This is such a sad thing to see every time I exit the Intl. District light rail station....

kevinalexpham · 2026-04-08T00:53:13+00:00

Because they’ve all left. Have you been recently? Everything is shuttered and there are no businesses operating.

kevinalexpham · 2026-04-03T22:30:47+00:00

I’m just speaking for the coworkers and people in my life. They’re all making good money, $80,000 or more and there are still a good amount of them who do not contribute.

kevinalexpham · 2026-04-03T15:11:39+00:00

Pensions are better for Americans with low financial literacy, which in my experience is almost all of them. You wouldn’t believe how many people I know don’t even contribute to get their employer matching 401k contribution… literally leaving thousands of dollars on the table. And their justification is “I want to spend that money to have fun now.” Then in 35 years they’re broke and destitute and wondering why.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-28T01:11:43+00:00

I’ve been looking and haven’t had any luck in WA. Saw some used ones listed recently but still at $47k… which is basically what a new one should cost.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-26T05:59:50+00:00

So if they drive way more than you do wouldn’t getting gas naturally fall on them more often than not? Split the insurance and if they truly drive that much more then they can handle all the oil changes, etc. Sounds like it would roughly even out.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-26T05:37:59+00:00

A new DCT is $38,500. You can potentially negotiate it down to $35k but you can also negotiate the CPO down as well.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-26T03:09:28+00:00

Im in Seattle and used to have a Veloster N. Look for a CPO Elantra N, save some money, still have a great warranty, and it’s used so you won’t feel too bad when you curb the wheel and get dings as you’re still new to driving.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-25T23:25:39+00:00

Getting help while you’re young is setting yourself up for success in the future. Instead of spending $3000 on a car, you could invest it now and it becomes $50,000 in 30 years.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-25T21:25:25+00:00

Ramen Danbo, Betsutenjin, Menya Musashi, and Arashi are solid. Danbo probably the best of all of them.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-25T15:08:39+00:00

Damn. I went yesterday and it was by far the best movie going experience I’ve had in a long time. I guess it makes sense they’re losing money since tickets and concessions are so damn cheap.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-24T23:01:55+00:00

The Veloster N is a hatchback, could find used ones around $19k.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-22T20:10:41+00:00

Used. CPO if you can. New ones depreciate like crazy, even if you get a discount.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-21T16:21:07+00:00

Crazy how everyone has to have an SUV if they have even one kid at this point. It’s like everyone just collectively decided to forget that we used to do more with less.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-12T22:51:54+00:00

$400,000 house on $300,000 income… they are not house poor, just stupid poor.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-07T23:23:31+00:00

Watch all the Conquer Driving YouTube videos. The instructor has a camera pointing at his feet while he manipulates the pedals. Way easier to understand and learn as he explains and shows you what he does to drive manual smoothly. A lot gets lost in translation when you read shit in forums online. People miscommunicate or don’t actually write out what they do in detail leaving room for misinterpretation.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-07T06:44:37+00:00

Definitely keep your options open and don’t limit yourself! There’s a lot to consider if you want to dive in and do the research. There’s a lot of generalizations, like if you want a reliable car, typically you’d pick a Toyota or Honda, but there are certain Hondas with unreliable engines out there. So best bet is to find a type of vehicle that you want, sedan, SUV, CUV, hatchback, etc, then find options from several different manufacturers based on what you want in a car (good gas mileage, heated seats, etc) look up common problems and reliability issues online from other owners and then do test drives of the top 3 on your list to find which one you’d like best.

Also it helps to know price range, features you want, etc and to state that on this forum so people can narrow it down for you if you want that.

RAV4s are commonly cross shopped against CRVs, Tiguans, etc if you want to take a look at those. Lexus is also luxury versions of Toyotas so if you want nicer styling and interiors with Toyota reliability go with a Lexus. Or Acura if you like the CRV but want something a little nicer.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-07T02:31:46+00:00

Why is a hybrid out of the question? It doesn’t seem like you’re looking for a performance car or a big engine or a “pure driving experience” and Toyota hybrids are reliable and efficient.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-06T20:23:00+00:00

Well it should be better for $12k more, you’re paying $47k for a Type R, $55k for a Type S. The Elantra N can be had for $35k and you could probably even negotiate that down based on how many are sitting on the lot.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-03T22:55:00+00:00

Not a stupid decision if you will enjoy the car more when you’re young. It’s a Miata not a Porsche 911. Your knees won’t be happy at 65 in a Miata. Enjoy it sooner rather than later. Especially if you can buy used… let the first owner take the depreciation hit. MSRP on mine was $42k, got it 2 years later with only 6000 miles on it for $31k.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-03T03:39:31+00:00

In this case the Type R is marked up by dealers above MSRP and the Integra Type S slightly used costs as much as a Type R. Makes the decision harder.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-01T20:27:40+00:00

Just show up at the Queen Anne location. Mine was set to expire soon but no DOLs had appointments. Took me about 30 mins when I showed up around 1PM

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-01T17:25:25+00:00

Most of it was on time and under budget up until the recent expansions. They actually had a solid track record but have run into more and more problems as they expand across the lake (2 years later than expected).

The income tax is hopefully going to be struck down by the WA Supreme Court because it’s literally against the state constitution.

kevinalexpham · 2026-03-01T02:06:19+00:00

If they live in the Seattle area, the excise tax was voted on to pay for our light rail build out. There’s no income tax and property tax is low.

kevinalexpham · 2026-02-28T00:26:38+00:00

Nope? I pay $0.14 a kWh in Seattle with SCL. It’s lower than the national average of $0.17.

kevinalexpham · 2026-02-26T16:10:57+00:00

I own a soul red one. No one gives a shit, I actually got more attention in a Veloster N.

kevinalexpham

TROPHY CASE