Yes,
literally – A to Z…Each week I’ll work my way through the alphabet, talking
about the things we do or don’t do in order to live within our financial means…
Or getting back to our Rule #1: We Don’t
Spend More Than We Earn
It
has occurred to me that the way we live and the way we do things is quite
different…very different…maybe downright weird.
As I started preparing for this blog and thought about this “A” topic, I
thought to myself: “We really do approach
things quite differently than many others!”
The
letter “A” is for two seemingly diametrically opposed topics:
- Automobile Purchasing; and
- Alternative Transportation
Automobile Purchasing
I’m
going to start out by stating the fact that I detest cars. I absolutely loathe owning a car. I abhor polluting the air; I can’t stand consuming
fossil fuel, and am reviled knowing that the entire automobile industrial
complex runs the country.
Next,
ironically, somehow we’ve managed to buy and sell more used cars than just
about any other sane person we know.
Perhaps that’s the key word: sane...
In order to live an innovative lifestyle, perhaps one needs to live on the
verge of ‘sanity’.
It
does seem rather oxymoronic, or perhaps just moronic, but in my loathsomeness to cars, I thought I would share
the cars we’ve owned from 1994 until the present time. The little + signs means we sold the car for
more than we paid and the – signs means we sold the car for less than we paid.
*Disclaimer: We’ve never taken a huge loss on a car
purchase or sale – more on that later.
Cars from 1994 (Since moving to Oregon) until 2013
Order Year Make/Model Gain/Loss
1 1966 Austin
Healy Sprite +
2 1977 Subaru
Wagon (yellow) +
3 1987 Subaru
Wagon (art car) own
4 1953 Ford
Prefect +
5 1978 Ford
F250 P/U -
6 1985 Dodge
Minivan Caravan +
7 1976 Ford
F100 P/U +
8 1977 Nissan
Sentra Wagon +
9 1982 Volvo
Wagon -
10 1978 Jeep
Wagoneer +
11 1986 Dodge
Colt Vista Wagon +
12 1966 Ford
Cortina GT - (parts)
13 1068 Ford
Cortina GT +
14 1961 Rambler
Station Wagon +
15 1956 Dodge
Coronet +
16 1964 Chrysler
300 +
17 1976 Fiat
128 +
18 1977 Toyota
Van +
19 1981 Mercedes
TD Wagon +
20 1985 Isuzu
4x4 Trooper +
21 1994 Oldsmobile
Bravada +
22 1990 Ford
Windstar -
23 1987 Subaru
4x4 GL Red own
24 1977 Toyota Van +
25 1990 Toyota Previa own
26 2002 Ford Fiesta (Spain) -
27 1990 Subaru
Legacy own
28 1993 Subaru
Legacy own
The Gain/Loss only
reflects purchase and sale price, not time nor parts invested. In general expenses for parts have been for
customary and usual repairs (i.e., brakes, hoses, clamps, muffler/exhaust).
And,
for those of you who are more visual, you might enjoy this short video, which
has a sampling of these cars.
First,
the how. For us, it’s not been
difficult. We look for *inexpensive,
interesting cars, without a need for huge repair and with a potential market
need or want. And why? Given my passion in recycling and reuse, I
see older cars as still having life and purpose. As well…because Andy has a great skill set for
working on old cars and knows a lot about what to buy and what to stay away
from. So, we’ve kind of turned our
loathsome need for cars into a bit of a small business opportunity.
*the most we’ve ever paid for a car was
$4,000. On average we spend less than
$2,000 for a car.
1)
Whenever
possibly, don’t buy brand spanking new.
As soon as you drive it off the car lot you’ve lost value. Of course it depends on the kind of car you
buy and how much you drive it, but in general, the average rate of depreciation
is about 20% in the first year.
2)
If
you can, buy a reliable, economical used car (where the depreciation has either
stopped or is negligible). Again, do
your homework about make, model, year.
I realize that this may be too much of a hassle for most people. Find someone you trust to help you. Note:
Having an older car will often drop automobile insurance payments.
3)
If
you decide to lease or make payments, look carefully at the terms. Realize that making monthly payments for a
car is not an investment. Start thinking
about your major purchases as long-term investments or loses to help you in
your decision making process.
4)
Lastly
and most importantly…Don’t buy a car unless you absolutely need one.
Rely on other forms of transportation when/where possible.
I know that this seems so hypocritical for me to
state. As aren’t we the former/current
owners of dozens and dozens of cars? It does, I admit. If I didn’t need a car, I wouldn’t own one
and perhaps there will be a point in our future where we will make living
choices that will virtually eliminate our need for a car.
Alternative Transportation
We
live in a beautiful state. We live in a
part of Oregon with outstanding natural beauty.
We also live in an area where it is very, very, very difficult to
function without a car. We aren’t
purists. We have several used cars. I don’t like it one bit, but short of moving
(which at the moment isn’t a reality), we do our best. So here’s our best in using alternatives.
1)
Carpooling. We try to drive in/out together whenever
feasible.
2)
Bundling
errands
3)
Having
a car-free day (this is similar to the idea of the plastic free money week).
4)
Walk
where/when possible.
5)
Bicycle
where/when possible.
We are
always thinking about our use of our cars and I suppose that if I want to
impart any message at all, it's just that. Think before you decide to get into
your vehicle. Think about if you have to use your vehicle, or if there's
another way -- a better way.
Depending
on where you live and depending on your personal situation, you may have
different alternatives to using a car.
If you live in a city, you may have access to public transit. You may be able to use an electric vehicle, a
scooter or motor bike, all of which greatly reduce the carbon footprint. When we were living in Spain, we all fell
love with the Vespa scooters, an Italian brand of scooter.
Apparently
the name “vespa” means wasp in Italian.
Hmm – I wonder if they branded that name because of the sound of the
motor…We’ve talked a lot about purchasing a scooter or motorbike to use where
we live in Oregon, but as so many people drive monster trucks, I’m afraid we’d
get squashed like a…like a…wasp.
As
we’re a bit of exercise fanatics, my husband and I try to commute with our
bicycles. The closest grocery store
(Trader Joe’s) is about 8 miles away from our home. We endeavor to ride our bikes there either
every weekend, or every other weekend.
During the late spring and summer, I try to ride my bike to work (about
14 miles one way).
But for the most part
it’s not practical, and not that safe.
While there are bicycle lanes, everyone is in their car bubble, listening
to their car bubble music, and is tuned out about the world outside their
bubble. I can’t tell you how many near
misses I’ve had with people not paying attention. Nonetheless, I think it helps me with the car
guilt factor. Plus I thoroughly enjoy
commuting by bicycle.
Here’s
something to think about when you use your own power (i.e., walk, bike,
scooter) as a means of transport. You
accomplish several things simultaneously.
Really…
- You actually do get to your destination.
- You get to your destination much slower and much more aware of your trip and purpose.
- Alas – you force yourself to slow down and observe.
- You get awesome exercise.
- You release stress and tension.
I do use the car much more than I’d like to. Last year we had the fantastic opportunity to live in Spain. Hopefully I'll get to write about that opportunity in a future blog entry. One of the best things about living in Spain was being able to walk everywhere. No, actually the best thing was that everyone walked everywhere. Everyone walked to school, to work, to the park, to shop and to get together with family and friends.
I’m a HUGE proponent of walking, as well as bicycling and wish that I could use my own power as a means of transport on a more regular basis. But for the time being, I’ll continue to use my reliable Subaru, Toyota, or whatever other used car we have on hand… and continue to dream about an alternative transportation industrial complex running the country.
Disclaimer
time: I’m not a financial planner, nor am I a business guru. What I am is a very practical person with (as
my mother always said) “a good head on her shoulders”. I have good common sense and am old enough
to have accrued plenty of wisdom and practical sense.
I'm enjoying your blog, Shari! Your cars mostly have a lot of character -- more than most. As you know, we feel pretty strongly about this issue, too, and I'm grateful that biking is so possible for us and kids so much of the time.
ReplyDeleteWe sure wish that walking and biking and public transportation was more feasible where we live. As strong advocates for alternative forms of transportation, we do feel very hypocritical with our use of cars on (nearly) a daily basis. I do think that when the time and opportunity presents itself, the "pros" of living out in the country may very well outway the "cons".
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