Terrible Trucks

And sure, we would have even more disposable income if we didn't have all the payments on the vehicles and camper, but what would we spend it on? I guess we could put more in retirement, but again, we are trying to enjoy life now, responsibly, instead of not living for the next 30 years.

IMHO a very wise decision. My husband's father died at the age of 52. My mom died at the age of 55. I could go on and on but you get my point. Living in the here and now vs. "tomorrow" is very important. And before you Negative Nellie's get on here and say "what if you live until 90?" please note the one key word JAC1982 used: RESPONSIBLY.

Crowe wrote:
And sure, we would have even more disposable income if we didn't have all the payments on the vehicles and camper, but what would we spend it on? I guess we could put more in retirement, but again, we are trying to enjoy life now, responsibly, instead of not living for the next 30 years.

IMHO a very wise decision. My husband's father died at the age of 52. My mom died at the age of 55. I could go on and on but you get my point. Living in the here and now vs. "tomorrow" is very important. And before you Negative Nellie's get on here and say "what if you live until 90?" please note the one key word JAC1982 used: RESPONSIBLY.

Yup, my dad died when he was 52. His dad died when he was around that age too. He and my mom had always talked about getting an RV and traveling the country after they retired, but he never made it to retirement. So I know all too well how life can be very short.

And yes, responsibly is the key word. If you're 35 and make 50k a year, it's probably not a great idea to buy a 70k truck and a 50k camper. But for us, it works.

I never buy new. You can save almost half by buying 3-5 years old. You do have to look harder for a well taken care of vehicle but it can be done.

dodge guy wrote:
I never buy new. You can save almost half by buying 3-5 years old. You do have to look harder for a well taken care of vehicle but it can be done.

You can also score really good deals on new ones and well. When I purchased my last one I got it for over 20% off msrp so I drove off the lot for virtually the same as 1-2 year old used trucks that I seen on local lots. Sometimes it pays to buy new plus I like to know the history of the truck too. Plus I get a full warranty.

Dan

Appreciate all of the interesting responses. The culture of loaning and financing would like us all to think that delaying payment for something we can't pay for today is not only OK but actually a good thing. For the economy maybe; for me no. I hope I never have to go back to not being debt free,

Hammerboy wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
I never buy new. You can save almost half by buying 3-5 years old. You do have to look harder for a well taken care of vehicle but it can be done.

You can also score really good deals on new ones and well. When I purchased my last one I got it for over 20% off msrp so I drove off the lot for virtually the same as 1-2 year old used trucks that I seen on local lots. Sometimes it pays to buy new plus I like to know the history of the truck too. Plus I get a full warranty.

Dan

Yup, we bought our 2017 F-350 new at the end of the model year and got a killer deal on it. Our trade was a 2015 F350, and they gave us more than we owed on that one. Our neighbor, 6 months later, bought a used one, same model year as ours, same dealership, with 10,000 miles on it, for more than we paid for our new one. Only difference was ours is the King Ranch Trim and his is the Platinum trim.

Before our new RAM we bought a used 2015 F-150 last year. It was super clean, looked great, and only had 35,000 miles on it (but was still close to 40k). But it had a lot of problems despite it looking good. At one point it was at the shop for nearly a month because they couldn't figure out an electrical problem and they had to replace the entire computer on it. After all that is when we traded it in and bought the RAM. Sucks because we paid to get new tires on the F-150, and added a bed cover. I don't think we'll buy a used truck again.

The new vs.used philosophy has its pros and cons.
For the most part used will always be cheaper but will come with risk and compromise.
Newer will always be more expensive, but there are still good buys to be had.
You get a fresh truck with warranty that can be repair free for a long time.

A 2020 Corvette is only 60K why are trucks so expensive?

FEDowner wrote:
A 2020 Corvette is only 60K why are trucks so expensive?

A $60K Corvette is what Geezers drive around in while dreaming they are still capable of picking up the 18 yr old girls walking down the sidewalk. It sort of looks like a Corvette, but runs like a Chevette. A true Corvette is more like $150K.

In Debt Up to My Eyeballs

So, re-reading the OP, I was not aware motor vehicles can be financed as long as a house. I know RV's, can, but never knew trucks or cars could be. I would agree, that's insane.

But, financing a new truck for a standard period of time, along the lines of 3-5 years is way different.

It would be great if everyone could afford to pay cash like the OP, but let's face it, the number of folks who can actually do that are way way small. I'll never begrudge someone from financing a "toy" or a new vehicle if that's what they choose to do with their money. If they feel comfortable doing it, like JAC1982 does than I pat them on the back.

Just because one finances something doesn't mean they are irresponsible.

Mike