Maybe I just don't get it...

A friend/co-worker bought a 08 civic Si last year. He paid $27k for it. It's got every dealer add-on imaginable, but doesn't have nav(lol). He never, EVER drives this thing. It stays tucked away in his garage like some sort of priceless artwork. Anyways, it's now got almost 2k miles on it (gasp!) and he wants to trade it in. Of course he's getting offers befitting a year old civic anywhere between $15-19k and he's pissed. He's especially pissed that I keep making fun of him for not driving it. I keep trying to explain to him that he's just allowing the car to depreciate without getting the benefit of using it.

A number of my friends have done this same thing. Buy a nice car and then immediately buy a beater so they don't have to drive the nice car for work. What the hell are you going to use a car for if not to, you know, drive it? Why not just get the beater and save a whole bunch of money? And this whole "I don't want to drive it for work" thing just blows my mind. What do you want it for, going to the grocery?

He's paying like $500/month to loose a spot in his garage. Does anyone understand this "glass car" phenomenon? My "nice" car (as in the one I still make payments on and track) has been stuck axle deep in mud. I thought it was hilarious. I don't get it.

I can buy a new Hemi Challenger for about $27K with rebates. Just don't load it up. Go build one on the Dodge website and you will see.

I am not saying that everyone should own a Challenger in this environment, but I would rather own a Challenger for $27k than a Civic.

I only understand this phenomenon in states where salt is used to clear snow. I would do the same if I had a 'nice' car, but then come the end of winter, and you bet the nice car would be the daily driver.

I do not mind having a "nice car" you only drive on occasion... but to only have it a year and trade it in?

I hope he has at least changed the oil in it

I don't understand that mentality either.

I went 13 years before I took on my first car payment (4 yr old 2000 Tacoma 4X4 4cyl, great little truck). I have always bought beaters/projects with cash, and at the time was making better money than I ever had, so I splurged on something nice.

I got T-boned at a 3-way stop and It was totaled back in '06. I had started towing my SM civic with it earlier that season, and replaced it with an '02 Tahoe.

I forsee the only car payment in my future being a Tow vehicle, but only after I've paid off the Tahoe, swapped in a crate LS3 after I put another 100-150K on it(currently @ 110K), possibly replacing the tranny with a custom towing unit, and going through 2-3 more sets of tires

I don't know that anyone on this board will get it.

You buy a car, you fix it up, you drive it to work, you race it, and if it's really lucky, it'll get washed once every couple months. Repeat that 'til you get bored of it, or it stops being competetive, you see something that catches your eye, then you sell it, pick up the next one, and start the cycle all over again. Repeat 'til you die or your wife forces you to stop.

The "nice car" is the rare old car.

The daily beater is the new one.

They're still MAKING new ones, after all. They aren't making any more 510s or Spridgets or what-have-you.

I get my cars to enjoy them. I love nothing more than sitting on a heated leather seat, listening to the bose stereo and thrashing my escalade through the mud.

The only car I have that doesn't get driven hard and often is a '57 Chevy 150 Handyman. The only reason it doesn't is I don't like it getting rained on. It's a old Chevy and if you spit on it, it immediately starts rusting. The DD is a work van I paid 1000.00 for, it just turned 351000 miles. When it blows up again, I'll probably rebuild it an keep driving it. The abused and worked on machine is a '83 Rx-7 about half way through paint and EFI conversion and suspension rebuild and...and...and...you know the deal. I only paid $200.00 for it. The hauler is a 97 E150 I paid 19500.00 for 8 years ago. The only reason I still have it is it's paid for and I hate a car payment. It was the first and will be the last. If I paid 27K for a car I would get 27K of use out of it before I even considered getting rid of it.

I would buy a $2000 car and pour $25000 into it.

mrdontplay wrote: I would buy a $2000 car and pour $25000 into it.

I'd buy ten $200 cars and pour $2500 into each one.

skruffy wrote: A friend/co-worker bought a 08 civic Si last year...

Yup, it's much-ado about a Honda Civic...stay friends with this guy though, as he might be a good person to buy a car from some day

Noisycricket has it right. I don't mind paying in the $20K to $30K range for a solid, reliable car - I like feeling secure that my wife and kids are in a safe car that won't leave them stranded, then I get the car to drive until the wheels come off. Plus, I know the car will get driven. My wife's car, at 3 years old, has over 70,000 miles, and my 9 year old car just turned over 224,000 miles. Deprication only matters if you sell the thing.

Mark

B02S4 wrote: stay friends with this guy though, as he might be a good person to buy a car from some day

The very first thing that went through my mind.

It's funny about the current Civics because the Si's are currently depreciating more rapidly than the less expensive models -- to the point where, if your friend had an 08 Civic EX it would probably be worth more used than the Si.

i think part of the issue with the si's depreciation is that they are only available with the 6-speed, and in america today, that apparently is a negative. the acura rsx-s has experienced similar depreciation, the 02's are going for mid-high 4 digits right now.

The newest car that idea make sense doing to is a GNX. If it was 1987 and not 2009.

If he was planning on keeping it for 30 years like that, that would be one thing, but yeah, hard to reap short-term benefit from not driving a new car. A couple years back we saw a Pontiac Fiero with fewer than 500 miles on it; the tires still had their molding nubs and some grease pen markings from the factory. Even as the worlds least-driven Fiero (give or take), I don't think that anybody was going to be retiring off the sale of the car.

I put more than 50,000 miles on my Type R in the first four years (when it was my only car), about 10,000 in the past four.

Don't discourage the behavior... just encourage him to buy less sucky cars, depreciate them and dump them. Begin with an Exige S please - I need one for about $20k

skruffy said: A friend/co-worker bought a 08 civic Si last year.

I don't get it either...

What REALLY cracked me up about the new Si...

The Mugen Si.

Local dealer sold one for $32k.

After doing some shopping, i found i could get a BMW 135i for the same price!

Urrrhhmmm.... what just happened?

Guys like that are my best friend, I love buying 1-year old cars w/silly low miles for 50%-66% of the origional cost while getting 90% of the car plus most of the warranty, can't beat that...

I can't understand leases or trading cars every 2 years. Both boggle my mind.

More importantly, why would ANYONE waste $27k on a Civic? Shoot. . we only paid $19k on our 06 Crew Cab NEW and it's a helluva lot more vehicle than a chitvic

try a Mercury Grand Marquis, 73% depreciation in one year...

yay!

93celicaGT2 wrote: What REALLY cracked me up about the new Si... The Mugen Si. Local dealer sold one for $32k. After doing some shopping, i found i could get a BMW 135i for the same price! Urrrhhmmm.... what just happened?

Honda fan bois eat that car up.. and in their minds it is better than the faster, better handling, and better looking 135i