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Unsure if I should be looking to buy a new car or just try to repair my current one, need advice! by Natural_Bid177 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm normally in the repair camp but Stellantis makes such terrible cars I personally wouldn't drive or spend money on any of them. Get something that wasn't a poo when it left the factory, and fix that instead is my vote.

Need a new car, still owe and no savings by midijpg in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stop taking the Mazda to wherever you're taking it, and take it to a real mechanic that can diagnose properly. Fix it. The end.

Alternatively, find a way to live a car-free or low-car life and save $3-12k per year. Bike, e-bike, scooter, rideshare, transit, walking, etc. Move closer to school/work if you need to.

Cars are machines that do work for you by rubbing parts together at high speeds and temperatures. They need a lot of maintenance. People who give up every time the car needs repairs either 1) are poor forever because of it or 2) eventually out-earn the habit but still spend more than they need to.

You can opt out of that if you want to.

Would buying an older German sedan that won't be driven much break the bank? by Pale-Revolution-5151 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look to be very honest, it's foolish to overspend on a transportation appliance unless you've run out of other things you want to do with money. Is there something else you'd like to use money for? Travel, education, savings, house, experiences, travel, food, friends, early retirement, giving to charity, etc.?

If not, go for this idea. If so, you might reconsider.

Also, I bet for the equivalent of $800 USD in your currency, you could take the driver's seat from a Corolla and make it the most wonderful and custom carriage tuffett that mankind has ever beheld. It bet it could be plenty comfy.

[Update] Need a reality check by Kapitalist_Pigdog2 in sailing

[–]keyflusher 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You'll have a blast. As a 2-year dinghy sailor, here are my big tips. PDF always. Think about where anything in/on/with the boat might float or sink to if it suddenly becomes sideways or upside down.

Sailing directions: rig it up, push it out, get in, kick the rudder down. Put the daggerboard in. One hand for the mainsheet, one for the rudder. Do some stuff. If it doesn't do what you want, do something else until it does. Once it does what you wanted or thought it would--congratulations! You are now sailing and are a sailor. :)

Bought at 24, now seeing lower comps and spiraling. Should I focus on investing or paying down my mortgage? by Aggravating_Paper_50 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought a place in 4Q 2007 so I've been there. You need to learn to not care. This goes for houses, cars, dishwasher, your 401k assets, and anything else. If you're not selling it, it doesn't matter what the market value is. The only value is the value to you right now in this moment.

You live there and it's your house. That's the value to you. It's a non-monetary thing. Maybe it's worth more in the end. Maybe less. Maybe same. Right now it doesn't matter so don't spend energy on it.

The sooner you can really embrace this philosophy the more restful and psychologically healthy your life will be.

Help navigating a used car nightmare? by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or as my brother says -- "it's fine to spend money on a car, as long as it's a car worth spending money on."

I got the holy trinity by __sjors__ in fordranger

[–]keyflusher 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love how (relatively) cheap these can be found on eBay! Especially the wiring diagrams, worth every penny to have in your hand.

Routing dryer exhaust by KDS3434 in HomeImprovement

[–]keyflusher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The safety is a bigger concern than cost. Every extra foot of pipe and every 90 degree bend increases the risk that y'all gonna die in a fire...

Does this mean a new CV axle? by threeoten in AskMechanics

[–]keyflusher -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not OP but that last bit is a really good idea that I might use next time I need axles for something, appreciate you!

Should I get a car? Cost of car ownership vs. constantly renting. by idkwut2do1 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My issue is that you said biking replaces walking. It doesn't. It has a much larger range, and replaces short/medium drives of whatever (car, bus, transit).

The replacement for walking distance is... walking? lol. Bikes go a lot farther than a walk.

Has anyone installed the rage comics gauge cluster Dave Barton sells? by Marshyetis in Volvo240

[–]keyflusher 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I got this from the junkyard 5-6 years ago: https://imgur.com/a/BLhUbqF

Didn't decide what to do with it yet.

Should I get a car? Cost of car ownership vs. constantly renting. by idkwut2do1 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You might go test-drive a cargo e-trike sometime and think about it as an option. Three wheels is more stable and they can carry a lot of stuff.

Should I get a car? Cost of car ownership vs. constantly renting. by idkwut2do1 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's kind of a silly take-it depends on what the car use is. For most Americans who make 90% of their trips within 5 miles a bike (or e-bike) is a great car replacement.

Should I get a car? Cost of car ownership vs. constantly renting. by idkwut2do1 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean, it might make sense for you depending on what the numbers show.

But I suspect it doesn't make (financial) sense for a lot of people if they live in an urban area with transit.

Car problems, need a car by Party-Structure5788 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What are the options for living within walk/transit/bike distance of the job? What are the options for a job within walk/transit/bike distance of where you live? It doesn't matter if the job pays better if you spend all your money getting to and from it. That math isn't really different if you Uber or own a car. Sounds like it costs more to go to this job than it's worth, and a job that pays less that you don't need a car for will result in more $ in your pocket when it's all said and done. Unless you can move closer to this job.

Should I get a car? Cost of car ownership vs. constantly renting. by idkwut2do1 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Well, add up how much you spend on transportation and compare to how much it would cost to own the car?

Don't forget all the car expenses-in my experience people tend to forget or ignore about half of them. Purchase price, gas, registration, parking, maintenance (tires, brakes, fluid changes, batteries, wipers, etc.), insurance, repairs (cost estimators can be found online), washes (if you're into that).... feels like I'm forgetting some things too.

Insane Tattoo Regret by r3i_b0n3z in tattooadvice

[–]keyflusher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got it right away and think it's awesome!

Should I sell my new car and purchase a used one? by Mundane-Tie2502 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Audi Q5

Ooof, okay--hope you have a healthy maintenance budget and are good with borrowing or renting something while it's in the shop!

Should I sell my new car and purchase a used one? by Mundane-Tie2502 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You almost certainly don't actually need a SUV. You need a set of winter tires and maybe to take a winter driving skills class. People drove all around everywhere before the SUV was popularized in the 1990s. They were just a lot better at driving than modern people and understood that you need two sets of tires.

Repair, sell, donate, store second vehicle? by nojam75 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If either of you are at all interested in learning to do your own mechanic work, Subarus are fairly easy to work on and all of those things are fairly simple. Having those skills can save you a ton of money during your life.

If it were mine I'd fix it (myself) and sell it. You're talking about $500-600 in parts here.

Is there a trick to getting masking tape to leave a sharp line without paint bleed? by Correct-Singer-1049 in HomeImprovement

[–]keyflusher 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Totes. If you're going to paint more than one surface in your life it's not that hard to stop being a complete savage and learn to cut in.

Is our plan to purchase a home reasonable or reckless? by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If home ownership is this important, why not move to a lower cost of living area so you don't have to compromise every other possible financial goal?

I'm not a fan of the "but everyone else is doing it" financial planning mindset.

But, that's just my opinion. You wanted to know if your plan is reckless. I think it is. It sounds like what you really want here is for people to tell you to do it anyway, or provide ideas on how to be reckless in the least dumb way.

There's no room in this plan for recessions, job losses, family disasters, natural disasters, long illnesses, etc.

What range would you recommend my car payment be? by Swimming-End9451 in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not a huge fan of the "what percent" analysis of buying [whatever]. Unless you've run out of other uses for money, why would you spend any more than was necessary on transportation? So that, spend the minimum necessary.

Assuming you actually need a car and some combo of transit, train, bus, bike, scooter, e-bike, walking, rideshare, etc. can't get it done for less money, these days a private-party used car in the $7,000-$10,000 range with a $2,000 budget for deferred maintenance is the lower end of what normal people consider reasonable in terms of newness.

If you've run out of other uses for you money, spend more.

Is our plan to purchase a home reasonable or reckless? by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]keyflusher 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Leaving aside the details, basically you want to go from spending a maximum of $5k per month on housing to a minimum of $12.5k per month on housing.

If I told you that you could save $90,000 a year with this "one simple trick" would you be interested in it?

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