Do I take the 36k or pay Cash??

[tobee43]

TB,
I'm so happy for you!

I do hope and dream my next car will be a Lexus SUV maybe a used one.

My hubby drove my daughters Lexus the other day and was thrilled he had a REAL car under him and could go

thanks that's so nice of you

i'm sure it will be i do want to mention this. my d/h commuter car was a kia and i'll tell you what, it drove much like the lexus! really a great ride, less expensive and reliable. tell your hubby he can come down and we will let him drive ours for a block LOL!! ( a lesson learned the hard way, never lend out your car or expensive power tools!).

what i'm surprised about is really neither or really cared much about what we drove as long as it got us to where we were going. funny thing about getting older, you want to not worry about your ride, even funnier and most shocking to me, yesterday he says i want all the bells and whistles on this car??!! i was in shock, we are simple people and to me less is best, as there is less to go wrong. he wants a moon roof again although i pointed out to him he used it maybe 3 times in 16 years...he wants AWD again when the 2WD is fine for here in florida and the cost difference is about 3k. he says no because of the heavy rains. in all our years i have never heard him ask for anything, so whatever he wants i'll get another job on top of what i'm doing now if i had to so he can have what he wants. actually he has never wanted anything! no man toys, nothing, so i'm not saying no now.

also lets keep in mind we are about 6 years out of bk but was savings before that time since we didn't have to pay bills and then for a few years rented at a discounted amount from a relative so we were lucky to be able to almost save every dime. our kids our out of the house (although they still cost us quite a bit), but we just don't have the expenses many do anymore. it's a different phase of life now. i look at our checking account at the end of the month and can't believe there is money left!

[Pjmax]

I've never had an AWD drive car, but my Escape is 4WD and I use it a lot both in snow and heavy rain, and it does make a big difference. After a string of headache-filled cash 'transportation' cars, this car was heaven for me. It's an '02 and I've had it for 8 years now. I'm hoping to keep it going for another year or two, because I'll have to save a lot to buy another, and I'd much rather have a newer-used car with all the bells and whistles, than a stripped-down tin can that I just don't feel safe or comfortable in. I don't have the savings or income that you do, but I sooo understand how you and DH feel about your car. Getting older is difficult enough, and minimizing worry and aggravation wherever possible, is a big consideration, with everything!

We will need pix of the new car, Tobee!

[tobee43]

well, we have always had AWD or 4 wheel because we lived in sussex county and you know Pj what that means LOL!! we didn't go anywhere without it.

my point is we are not in florida and yes, it does occasionally rain heavily but to me not worth paying 3k extra for the AWD. he wants it so i can't argue with him

here's the way i look at it i don't whether it's right or wrong, but i know this life can be done is a second. so if you have worked collectively over 90 plus years and still have a rather good income, no mortgage, a nice savings, separate savings for car, one for household items, and an emergency fund, i'm not implying a sense of we deserve this or that, i am just saying if we want it, and can afford it then it's ok. i mean exactly how much money does not really need in a lifetime?????
my car license plate reads "we are spending our children's inheritance" LOL! not really, but i think i made my point. we are not greedy people, i mean i shop at walmart and tj maxx and costco and sometimes whole foods when we are in town. but we don't spend spend spend on ourselves. i am extremely low maintenance and don't spend there.

of course i'm not saying if i had 3 kids at home and credit card debt and so on and so forth that i would even think about getting this car. it was ONLY after our kids were all set and in college that we even purchased the first one, before that, no way!

we are going to try wait to as close to the end of sept as possible so we can get a better deal on a 2013 and if i can figure out how to get a picture up i will i hve tried endlessly to upload pixs on this site and nothing works.

that promise that laz and whomever was working to put the site back together never came into reality, so i have lost complete faith in that scene!

[basketsbears]

Tobee, I am just so happy for you. Also, glad you ordered the different hearing aids!

I will have to check out the Lexus and see it. Sounds beautiful!

[pamkev]

TB,
Yep I was like you as long as the car got me from point a to point b with out much hassle I was happy. Now that I'm getting older not so much. I keep telling huibby we need a retirement car that will last at least 20 years. WE are about 10 years away from that so hoping and planning on saving for that.

Pam

[tobee43]

OK!!! the car died and had to be towed! i knew it i knew i knew it!!! we had to get a rental car and now throw in another over $1500 to get us back on the road again. we noticed yesterday the clock was no longer keeping time, and the lights on the dashboard were teetering off and on, and then it happened. we got home from what else a doctors appt., tried to take a breather and then went to the garage and of course it didn't start. i hope they can fix it and we can use it until the 1st when i have the money coming loose without penalties. shoot i so wanted to wait until the end of sept, but whatever i guess BOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!

yes pamkev, 10 years really does make a difference! you just don't want those types of hassles in your life anymore if you can help it. i'm not saying everyone feels the way i do, and maybe they want their money to go elsewhere, it's just a life choice with us. urrrrrrhhhhhhh renting this car is killing me!! the mechanic said other than what's wrong with it, it's in excellent shape and will be a great 2nd car, so i think we will stick to that plan if this works out that that is all that's wrong with it. i hope!


and thanks basketsbears, he deserves it. we got into it a bit when he got home but i told him if it were ME he would insist i get the best ones, so i'm insisting. he gracefully thanked me like it was me buying them for him, when it's US.

[LadyInTheRed]

Sounds like the alternator is bad.

Buy as nice a car as you want. You saved for it and have emergency savings. Therefor, you DO deserve it. If you can earn more by investing the cash than you will spend on financing, then finance it.

[tobee43]

Sounds like the alternator is bad.

Buy as nice a car as you want. You saved for it and have emergency savings. Therefor, you DO deserve it. If you can earn more by investing the cash than you will spend on financing, then finance it.

wow!! thanks lady! your right, we have saved for it and have back up monies. as you point out we will still be earning interest on the money as well. we worked hard to save and i shouldn't feel guilty because we can afford it

the car repair totaled $420 and now it's wonderful, however, the clock stopped working and it's another 2k to replace that part, since the entire console needs replacement, who needs to know the time anyway? we will keep this for a second car and aim to buy at the beginning of next month. i will have it paid off in 10 months or even less

[LadyInTheRed]

Was it the alternator?

Buy a little clock that you can stick to the dash.

[Pjmax]

I've been kind of ignoring the clocks in the car since they went digital. Whenever it's time to change them back or forward, I've forgotten how to do it. By the time I get the manual out and look it up, it's almost time to change again. Clocks are very overrated IMO anyway. A clock isn't going to get you where you are going any faster.

Glad the car's running, Tobee. Can't hurt to start new car shopping now, even if your not buying for another month.

[tobee43]

Was it the alternator?

Buy a little clock that you can stick to the dash.

ROFL! and one with a bobbing head !! really who needs to know the time anyway?

[tobee43]

Pj, now that's my problem i HATE shopping, yes, me, a woman, for clothes, shoes, christmas shopping, you name it i hate it!!! this last car i purchased on line from the dealer and that was years ago. i had them deliver it to the door. although, few month prior we did test drive a few. i guess if i have to to i will do that

i know exactly what i want, so i will go on line and see who has it, and see if i can do all the dealing on line and just make certain if they do not want the color d/h wants they find it. no black or red etc.

our budget has changed since finding our stash, but i still want the "lesser" model and that way d/h can have his AWD and moon roof etc. i personally just want a steering wheel and gas pedal! lol!

[pamkev]

Pj, now that's my problem i HATE shopping, yes, me, a woman, for clothes, shoes, christmas shopping, you name it i hate it!!! this last car i purchased on line from the dealer and that was years ago. i had them deliver it to the door. although, few month prior we did test drive a few. i guess if i have to to i will do that

i know exactly what i want, so i will go on line and see who has it, and see if i can do all the dealing on line and just make certain if they do not want the color d/h wants they find it. no black or red etc.

our budget has changed since finding our stash, but i still want the "lesser" model and that way d/h can have his AWD and moon roof etc. i personally just want a steering wheel and gas pedal! lol!

I'm with you TB I am not a shopper at all go to store get what I need and leave. I have dear friends who go to store all the time just to look not me it's in and out and I'm done. Pam

[df04527]

I used to LOVE to shop! Omg...almost every weekend my sis and I could spend hours just hangin out together! The good old days! but over the last few years, as I age too, no way! hate it, hate it, hate it! Ugh

[Logan]

oh! no!! i knew it would happened sooner or later. i was just hoping it would be later. it's not that this problem happening with the car, can not most likely be fixed, but with the type of lives we have now i must have a reliable car at all times. it keeps stalling.

i have saved money for a car, but just thought i would see what cap one would give us which is 36k. so i'm thinking since i need about 46k do i put down 10k and then double pay down the loan, OR just pay cash BOOOOOHOOO!! now that i have it saved up i so hate to take it out of the bank! keeping in mind of course that we never over used charging we filed because of job loss and medical bills. we have no bills now other than utilities, paid off the house OF COURSE in june...just as luck would have it. no mortgage payment but one needs to have a good car.

do NOT tell me that i shouldn't have a 46k car PLEASE. why, because at this stage of our lives we can afford it; one, two, it's the exact car that i had for over 16 years and we purchased that one cash (for our 30th wedding anniversary). i'm just thinking if i double up or really i see in my budget i can triple up on the payments as opposed to using our "car savings account" i can even improve our credit even more...for what, no clue.

PLeASE!! i so loved saving the money for the car and now it's just killing me to take it out of the bank. it just looks soooooooo handsome sitting there proud and it took so long

advise requested, but please be kind LOL!!

Keep enough cash to have a nice emergency fund and pay down the car loan as fast as you can.

Logan