Jaguar, Aston-Martin, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Range Rover, Audi, Volvo, Cobra Mustang. No, that isn’t part of a car collector’s inventory list, but a list of some sexy vehicles I’ve been fortunate to enough own, lease, or at least drive at one time or another.
Okay, so maybe I’ve only owned a few from that list, but the others I was fortunate enough to drive on occasion as demo vehicles since my ex-husband worked at a luxury car dealership. As sexy and luxurious as these cars may be, are they better than sexy-ass financial accounts?
I’d been wanting to write this article for a while and was inspired to do so today by this interesting article – The Cars of Personal Finance Bloggers.
Sexy Vehicles…or Not?
I thought I finally had it made when I moved up to a Jaguar XK Convertible from my Jaguar XF. The XK was all black and beautiful. Fast, sexy, and in case you glossed over it the first time, a convertible. Yes, a real head turner. A match made in heaven I thought, my Jag and I.
My son, heading to pick up his date for prom
Skip ahead one year (now early 2011) – the car goes away in a divorce – boo hoo poor me right?
My next vehicle, because I need something quick and it needed to be cheap, was a very unsexy Volvo station wagon. Older, an ugly brownish kind of color, big, boxy, but oh so reliable and paid for in cash. But I hated it – any sympathy yet? 🙂
The wagon was replaced six months later with a middle of the road 2011 Chrysler 200. Not a Jag but not what I thought was embarrassing either. Ya know, image – I used to care a lot about that.
It’s a Jeep Thing
In March 2013, John and I married, and a couple of months after that we purchased our Jeep Wrangler…err, I should say we financed our Jeep Wrangler. Turns out both John and I always wanted one. Since we had good jobs and could afford the payments, we thought why not.
We choose a black Sahara model. Loaded and sexy (especially topless) in a different kind of way, with saddle leather seats, removable hard top, towing package, etc. All to the tune of around $40k. We soon took a road trip with it – the top off, hair flying, 4-wheeling, kind of fun road trip.
A little muddy 4-wheeling fun
Approximately, three months later I read my first Mr. Money Mustache post. Dammit. Our fun and jazzy Jeep started to lose its appeal. Well, not the Jeep but the cost of it.
The more I read MMM and explored other FIRE (financial independence, retire early) bloggers, the more the auto loans sucked. I soon focused us on paying off these debts as quickly as possible, hoping that would make me feel better.
The small loan on the Chrysler was disposed of rather quickly. We then fixated on eliminating the Jeep loan. We accomplished that within 20 months of its inception. I felt better…for a while.
The thought of $35k + in vehicles just sitting in the garage kept haunting me, as we were now pursuing financial independence so we could retire sooner rather than later. I found myself repeatedly wanting to put those dollars to work for us versus losing them in depreciating assets.
Did you say Jalopy?
We knew that to attain the financial numbers we wanted in our future for a secure retirement, we needed to take some further steps.
That started, in late 2015, with first selling the Chrysler 200 to free up some cash. It was replaced with a 2008 Ford Focus, affectionately named Barney, that we bought from my mom at a splendid deal of $4k since she wanted a newer vehicle. Thanks, mom!
After months of deliberation, and as much as we loved the Jeep, late last summer (2016) we sold it and purchased a Currant Red 1995 Ford F-150 pickup for $2,500, which I named Wilma.
The Focus and F-150 are not sexy and not head turners, but not really jalopies either. (Jaguars, Jeeps, and Old Fords did not flow as well.) What they are though is reliable and loan free, with less than 85,000 miles each. And for us, that’s enough right now.
Lest you now think we are way too frugal when it comes to vehicles, I should mention our 1965 Ford F-100. Betty’s her name. Picked her up for $3k in 2014 for a little bit of fun. Think ‘The Woodward Dream Cruise’ in the Motor City, with a whole different kind of sexy vehicles.
Do we still want to wave at every passing Wrangler? (It’s a Jeep thing) Yes, we do. I’ve even slipped a few times and waved from the Focus. Ha, maybe that can be a new trend.
Sexy Finances Over Sexy Vehicles
Do I envy the luxury cars I so often see living near the Motor City? Of course I do, for a few minutes anyway (in the summer it takes me a little longer to recover – convertible and topless Jeep remember). Then I remind myself of our sexy savings, investment, and retirement accounts.
Cars just get us from place to place. Our finances get us through life. And from what I hear, Budgets Are Sexy.
While you can afford the payments for a vehicle, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can afford the car. Especially not when pursuing financial independence.
We decided we couldn’t afford not to invest our money instead of drive it. Our financial well-being is greater as a result. How about you?
Are you driving sexy vehicles or building a hot retirement? Kudos if you are accomplishing both!
I have a 2014 VW Jetta that I bought at Entreprise Auto Sales (yes the rental company). I was very happy with the purchase. Even though I paid $13k, it only had 35k miles on it! 🙂 In the past year, I’ve only put on 4,000 miles… so this baby is going to last me quite a while!
Thanks for sharing… I’m not buying another car for a long while…
Sounds like you got a nice deal, Erik! Yes, hold on to that thing, you’ve got lots of miles to go. 🙂
I love the 1965 truck (and I’m not a car person) – it looks so snazzy! I’ve thought about getting rid of my husbands car and getting a less expensive used one. It’s a 2014 Ford Focus, bought new, that now has $40k miles on it. It wasn’t expensive new ($17k total), and it’s still worth about $10k, but since my youngest child was born it’s a tight squeeze for all five of us. We had an older Focus (2002) that had more room, and we loved it, but unfortunately it was totaled in an accident. If I do replace it, it will be with an older, larger car.
Our other car, the one I use for work, is my 2009 Honda Accord with 101k miles on it. It was $19k new. That one I’m going to drive into the ground. I hear Accords can go over 200k miles, and I’m looking forward to testing that out!
No debt on either car – the Focus was bought with cash, and the Accord was paid off early after having a loan for 3 years.
Thanks Liz, the ’65 is pretty cool I must say. 😉
I’m with you on the size of the 2014 Focus (that’s what my mom bought) definitely not as roomy as prior years, Sometimes it’s so hard to justify in our minds selling a vehicle we bought new just a few years into it when we know it has so much life left. As your children grow it may definitely be useful to have a bigger car if you can find a good deal. Good luck with your decision on it.
Yes, keep that Honda! My daughter got her’s up to almost 200k before she started having major issues with it. I hope you’ll get there.
Yeah to no car debt!
Great article! I’m 43, and I’ve only had two cars in my life: a Mazda Miata and a 2001 Honda Prelude. I then went car-free about 4 years ago and never looked back. Funny, because I didn’t find MMM and his car clown talk until after I sold my car. 🙂 My husband kept his 4-door Volvo. Like you said, it IS so ugly. I really hate the way it looks, but you said it correctly, that they are built like tanks. It is almost 20 years old, but he needs a car to keep working at a job that he really likes. We are hoping that this will last a couple of years, and then be his last vehicle also. 🙂
You think cars are bad? I spent my 20’s buying motorcycles and airplanes with my ex-husband. Yes, I said airplanes. Yes, real ones. 🙂
You can check it out here as it was a financial confessional guest post on Budgets Are Sexy: http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/2017/03/financial-confessional-we-used-to-blow-our-money-on-motorcycles-airplanes/
Thanks! WOW only 2 cars? I’ve owned or leased a whopping 20 or more just myself. Good for you on going car free! Yep, those Volvo’s, safe and reliable. 🙂 Good luck on it going another couple years.
I remember reading that article on Budgets Are Sexy! I could definitely identify with some of it in my prior life (minus the airplanes and motorcycles :)). Glad for both of us we’ve found freedom in a more simple life.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Amy, I admit I also haven’t been the best with car decisions in the past. I’ve leased, purchased new, and financed autos unnecessarily. We currently own a ’12 Audi Q5 (purchased new) and a ’08 VW Jetta (purchased new).
Recently, though, my desire to have the latest and greatest has waned. Now I’m thinking in more practical terms… like, how many kids can I squeeze comfortably inside! I can’t say for sure that I’ll never buy a new car again, but I’ll certainly be fully aware of its full opportunity costs before pulling the trigger. 🙂
Hi, Michael. There is something thrilling about those unnecessary vehicles sometimes 🙂 I know from reading your blog that you work on your finances too, though, so kudos for that.
Yes, and as your kids grow it seems like the cars get smaller don’t they? I hear you. As long as we understand the full costs and weigh that against our desires/goals we can (hopefully) make better decisions. 🙂
Appreciate you visiting and commenting!
I’m yet to own own one but when I do, it will definitely be a Mercedes!
They are beautiful! Make sure you max out your savings too! 🙂
Thanks for visiting Joseyphina!
I have a 2008 Corvette I bought new a decade ago this fall. As a car fanatic its about a slightly different path. My Corvette is not frugal, but it’s kept me from spending another dime on my hobby since 2007 (except 300 dollars a year insurance, gas, and very rare maintenance). I.E. you can still be financially successful and love cars, you just have to choose one moderately priced one and stick to it. It also has to be your primary hobby. Its the shuffling around and constant need to upgrade that will kill you the most. You can buy anything, you just can’t buy everything.
Agreed. I think we all have something we’ll spend more money on than someone else might. If cars are your thing and you don’t mind spending the money that works. And yes, trying to stay with up on the latest and greatest can really hurt, especially with cars and houses 🙂 Love that saying – “You can buy anything, you just can’t buy everything.”
Thanks for stopping by and the comment!
Love the change! Way to go and we are right there with you – in our case driving a new-to-us 2006 Volvo Wagon. Boxy but good!
Thank you! Yes, that Volvo is a good vehicle, just wasn’t my style 🙂 Excellent for the family though.
Thanks for stopping by!
I like cars, but not car payments. Not having a car payment for most of my 20’s allowed me to build a solid financial base. I would like a Toyota 4Runner, but the MPG does not work well with my commute. Maybe after I reach FIRE. I once had a Ford Focus as a rental. It was fast enough to get me a speeding ticket in Roanoke, Va😀.
Nice saving on cars in your 20’s! Yes, the Focus can be zippy. Fortunately no speeding tickets here in a very, very long time. I really hope I didn’t just jinx myself 😉 Thanks for the comments, Dave!