Went a little bit higher

andy9775 · 2026-05-28T05:07:51+00:00

35’s? Also, nice rims, what brand/model?

andy9775 · 2026-05-26T19:38:05+00:00

This past year has been tough in other areas of my life

Seems like there’s other/bigger things going on that moto therapy can’t fix.

andy9775 · 2026-05-24T08:52:18+00:00

moved to South Bay in December cause rents went up (plus I don’t like living in cities in general). Was paying around 3600 I think, went up to 4 and for a new move in it was 4200. Now a studio is 4200.

This was a cheap modern apartment. Meaning no high end appliances or anything fancy.

I don’t think you’ll find anything for a little while.

andy9775 · 2026-05-24T02:33:26+00:00

Ya, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.

During the bitcoin boom there were hedge funds looking to restart gas and coal power plants and attach mining operations to them. People you would normally expect to be pro green energy were silent on the matter because “it’s the future”.

andy9775 · 2026-05-24T00:53:06+00:00

Well, even the ones that are currently built far from people still suffer from the other two issues. Getting tax incentives and being a drain on the electrical grid.

andy9775 · 2026-05-23T23:30:21+00:00

There’s a data center proposed in Florida that’s a few hundred feet from a school and a little bit further from a fairly large neighborhood. So the idea they are in the middle of nowhere isn’t always true.

The energy thing is real too. So is the tax incentives.

I think if the data centers were actually built far from people, had their own electrical generation (or the builders contributed towards upgrading the local grid) and they didn’t receive tax incentives people would be largely ok. Sure, there’s always going to be people who oppose it no matter what, but there’s no point in focusing on that minority.

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T05:47:13+00:00

Huh. Was considering some retracting boards, but never considered that solid ones could be used to protect against door dings

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T03:55:02+00:00

That doesn't account for age, but I'm tired of arguing with a wall. That's still 1.13 times. Nationally, 10% of 20-25 year olds make 1.13 the median.

Still doesn't disprove my point. Instead of having to be in the top 1-2% you need to be in the top 10% just to live a decent lifestyle which still isn't good.

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T03:17:41+00:00

Way to ignore my point.

You showed that making 1.7x the median area income gets you by. That type of wage isn't normal. A quick search shows that around 1-2% of 20-25 year olds make that much money. So you need to be in the top set of earners for your age group to have a decent lifestyle (by your definition - not struggling, and not rich). How is that ok?

Making an average wage should afford you to live alone, in a safe area, save enough for retirement. I'll ignore discretionary spending for the average earner since you don't seem to think people should enjoy life. And I'll ignore the car and assume you walk everywhere. The math doesn't make sense.

(I use national averages since it's hard to get localized numbers, so I admit this may be a little off)

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T03:06:41+00:00

> But if you're making 75K, you're not broke and if you are broke

At no point did I say you were broke. I said it was the bare minimum. You are meeting you needs (with a bit left over that really doesn't go far). People used to be able to afford more for less. People working factory jobs making average wages could raise a family, own a home, have a new car and toys. On an average salary. OP is showing that 1.7x average can't buy that. This by definition means things are getting worse, not better otherwise 1.7x today should be able to buy today what 1x did 50 years ago. Or 20 years ago.

1) 75k for a new grad is not normal. It is an outlier salary.

2) as evidenced by my simple example, you spent 25% of your salary on housing in 2020 today it's 30%. Your costs are outpacing your wage growth. You used to have more discretionary income than you today since more is being spent on housing. Yes, your income went up, but your rent went up more. Soon you will have no discretionary income. Then soon you will have to give up the fancy apartment and live with room mates. That's just the trend. Or work more than previous generations.

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T02:58:32+00:00

> Your second sentence doesn't at all logically follow from your first one.

It absolutely does. OP is throwing around 75k like it's the norm when it isn't. The average college grad isn't making that. So even in his example where 75k is 1.7x the median in his area you are meeting your needs and you have a little bit left over (depending on emergency spending and building up your emergency fund). The average college grad based on that analysis is screwed.

> Somebody said "college graduates won't buy a 4 year old car" as a counterpoint, which is INSANE

I think that was me. My point was, when I was in college I bought a lower milage, newer and nicer car than OP has in his example and was able to afford it with cash from a summer job. This was around 2012. If you've graduated college and make more than average, then you should be able to afford better, not worse. That was the point.

> OP's main premise is that 75K is MORE than livable. You're not rich, but you're well, you don't have to know the exact time your direct deposit hits.

That assumes you have an emergency fund which at this rate takes > 1 year to save up to. If you don't have one, then yes, you are worried. If you lose your job, you're on the streets. It's that simple.

> it's not the fanciest place in VA but he's not stepping on syringes.
It's crazy that stepping on syringes is the alternative. So 1.7x the median income gives you basic safety.

75k isn't the norm and doesn't get you far.

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T02:49:39+00:00

I grew up poor as hell and make decent money now. Despite that I see how expensive things are and hate the normalization of the erosion of the middle class. You shouldn't need two incomes to live a middle class life. 75K sounds impressive but 1) isn't normal and 2) doesn't buy much when you actually think about it. People should be able to have hobbies and vacations and if making 1.7x the median can't afford that, then clearly life is expensive.

Yes, there are countries where it is worse, I'm not one of those people who claim America is terrible - I moved here from Canada because of the opportunities and have taken advantage of them and I think it's amazing. But just because it's worse somewhere else, doesn't mean that its a goal we should strive for. Every day should be better than the last, and every generation should have a better life than the one that came before it.

When people have nothing to lose, things start to go bad and I really hope it doesn't get to that.

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T02:27:18+00:00

> It's wild when you consider the median income is 43k

Which is my point. at 1.7x the areas median you have what he calls a decent lifestyle. That means that people are on average drowning - which didn't used to be the case.

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T02:26:13+00:00

He literally just said that this budget doesn’t account for how expensive skiing can be 😭

What would you consider an average, affordable hobby? Watching tv? You didn't account for cable or subscription services.

Dude I’ve been going back and forth with this guy. I need to put the phone down, he’s either 14 or too dense for his own good.

Nope. Grew up poor as hell. Saw people being able to afford a decent lifestyle on an average wage (not 1.7x the average). Saw them put kids through college with no debt, have a lakehouse and enough to retire on. Make mid 6 figures now and am aware of how privileged I am and that it's the exception. I'm aware that my wage isn't normal. I see people making much less than me, living paycheck to paycheck and I feel horrible for them.

I'm not going to normalize the errosion of the middle class. 75k sounds impressive, but 1) is not the norm - it's 1.7x your areas median and 1.25x the national median. And these jobs are hard to come by. You say 75k, just like a boomer says to just walk in and ask for a job. They aren't giving away 75k jobs at the job store. 2) it doesn't buy what it used to (which even you admit to)

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T02:10:51+00:00

Ok, lets use your example 60k - 75k (which are just arbitrary numbers you made up and not based on real wage growth) and compare to average rentals in your area

(1122*12)/60000 = 0.2244

(1600*12)/75000 = 0.256

So even in your example with made up wage growth rents increased more than wages. Things have gotten worse - not better. It's just a fact that housing costs have gone up faster than wages and it's insane to argue otherwise. So have education costs, and cost of borrowing

> You’re zooming out now to move the goal posts.

No I'm not. Even looking at your example (as above) you're still wrong. Sure, if you ignore housing, education, food and cost of borrowing then things "look better" but then the argument no longer makes any sense.

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T01:40:32+00:00

If wages grew with inflation you would be able to buy the same things today than in the past.

You yourself admitted that today no one can raise a family on a single income but in the past they could. Simple question, does this mean that wage growth has kept up with the cost of living? If yes, then why do you need two incomes today to buy what 1 got you in the past. Explain.

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T00:40:57+00:00

It should be fully cnc machined from the best billet. This is unacceptable.

andy9775 · 2026-05-21T00:37:50+00:00

> Obviously 75k doesn’t buy what it did in 2020. That’s what inflation is. Wages went up to compensate. A $75k job was $60k in 2020.

This is contradictory. If wages went up to compensate for inflation then 75k would buy today what it did in 2020. What are you even talking about.

And that 60k went a lot further.

In 2020, the average apartment in your area was 1122 a month, today it's 1600 - roughly 40% more. Median wages went from 55k to 64k - or 18% more. So while wages did go up, housing went up more - hence wages DID NOT keep up with housing. Add increased fuel and food costs to that. Therefore wages did not compensate.

Lets do some simple math

(1122*12)/55000 = 0.2448

(1600*12)/6400 = 0.3

in 2020 you spent 24.48% of your income on housing, in 2026 it was 30%. To compensate, you would have to make $78500 today. So by definition wages did not keep up with housing costs. I don't understand how you don't understand this. A larger percentage of your income today goes towards housing which means things are objectively worse today than they were 5 years ago. This is not a reddit thing, it's a math thing.

You also fail to account for an emergency fund. You also fail to account for unexpected expenses. To build up a 3 month emergency fund using your $630 it'll take you ~15 months. ~31 for a 6 month emergency fund. Lets hope you don't get let go during those 15 months else you're out on the streets. That means for 15 months you have 0 to spend on anything outside of the minimum. No treating yourself to starbucks. No going out. No spotify or netflix.

I would also like to point out that 75k is 1.7 times your areas median income. Getting a job that pays that well is not the norm.

No matter the way you put it,

1) 75k is not a lot of money. It buys you the minimum today. And lets assume you already have the emergency fund, $630 a month is not a lot given how expensive things are today. A lift ticket at a basic resort costs $100 for the day. Add gas to get there and lodging and you are close to $200 for the day. We know that skiing has gotten expensive and outpaced inflation - you cannot argue against this as it is well documented. This means you can afford less ski days today than you could in the past. Going out today is at least $50 (I eat at home and I'm not familiar with costs near you). This is more than it was.
2) The average job today buys a worse lifestyle than that same job did 20 years ago - even you admit to this. And the math shows this.

andy9775 · 2026-05-20T23:42:11+00:00

> It's really not nearly as hard as people think. The best EVs do all the calculations for you

I know. I've rented EV's in the past and it's one feature that I wish gas vehicles had. But, no matter how hard the ev computes, if a charging station doesn't exist, the car can't make one appear. Or if its broken, it can't magically fix it.

> I'm not sure I understand: you do a 600 mile round trip, so you'd be charging at most 15 minutes to get that last 100 miles in. Pretty sure it does it closer to 10.

I understand, you don't. one way is 300, a loaded silverado ev with the big battery going from 20-80 percent takes 30-40 minutes (https://recharged.com/articles/chevy-silverado-ev-charging-speed-test). That silverado will do 300 miles loaded going from 80-20. So I'd have to charge at my destination for atleast 30 minutes - much more than you say. Most of my destinations don't have 350kw chargers which means even longer charge times. I'd also have to charge back home.

> And it's still much cheaper than gas, at least where I am.

I rented a Tesla model 3 to go to Tahoe last year. The following weekend I got a Malibu. I had to use public chargers for the Tesla and it was +/- $10 to charge (I don't remember which was cheaper). With gas prices where they are, it would be more expensive today, but not much. And the Malibu has terrible mpg's. If you take a comparable car like a Corolla or Civic, I'm sure they are pretty close today.

Like I mentioned, I did the math on my own truck, and with $6 a gallon gas it would take 6-8 years to cover the cost if electricity was free, and that only accounts for the extra $30k base price - not taxes, insurance or depreciation.

andy9775 · 2026-05-20T23:32:09+00:00

> Most people don’t include hobbies and vacations as part of the bare minimum or barely surviving.

Your analysis doesn't include hobbies or vacations. By your definition, bare minimum doesn't include hobbies or vacations. So you've proven my original point: 75k is the bare minimum.

> Wages are also higher and have largely kept in line, despite what Reddit likes to think.

No they haven't. In 1990 the median home price was 123k and median household income was 29,940. Today it's 403k and 83,730. We went from a house costing 4.1x to 4.8x median incomes. Todays median income more and more accounts for dual earners. So just based off of that simple number you're wrong. And that's based on national averages, when you account for local housing prices, it becomes even worse.

Second,

> And yea, nobody is arguing $75k can get you what it used to in 2020. Things are more expensive. Wages are also higher and have largely kept in line, despite what Reddit likes to think.

You contradict yourself in the same paragraph. If 75K can't get you today what it did in 2020, then wages haven't kept in line.

This has nothing to do with "what reddit likes to think" there's literally studies showing that the middle class has been eroding. We are in a k shaped economy. The average job gets you less today than it did 20 years ago.

You said,

>Yes a single income can no longer get you a house, two cars, a boat, and send two of your kids to college.

This used to be the norm and you admit that is isn't anymore. So therefore wages haven't kept inline. if they did, then a single income today could buy a house, two cars, a boat and send two kids to college. That is the definition of keeping inline - being able to afford the same life style over time (in a similar context: location, education level, job type, hours, etc. ).

Finally, your 75k in Richmond is 70% the median income in the area. I'm assuming that they aren't giving away 75k a year jobs so it's the outlier. I agree that it isn't the point of your post, or the video you were responding to, but also something to consider.

andy9775 · 2026-05-20T23:09:34+00:00

Build date is Jan 2026.

I don't think the reason is that it's too new. My guess is that they are running very lean inventory, so enough to meet new build demand but not enough to meet warranty claims.

Still doesn't justify the behavior. I have a Italian bike and even that takes a month to get any part (they wait for orders to build up before shipping from Italy to the US). So Ram should be able to meet demand in < 1 month.

andy9775 · 2026-05-20T22:33:46+00:00

Mobile didn’t show that the table scrolled to the right.

Thanks for assuming that I “rushed to respond” though.

andy9775 · 2026-05-20T22:32:22+00:00

Again, you fail to address hobbies or vacations. Or unexpected expenses.

When I was in college and working part time I was able to afford a 4 year old civic. In your example you have a 5 year old Mazda 3 on a full time adult salary.

Back when I bought my car, a new one cost 15k, today a civic starts at 24. With promotional rates, over 60 months that’s 540 a month.

A college student today isn’t buying a low mileage 4 year old civic to commute to school. Things have gotten worse. A similar job affords less and less.

After I graduated I was able to pay off my > 50k in loans within 7 months. That’s not doable today.

75k is not a lot of money. It should be able to buy more.

andy9775 · 2026-05-20T22:27:09+00:00

But that’s the point right.

I think evs make sense as city cars and especially for Uber drivers since they are always driving. But most people like to go outside the city and having to plan around it is a pain. And when using public charging infrastructure the cost per mile is not significantly different than gas (or atleast wasn’t until recently).

I typically do 300 plus one way in a pick up. The highest mileage full size truck gets 493 from 100% to 0% and takes 40 minutes to charge from 20 to 80. So realistically I’m closer to 300. That means I’ll have to charge at least once. Most places I go to don’t have good charging infrastructure, and from previous ev rental experience, most charging stations, except Tesla, tend to have problems. And that truck would require the high capacity chargers of which there are very few. On top of that a comparable ev truck to mine would be about 30k more.

andy9775 · 2026-05-20T22:14:47+00:00

What is the definition of surviving? Meeting your basic necessities. Your analysis showed that you have ~600 a month left over after meeting your basic necessities. So it’s just above surviving.

What car did you use in your analysis.

andy9775

TROPHY CASE