New vehicle vs current vehicle

[Dunit35]

I'm trying to decide if trying to trade in my truck is worth it. I don't think I'll get the trade in value I need to pay it off. So, this might be a waste anyways.

It's an 09 Chevy Silverado crew cab LS, 81k miles, black, soft cover, 20" factory chrome rims, good tires, but the rear end was demolished by a trash truck in January. I owe $15,000 and the payment is $345. My wife wanted a warranty option on it and it jumped the payment from $285 to $345.

I'm really trying to get my payments around $290-300 to save up for a new ride for my wife. My wife and I both have good credit.

Is it worth messing with?

[BigMeatballDave]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

Leasing is pretty much always dumb, financially.
Some will say, "Well, it's smart if you're the type who buys a new car every 2-3 years."
Yeah, ok...but buying a new car every 2-3 years is also really dumb, financially.

No, it's not. The payments are lower, in some cases, much lower than financing.

Leasing is the way to go if you don't drive a lot.

[Dunit35]

I decided to keep what I have and pay it off. The $350/month I pay isn't hurting me anyways. I'd prefer not to have a ding on both our credit scores when we go to buy her a better vehicle next year.

[mdchiefsfan]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Lease. Cars aren't an investment.

Leasing doesn't work for me. I drive about 25,000 miles a year for my job. I would like to lease since I will probably be paying for a car the entirety of my career.

[BWillie]

Never understood the love so many people have for buying expensive vehicles. Buy a ten year old used vehicle, no car payment, no collision coverage likely needed due to the cars value and you will be much better off. The cost of any maintenance on an older used car is NO WHERE near the price tag that a newer car comes and the insurance premiums that go with it.

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Lease. Cars aren't an investment.

That's what i'm going to do for the remainder of my life.

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

Leasing is pretty much always dumb, financially.
Some will say, "Well, it's smart if you're the type who buys a new car every 2-3 years."
Yeah, ok...but buying a new car every 2-3 years is also really dumb, financially.

I agree, it doesn't save money in the long run over buying a vehicle and maintaining it.

I just like the fact that I never have to **** with maintaining a vehicle.

[Predarat]

Originally Posted by lewdog

“We buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't like.”
“Act your wage.”

Dave Ramsey is wise. Dave Ramsey is good.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Predarat

Dave Ramsey is wise. Dave Ramsey is good.

His ideas that you should pay off your smaller debts first, while letting your interest accrue and balloon on much larger loans is really dumb.

[RedandGold]

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

No, it's not. The payments are lower, in some cases, much lower than financing.

Leasing is the way to go if you don't drive a lot.

The benefits of leasing only apply if you would otherwise trade the same financed vehicle in the same period of time (or trade immediately after a financed purchase was paid off). If you maintain that same financed vehicle five years after it's paid off, you're definitely ahead versus leasing.

Since my pattern falls into the latter category, it's difficult to justify making payments in perpetuity on a continuous string of vehicles that I don't own.

[BigMeatballDave]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

I agree, it doesn't save money in the long run over buying a vehicle and maintaining it.

I just like the fact that I never have to **** with maintaining a vehicle.

This. Plus a new one every 3 years. I'd love to lease, but I couldn't deal with the mileage limits.

[ThaVirus]

Most I've heard about are 15,000 per year. How much do you guys drive?

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by BWillie

His ideas that you should pay off your smaller debts first, while letting your interest accrue and balloon on much larger loans is really dumb.

His target market is not you and me. It is dumbasses that can't balance their checkbook or don't have the discipline to think about financial analysis in their daily lives.

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Most I've heard about are 15,000 per year. How much do you guys drive?

30-40. Wife is about 8 or 10.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Predarat

Dave Ramsey is wise. Dave Ramsey is good.

He's actually a ****ing idiot and I don't agree with most of his bullshit. Then again, I'm not in debt and can manage my finances accordingly.

[Tombstone RJ]

Always pay cash for a car. If you got $350/month to make a car payment, you got $350/month to put into savings to pay for your next car and/or a big repair on your current car. The first big loan I took out as a young guy was for a car and I bought the car with zero down (good credit and a good credit union) and it was a five year loan (loan was for $11,000). It wasn't a bad deal and it was a great little jeep. That being said, I've never again financed a vehicle. I have paid cash ever since.

Now, granted, I don't drive a big fancy vehicle. But I got a nice car, and I take good care of it. And it works great for me. I also have a savings account that I can go out and buy another car if I want (or, fix this one should it need a big repair). If and when I want another vehicle, I buy it, then I sell the car I currently have, and that gives me a chunk of change to start all over again with saving for another car.

Anyhow, I don't sweat my car. It is what it is. If it gets wrecked, I have insurance. If it gets dinged up, meh, I don't care. I park where I want to park, go where I want to go, and no one takes a second look at me or my car. That's the way I like it.