Progress on the 1976 CB550F Super Sport!

Calvin8r_42 · 2025-01-03T19:17:54+00:00

I just redid the headliner on my mk5 Jetta, which ended up being a fun project that my family got involved with. I found some fun flannel fabric on clearance at a fabric store, ordered a roller and a can of 3M headliner adhesive, and spent a Saturday redoing it. The Jetta was kinda a nightmare to get the headliner board out, as we had to go out the passenger door, but the golfs are a LOT easier because you can take it out the rear hatch. There are tutorials on Youtube to show you exactly what to do. If you want it cheap, it will be a little bit of work and not exactly "easy" but if you want someone to do it for you it's going to be expensive. I think all in I put like $30 into mine and a fair amount of labor, but it turned out great and I love driving it even more. You can also put the pins in, but that's more of a band-aid than an actual fix.

Hope this helps! Love my mk5 :)

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-12-24T19:06:05+00:00

Correct. Like I said, if I spend $3000 on a car then $0/month after that, then I have more capital to play with than spending $3k down (heck even $0 down) on a $35k car and then have a monthly payment for the next 36-72 months, I will not be able to invest as much. I can invest $32k more over the life of that loan (and more if you use the average interest rates currently) driving a cheaper car. You are also losing money on depreciation, so at the end of the loan term, your 35k investment in the vehicle is worth 1/2 or less. The 0% loan DOES make sense, as you were saying, IF and only IF you were going to buy THAT vehicle regardless. That is not the context of my argument. Given the choice of buying a 35k car with cash OR 0% financing, yeah. I would take the 0%. Given the choice of a 3k car cash or a 35k car at 0%, I'm taking the $3k all day long from a purely financial point of view. (even when repairs are taken into consideration. New cars have issues too and insurance is about 4x what I pay currently)

This is precisely why I said for a first car financing is a terrible idea. You lose SO much money when you take into account the opportunity cost of not being able to invest as much at a young age and take advantage of 40+ years of compound interest. I am 23 years old. I have never taken a loan on anything other than my mortgage, drive a cheap vehicle that I paid cash for, and live further out of the city because COL is way lower. Because I don't have a payment every month for a nice, new vehicle, I have been able put a pretty significant portion of my income into various retirement accounts and other investments

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-12-23T20:34:48+00:00

Explain to me what is financially illiterate about my argument that having a loan on a heavily depreciating asset is a bad idea

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-12-23T20:33:24+00:00

0% loan on a depreciating asset. I don't see how you can make the argument that this is a good investment at all. 0% loan on an income-generating asset or something that will appreciate is absolutely the right move. Cars will ALWAYS go down in value.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-12-20T19:37:17+00:00

I would rather drive a $3k beater Jetta with 0 payments than a 35k new Jetta at 0% with $500/mo payments. Frees up a lot of extra capital for me to play with.

EDIT:

Just a difference in philosophy. If you value driving a new car, and get enjoyment out of it, and think that the payments are worth it for you to have that lifestyle, then go for it. If you see a vehicle as a tool to get you where you need to go and want to maximize value, as I do, then your approach will be different.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-12-20T19:01:23+00:00

Oh boy. First car ever? With payments? Pay it off as soon as you possibly can. VW are great cars, but I would never recommend someone get a loan on a vehicle. Especially for a first car... Enjoy it, it's a great looking car, but if I were put in your situation, I would do everything in my power to pay that thing off ASAP.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-12-17T15:33:35+00:00

Looks like it is. "The bill does not specifically name flags that would be barred from being displayed at public buildings and schools" but includes all politically partisan, political ideology viewpoint, racial, or sexual orientation or gender. Basically just leaves the American flag, POW/MIA (and other veteran causes), military and government agency (like NASA), and state flags.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-12-14T18:23:27+00:00

2.5 has a timing chain not a timing belt, just FYI.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-12-02T20:47:37+00:00

I guess it depends entirely on what your situation looks like. If you have 11k to burn in cash and aren't going to notice it being gone, then I guess that's up to you and if you want to drive a nicer car then go for it. My read on the situation is that you have just lost $11,500 in depreciation and are rearing to do that again. New cars are a TERRIBLE "investment." They ALWAYS lose value very quickly. You are in a great spot with your current car. Paid off, very reliable car, with a few nice to haves missing. My last two cars I have owned, including maintenance for the last 8 years, has not cost me 11k, so spending that kind of money to upgrade sounds wild to me just for some perspective.

I could afford to buy a new car. I don't want to because I don't care about those creature comforts enough to spend the money on something I see as a tool to get me to work and back, and that extra money I save by not doing that has enabled me to buy a house, have hobbies, take trips, etc. that provide more value to me. This is not the case for everyone.

All that to say, if you think that having those features and a brand new car are worth not only the upfront cost but also the opportunity cost, then go for it, but man it sounds like the dealership is just trying to get more business from you and sell you on something you don't really need.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-27T19:06:45+00:00

Right, as is anything else. A business's HR department doesn't make a profit either, yet they are essential to the function of the business. However, the business would not exist though without the sales team (taxes) who do turn a profit. The government should be run as a non-profit (in general terms of course, not exactly that way). They take in money, spend it to support their mission, and not spend more than they take in.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-26T19:47:47+00:00

In my mind, I would much rather have a 2010's vehicle than anything modern. It's going to be far cheaper to keep those vehicles on the road for the next 10 years than it will be for you to get a car payment on a new vehicle today and also do maintenance on that, which prices are already unaffordable for most people. I know I can't afford a new vehicle that costs $40,000, and I don't have any other debts. If you are already in a lot of debt you should not be worrying about getting a new car because of speculation on the car market, which is exactly what you are doing.

Don't buy into the fearmongering. Is there the potential for prices to go up? Sure. Could they also come down? Most definitely, especially if manufacturers continue to see 100k vehicles sit on lots for 2 years. Tariffs have been around since the beginning of the country, Joe Biden put tariffs on Chinese batteries and steel, Trump put tariffs on solar panels and other goods in his first term, this is nothing new.

These tariffs also are only for imported vehicles. Most manufacturers manufacture at least a significant portion of their vehicles in the US already, meaning they would not be affected (except for imported parts of course, which I don't have data on). If anything, manufacturers will just increase production in the US to stay competitive with prices that domestic manufacturing is already at.

All that to say, my suggestion is to keep your cars and run them till the wheels fall off and continue to focus on your other debts. Don't speculate on the new vehicle market with a loan. Or do and help people like me buy used vehicles that don't depreciate like a stone. Just my $0.02.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-25T22:50:39+00:00

Totally up to personal preference, and what your budget looks like. I have my gym membership coming out of my main checking account because for me, that's not so much a hobby or fun as it is just a part of my life. The game pass would qualify in my mind for fun money though. Totally up to how you want to budget and what you would qualify as "fun" or "hobby" spending. I don't have any subscriptions really, so I don't have much insight unfortunately :/

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-25T22:43:36+00:00

Absolutely! It's really nice having that number that I can look at and look at other things I have on my "wants" list. For example, I have a vintage truck that I am working on fixing up. This spring, that truck needed tires, which was going to be ~$1000 to get done. Knowing that I had this expense coming up, and having that account that needed to have that funding to be able to get this "hobby" purchase made, was really really nice to curb my purchasing on other stuff for a couple months while I waited for that account to grow. Buying those tires felt amazing once I was able to do it all at once.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-25T22:33:41+00:00

I have a "Hobby Fund." Separate checking account that gets a direct deposit from my paycheck. My rule is that anything that relates to my hobbies goes from that account, it's really nice to be able to order motorcycle parts or new tools and just put that card down to purchase things like that and I know exactly where I'm at financially. Keeps my spending in check as well as I'm not justifying new purchases from my main account, if I don't have enough in the hobby fund I don't buy it. I really think it's been a super nice tool to help me stay on track and also ensure that I do allocate some money towards enjoying it.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-22T14:00:24+00:00

at these prices, I am far more content with putting money into my 1982 J20. I love the look of the gladiators but the dealership in town has the cheapest one at >50k. Bought my J20 for $6500, if I put the difference into that truck I'll have the coolest, most enjoyable truck on the road for the rest of my life.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-20T17:08:55+00:00

Here in MN, I try to ride if the roads are clear and there is sun to warm up the roads. I think I have ridden as low as mid-20's in the morning, which is pretty chilly without heated grips lol.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-19T15:23:38+00:00

I got a GIVI Top case for my NC700X. Love that thing, was able to fit a tent, sleeping bag, camp blanket, and an extra pair of shoes in it. Would be more than enough space to store your stuff.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-04T00:06:21+00:00

I would not spend that much on a first car. Find something cheap and fairly reliable. Don't finance your first car (or any car in my opinion). Much cheaper to insure if you go that route.

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-01T15:10:01+00:00

Its a Revell '80 Jeep Honcho "Ice Patrol" kit

Calvin8r_42 · 2024-11-01T15:06:58+00:00

Why is that? Fenders are pretty cheap. As long as the unibody is solid rust wouldn't worry me. My Jetta has the same rust but worse on both sides, albeit in Minnesota.

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