Talk Me Into Buying a Car

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JL13
Posts: 645
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 7:47 am

Re: Talk Me Into Buying a Car

Post by JL13 »

In other words, get the Porsche!

El Duderino
Posts: 177
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2014 12:24 pm

Re: Talk Me Into Buying a Car

Post by El Duderino »

Gilberto, aren't you at least a little bit thrilled by the idea of upgrading to a nicer car? If you only use it on the weekends and for vacations, is there an opportunity to get a unique vehicle that stands out and becomes a special object for you?

startbyserving
Posts: 72
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 2:45 pm

Re: Talk Me Into Buying a Car

Post by startbyserving »

My abilities on Maintenance are very limited. - Change oil , Brakes (Not extremely well), Etc. Yet, I've broke even, or make money on the majority or cars I have purchased. (Including cost of repairs!) It sounds like you have a lot more abilities than I do and you have a keen eye on the right car to buy. (Older car with low miles.) Sounds like you should ditch your current car.

- That said. I'd like to bring up the idea of 'cost per mile' which I gather you already understand. I typically rent cars for the majority of my trips. If I consider depreciation between $.10 and .$20 a mile , most of my trips are worth renting a car. (I've decided that my time isn't worth hunting for deals. Even if I sell my current car for what I paid for it, I don't want to take the time to look for another. Also there is no guarantee I will find deals indefinitely. I can further explain my reasoning for depreciation further if anyone wants.)
- If I could do without a car the majority of the time, I would very much consider saving on costs like insurance and renting cars for other travel.
- I do understand and relate to your concerns though. I'm married and could probably do away with my car if I truly wanted. (2 car household). - However I haven't made time in my daily schedule to go from a 30 minute car ride, to a 110 minute bus ride.
(Yes, I could see this as saving 30 minutes rather than costing 40 minutes, if I could find a way to be productive on the bus. However I am already fairly productive in the car. I listen to informative CDs, Make phone calls I would otherwise have to make in the office, etc. Also persons on the bus can be distracting sometimes.)

Anyways, best of luck on your decisions.

Update:

FYI: I use a hands free handset and I spend the majority of my time on hold. (I am NOT in a state that requires headsets.)

I am aware of idiots on the road as well as people that are equally extreme to the other way. (Last week someone entering a cross walk on the OTHER side of the street yelled at my wife for not stopping.)

I will continue to drive in a way that minimizes my chance of being in any accident. Whether that is from a distracted driver (Texting), a driver that feels they own the road (Cutting in and out of traffic, etc.), or panicked stricken driver whose anxiety causes them to make poor decisions. (I.e. - Person that stops instead of merging while entering interstate or similar place). I apologize for anytime I have ever put anyone's life at risk.
Last edited by startbyserving on Mon Dec 21, 2015 11:51 am, edited 3 times in total.

OldPro
Posts: 298
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:37 pm

Re: Talk Me Into Buying a Car

Post by OldPro »

Using a phone in your car is one of the stupidest things drivers do. http://www.distraction.gov/stats-resear ... stics.html

I really don't care if you want to risk your own life but it pisses me off that you also risk MY life.

peerifloori
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:11 pm

Re: Talk Me Into Buying a Car

Post by peerifloori »

OldPro wrote:Using a phone in your car is one of the stupidest things drivers do. http://www.distraction.gov/stats-resear ... stics.html

I really don't care if you want to risk your own life but it pisses me off that you also risk MY life.
Word. This includes hands-free phones!

I remember reading a study they did somewhere that correlated the decrease in reaction time to the distance of the person they were talking to on the phone, like they were slower to react if they were talking to someone on the other side of the country as opposed to talking to someone in the same town. I can't find it now, maybe I imagined it. Brains are many funny things.

OldPro
Posts: 298
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:37 pm

Re: Talk Me Into Buying a Car

Post by OldPro »

There is no question that there is a direct correlation between distracted driving and accidents. It really doesn't even take a study for you to know that must be true. It doesn't matter what that distraction is, it's bad.

It is even a distraction if you are talking to a passenger while driving. Have you ever seen the car weaving down the road with the husband and wife quite obviously having an argument in the car? I've seen that quite a few times. My own brother is terrible when talking while driving. His attention to the road and traffic is very clearly impaired. I try not to talk to him when he's driving. The problem is he focuses his attention on the subject of discussion to too high a degree.

It isn't easy to enforce laws about distracted driving. You can in fact by stopped and ticketed for driving with a cup of coffee in your hand if the police choose to enforce the law. But how practical is that?

However, when car manufacturers start adding things that specifically encourage distracted driving, why can't that be legislated against? If you are old enough, you might remember cars that came with NO cup holders. Now people complain if they won't hold their jumbo drink cup. They are an accepted norm and it would probably hurt sales of a car if it came without any.

Now you see the ads on tv for cars with a smartphone docking station, USB ports on the dash, the best Bluetooth connectivity of any car and my favourite, an ad for a car boasting it comes with the biggest LCD display of any make of car. If you think about it, what they are saying is 'hey, we will help you become distracted from your real job of driving the car.

I am 100% with the NTSB on this one when they advocate a 100% ban. http://www.pcworld.com/article/246202/n ... e_ban.html

Their example is eye opening. "The NTSB's recent recommendations were inspired by a multivehicle accident in Gray Summit, Mo., in August 2010. The accident claimed the lives of two people and 38 others were injured. The driver of the pickup truck that caused the accident sent and received 11 text messages during the 11 minutes leading up to the crash. The last text message was received moments before the collision." That is 40 people's lives impacted all because one asshole was texting.

The phone and car manufacturers could easily add a Bluetooth connection function to every phone and car that disables your phone when you get in your car. But they won't do it unless they are forced to do it by legislation. Yes people will scream, just like so many screamed when seat belts became mandatory in cars. Sometimes though laws need to be passed that protect people from themselves and if not to protect themselves, protect ME from those people.

henrik
Posts: 757
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2012 5:58 pm
Location: EE

Re: Talk Me Into Buying a Car

Post by henrik »

The ever bigger dashboard touch screens in new cars make me worry as well, it does not look like a smart way to go.

OldPro
Posts: 298
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:37 pm

Re: Talk Me Into Buying a Car

Post by OldPro »

I watched an ad on tv last night for a new car. It was showing how their car was better than the competitor's car. One 'feature' that was 'better' was that you could ask (as in speak) the car to show you some suggested local restaurants and up would pop a list of 5 on the dashboard screen.

Presumably, you then look at the list, read them, see what kind of food (Thai, French, etc.), maybe find a rating on cost, etc. and then pick one. When you pick one, the computer then gives you directions to get there.

I am sure people will do this while driving. Yet they show this is an example of how their car is better. No doubt when that driver causes an accident and a victim tries to sue the car manufacturer for being part of the cause, the car company will turn around and say, 'oh no, we are not responsible for someone using our product irresponsibly.'

User avatar
Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: Talk Me Into Buying a Car

Post by Ego »

Not sure if you are a Californian but I just saw this (pdf)....
http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/efmp_plus_up.pdf

The California Air Resource Board is initiating a pilot project in the Greater Los Angeles area and San Joaquin Valley to help low-income individuals and families get rid of old polluting vehicles and purchase much cleaner and more fuel-efficient cars. The program works by providing increasingly larger cash payments for the lowest-income families to move up to the very cleanest cars. Under this program, for example, it is possible for a family that meets the income guidelines to receive $12,000 toward the purchase of an electric car.

If you scrap an old, dirty car but choose not to replace it, you are also eligible for vouchers for public
transit passes, between $2,500 and $4,500 in value, depending on your income level.


I've got low income this year. Wish I had a junker to scrap.

enigmaT120
Posts: 1240
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 2:14 pm
Location: Falls City, OR

Re: Talk Me Into Buying a Car

Post by enigmaT120 »

Buy one somewhere. You could come up to Oregon and buy some junker that will just run well enough to get you back home. I don't envy you that drive though.

That's cool that the vouchers can apply to transit passes. I wonder if there's anything to help you get a nice bike.

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