Would you make this trade?

[MajorCavalry]

Originally Posted By: madRiver
The decision has no justification financially whatsoever . However emotionally it has merit and you only can answer that.


Thank you all for your input. Basically support what I was thinking. My fully detailed 12 TL looks showroom new now. Better to put that 20k into my retirement account.

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: MajorCavalry
Originally Posted By: madRiver
The decision has no justification financially whatsoever . However emotionally it has merit and you only can answer that.


Thank you all for your input. Basically support what I was thinking. My fully detailed 12 TL looks showroom new now. Better to put that 20k into my retirement account.

Smart! You never know what tomorrow will bring, like the sudden loss of your job. I speak from experience. I'm very glad I decided not to purchase the Mustang I was sooo wanting. Now I've had the resources to ride out these tough times.

Whimsey

 

[lovcom]

Most American's would take such deals of the type that Acura has offered the OP.

It's a HORRIBLE deal, and CANNOT be justified from ANY financial point of view.

Most Americans have no savings, little retirement because they take such deals.

Like a fool, money burns a hole in the pockets of most Americans.

Materialism has inflicted most of us.

 

[Schmoe]

Let's see....your getting a brand new car for 20K or less? At some point, you will trade in your current car in the future and it will undoubtly trade in for way less than they are offering you now. I know about the con's and the 20K thing most are talking about here, but if you think you're going to have to get another car down the road, it might not be such a bad deal. I'd see if I could get it down lower than 20K, that way, they know you are interested in their offer and you know of course, there is always wiggle room in the 4 box corner chart the dealer uses. I got something similar from Honda with our older CRV...got a brand new car, lower payments and tons of newer features the older CRV didn't have. I look at it like this....the wife and I drive on average 24K miles a year. No matter what happens, we are always going to have a car payment. Just the way it is to continue to drive something that won't leave me or her stranded on the highway.

 

[surfstar]

Originally Posted By: Schmoe
Let's see....your getting a brand new car for 20K or less? At some point, you will trade in your current car in the future and it will undoubtly trade in for way less than they are offering you now. I know about the con's and the 20K thing most are talking about here, but if you think you're going to have to get another car down the road, it might not be such a bad deal. I'd see if I could get it down lower than 20K, that way, they know you are interested in their offer and you know of course, there is always wiggle room in the 4 box corner chart the dealer uses. I got something similar from Honda with our older CRV...got a brand new car, lower payments and tons of newer features the older CRV didn't have. I look at it like this....the wife and I drive on average 24K miles a year. No matter what happens, we are always going to have a car payment. Just the way it is to continue to drive something that won't leave me or her stranded on the highway.


1 - he's not getting a 2015 Acura for $20k. Its $43,370 + TTL
2 - a car payment isn't something you're resigned to. Lack of a car payment doesn't mean you get stranded more on the highway.

Your CRV wasn't "old" if you were still making payments! See how you have resigned yourself to the revolving car dealership door? Its your choice, yes, but you make it sound like its not a choice.

Reference lovcom's post above.

 

[Vikas]

Isn't RLX a class higher than your TL? I bet it even has auto window on all four doors instead of only on the front

Seriously, even Avalon is less non-descript than RL. It is as if Acura challenged their designer to come up with a large sedan which can go completely un-noticed.

 

[Schmoe]

He's already paid for his current car, all he needs to do is pay up 20K and get a new one.....or maybe even less. You want to nickle and dime it, then yeah. If YOU want to have a newer model and can't afford to drop 20-40K in cash, then your going to have a car payment. The thing about being stranded is from the high mileage we put on the cars. You just never know and then when it happens, you start second guessing yourself. Piece of mind does weigh in at times. Old CRV had over 110K and still had about 1.5 years left on payment. By the time we would have paid it off and the amount of mileage it would have had, I would have gotten buttkiss for it if you really wanted to know. Whose resigning themselves to a revolving car dealership door? It's all about choices. Keep you smartarshe comments to yourself. I was offering a different view on the OP's original question.

 

[hattaresguy]

IDK if you can afford it why not. Peeps worry about money to much.



I hope one day to get to the point where I can just lease new cars and not care because they are not a big expense. Fixing cars is a waste of time.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: Schmoe
He's already paid for his current car, all he needs to do is pay up 20K and get a new one.....or maybe even less. You want to nickle and dime it, then yeah. If YOU want to have a newer model and can't afford to drop 20-40K in cash, then your going to have a car payment. The thing about being stranded is from the high mileage we put on the cars. You just never know and then when it happens, you start second guessing yourself. Piece of mind does weigh in at times. Old CRV had over 110K and still had about 1.5 years left on payment. By the time we would have paid it off and the amount of mileage it would have had, I would have gotten buttkiss for it if you really wanted to know. Whose resigning themselves to a revolving car dealership door? It's all about choices. Keep you smartarshe comments to yourself. I was offering a different view on the OP's original question.


Sorry, I can't help myself; please don't take offense:

Peace of mind

Bupkis

110k + 1.5 X 24k = 146k highway miles = mid life, not end of life + paid off. My well-maintained Subie had over 200k miles on the ODO and it started every time.

My Civic is now at 111k miles and I hope to double that. The only reason I'll trade it in earlier than that will be because I want to, not because I have to

It's ok if you want to buy a new car every 100k miles, but it's not necessary to mitigate the risk of being stranded.

 

[dishdude]

If OP wants it, it'll make him happy and he can afford it...then by all means he should go for it. Nothing wrong with swapping vehicles every few years if you understand the deal you make and can negotiate it to terms you're comfortable with.

 

[ecotourist]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Isn't RLX a class higher than your TL?

True, but the TL is still considered the better car.

Can't see any reason to make this trade. You're just starting into the high depreciation period all over again. If there's something seriously wrong with your TL, or it no longer meets your needs, or you just really want a new car, then great. Otherwise there are better things to do with $20K.

 

[Vikas]

How do you determine the "affordability"? Is there a universal yardstick for that?

Few snotty people say if the car price is less than the daily fluctuation of your net worth, then you can afford it. For example, if you have $2M in assets, you can "afford" to put $20K in your car as that amount is only 1% of your assets and stock market can go up and down a full percent.

I am not sure if BITOG would agree to that yardstick though.

 

[k24a4]

Acura has slipped over the last few years, no? And the TLX is a rather bland example of that. I say, keep the TL.

Had you considered using the 20k to get a nice used "toy" car? Something on the other end of the spectrum, like a Mustang, Miata, S2000?

 

[Schmoe]

...or a 1979 Trans Am?? Yeah, baby!!!!