no matter how much reasonable advice they get. Bankruptcy should be a big huge warning sign that you're doing something wrong and it's time to let go of the same flawed logic that got you here.

You're right, everyone's situation is different. But when the advice you're getting directly disagrees with your assessment of the situation, it's time to stop and think and ask yourself why you cling so tightly to the broken ideas that brought you to the brink of bankruptcy.

For example, the idea that a vehicle is a tax write-off is a foolish one. The fact is that you need to SPEND a Dollar to get any tax benefit and the tax benefit is ALWAYS less than the Dollar. Why then is it a good idea to WASTE a Dollar so you can save 25-Cents on your taxes? (Or, 50-Cents or even 75-Cents?) True, if you don't SPEND the Dollar you get NO tax benefit... but you get to KEEP the whole Dollar! Spending $12,000 on ANYHTING where you could have managed just fine with something else for LESS is WASTING DOLLARS and no amount of tax write-off will help you as much as leaving those dollars un-spent.

Look around, there's no shortage of people who live their lives and run their businesses on vehicles that are worth far less than $12,000. The question is: What's wrong with you that you can't imagine doing the same?

Please understand that I don't mean to attack you personally. I feel like you have a solution stuck in your head that no amount of reason will change. (And that's a problem that I've had to face myself!) To be successful after bankruptcy you need to see things differently so you can avoid landing right back here again.

WOW...What an A$$HOLE!!!!

My GF is a nurse with NO debt and lots of savings and could pay cash herself.

I guess since we have 75K in the bank and we choose to finance a car for 12 to 14K we will end up end BK.

You guys need to get a clue!!!!

BTW...We make over 150K between us....Do you really think we shouldn't buy a vehicle for 14K.

[Never_Again]

You can get the same results in terms of "credit building" by taking out personal loans. I know, it isn't as much fun as buying new toys, but it will build credit, if that is your goal.

The rationale of finding a way to justify toys and other things that you want to buy is part of what gets many of us into trouble.

I think weather or not financing is right comes down to each person. I need to build my credit. I want to start building home right out of college. I will need good credit to get a loan or i will need to work for someone else making a 10th of the money i would make on my own. My plan is to finance me a motorcycle, atv, boat, something i want and or need. I will have about 3k down for what i see being a 8k to 12k loan. I know i will pay out the ass for a interest rate. But i need to start building my credit. I figure i will have the loan for a year or two pay it down to 3 or 4k over the next year then make the reg. payments till it is paid off. Buy something else maybe a new truck. Do the same thing. By that time i should be ready for a home loan. I hope.

[debtmonster]

Jeep/Dodge may not be so reliable but their parts are much cheaper. I remember the motor mounts for the Dodge I worked on were only $50 bucks! The one for my Mazda were $900!! NOT INCLUDING LABOR!

[justplaintired]

Just curious - we're looking at older cars that we'll pay cash for. How would you rate the jeep and kia as far as cost to mainain? I've heard some not so good things about both, but there's a surplus of them out there cheap, so I'm tempted....

Kia has foreign parts more costly then American made cars to work on, but good on gas. Can't complain, it's been good to us and we got it fairly new.

Jeep is easier to work on, parts are cheaper, however not as good of gas mileage, lots more fun to drive!!! Had the top off this summer with bikini top on and it's so much fun!

Sorry so late in this post and I know it's off subject now! But figured I'd respond anyway.

[bigtim6656]

I think weather or not financing is right comes down to each person. I need to build my credit. I want to start building home right out of college. I will need good credit to get a loan or i will need to work for someone else making a 10th of the money i would make on my own. My plan is to finance me a motorcycle, atv, boat, something i want and or need. I will have about 3k down for what i see being a 8k to 12k loan. I know i will pay out the ass for a interest rate. But i need to start building my credit. I figure i will have the loan for a year or two pay it down to 3 or 4k over the next year then make the reg. payments till it is paid off. Buy something else maybe a new truck. Do the same thing. By that time i should be ready for a home loan. I hope.

[bigtim6656]

My brother is in a similer boat. A year and a 1/2 ago he moved in with us. His girlfriend two. Mom talked him into college we are lucky my dad is a disabled vet and we get 900 a month to go to school. Well his girlsfriend talked him into moving back up north with her parants. After spending 5k in student loans on her and pay her parents bills they got there own place. A year later she get a job for one month get fired for being late. They move back down here with us. A month later right after she got fired she just up and left did not say anything just left. funny thing is a week later he is back in school and has a 9.00 a hour job.
You can not let a girlfriend or boyfriend ruin your live. I do agree you might need a nice car but not some costly piece of junk. You need to make a choice for you and tell her you guys need a car that fits your needs and budget.

You'd need to be in my shoes to realize that your girlfriend, with apparently uncompromising taste in vehicles, along with your blind willingness to please her is a combination that will ruin you eventually and in ways you can't even imagine now. You need to man-up and be in control of the situation so you can insist that buying everything isn't like a trip to the mall where you pick out the prettiest stuff and charge it on your credit card without regard for the cost or the question of NEED.

I can tell you lots about how girlfriends become wives and how children come along and how wives think that children are even more deserving of the finest of everything than wives are. I could explain how you need to start now by being the voice of reason and insisting that happiness isn't all about getting what you want as compared to wanting what you have. I could share lots of good advice with you but I'm not so sure you want to hear it.

I know that some people just need to live and learn from their own mistakes no matter how obvious they seem from the perspective of bystanders trying to give helpful advice. But consider this: You need to learn at least a little bit from the mistakes of others because you won't live long enough to make them all yourself.

[Keebler]

Sister. ;)

I should have guessed. Kudos all the same.

[BkinTX]

Sister. ;)

[Keebler]

Keebler, bk has definitely been a humbling experience for me. I have been guilty of going way outside our means because a) EVERYTHING is an emergency and justifies spending and b) the kids deserve it.

I think you really hit on something with that one.

More than a late model vehicle or the best Christmas EVER, my kids deserve parents who look out for their future and don't spend themselves into poverty.

AMEN Brother. I couldn't have said it better myself.

[BkinTX]

Keebler, bk has definitely been a humbling experience for me. I have been guilty of going way outside our means because a) EVERYTHING is an emergency and justifies spending and b) the kids deserve it.

I think you really hit on something with that one.

More than a late model vehicle or the best Christmas EVER, my kids deserve parents who look out for their future and don't spend themselves into poverty.

[Keebler]

Dude--the tax write off really has nothing to do with the financing of the vehicle. I would finance either way but it is a benefit so why wouldn't I throw it out there for consideration.

Also, your last sentence is without merit. How Am I not seeing things different than before my BK? I have the cash to pay for my car but I've decided that I'm better off financing it so that I have that cash in a 2.25% interest bearing account in case of an emergency. If I didn't have any money and I was financing the car then I would agree with your last statement.

Also, in regards to the type of vehicle--I need a car that can fit my girlfriend and myself with a child in the rear seat and the dogs in the back. It also has to be a car that my girl friend wants to drive and she wants a Nissan Xterra so that is most likely what we're getting.

I will most likely finance it in my name and pay it off quickly but if I can't get an acceptable interest rate (I applied a year ago and had an offer at 7.99%) I'll just have my GF finance it with her 790+ FICO score.

Logan

You'd need to be in my shoes to realize that your girlfriend, with apparently uncompromising taste in vehicles, along with your blind willingness to please her is a combination that will ruin you eventually and in ways you can't even imagine now. You need to man-up and be in control of the situation so you can insist that buying everything isn't like a trip to the mall where you pick out the prettiest stuff and charge it on your credit card without regard for the cost or the question of NEED.

I can tell you lots about how girlfriends become wives and how children come along and how wives think that children are even more deserving of the finest of everything than wives are. I could explain how you need to start now by being the voice of reason and insisting that happiness isn't all about getting what you want as compared to wanting what you have. I could share lots of good advice with you but I'm not so sure you want to hear it.

I know that some people just need to live and learn from their own mistakes no matter how obvious they seem from the perspective of bystanders trying to give helpful advice. But consider this: You need to learn at least a little bit from the mistakes of others because you won't live long enough to make them all yourself.