There's no car payment like no car payment....

 

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Exactly, with the raise I got when my company got bought out (Not to mention working 70 hours a week) We've gotten so far ahead it's nice to go out and get something we need without the worries of "Can we afford it"

Big congrats on the new car then.

PS: In case you didn't realize, I was totally joking about the Echo. I assume you figured that out, but eh.

 

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Hey, I actually looked at an Echo, and a Matrix but... As much as I love Toyota I HATE the new Toyotas. In the 80s I'm all kinds of happy with them. Anything past 92... no thank you.

We looked at brand new cars as an investment for us, but just couldn't justify paying 25,000 for a certified pre owned.

Thank you all for talking with me about cars and junk, actually helped me out with the big expenditure. This is the first time I've spent over 1,000 and not had buyer's remorse right after, just happiness.

Probably because I've been working 11+ hour days and riding a bike which adds another hour onto the commute for almost 3 months.

Cars aren't ever an investment, unless you're talking about collectible Ferraris or the like. A car that you're going to use is a depreciating asset that is worth less as time goes on. Buying new is kind of crazy, unless you know you're going to keep the car until it disintegrates.

CPO makes sense for luxury cars, where the cost of repairs is high... But otherwise, buying a good used car is e way to go when money is at a premium.

Sounds like you did well. I like Subies, and always like a stick shift. They actually still make manuals throughout their whole line, one of the few makers anymore who does.

 

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Yeah when I was pricing out /buildyourowning a Subaru we were looking at a Forester... but they don't make a manual in that one. It was ironic that we said to each other "don't buy the first car you look at" so we went to a subaru dealer just to see what kind of trade ins had been done recently.

So we ask them what kind of cars they have that are older, and the guy said "I don't think we have anything in a manual those are more rare than these other ones, then he said "we do have this Outback that was just traded in, let's check but I think it's an auto," it wasn't . The guy ran a carfax for us and the first owner bought it new and owned it until this year. The second owner only had it 5 months. From the stereo wiring in the car I'm guessing they gave it to their kid who moved out here for college then got a new car. The thing came from Minnesota so I checked for rusting and found no cancer, and barely any rust at all. I'm not even sure if they salt their roads there but I checked just to be sure. It's got a ding, a dent where it looks like the ran over a median (it's just under the passenger door) or something, and some character to it. BUT they also filled it to the brim with 4.00 gas for us lol.

Now I just have to get used to how these things run. The engine doesn't feel like a normal 4-cylinder.