Quote:Just wait until you have to start servicing that Subaru my friend, the Versa is cheap to buy and cheap to maintain that's why I like it. Subaru's a great car it'll last you forever but when stuff breaks and stuff always breaks, be ready to shell out some big bucks for parts.

Maybe I should've prefaced that with the part about me living in rural Colorado. Aside from all the obvious problems with the Versa, and the fact that you get hosed in California when buying a car no matter what (where I bought the Versa), that Versa was like a drunken Brian Boitano when the snow rolled in. The combination of weaksauce engine, crappy OEM tires, a lightweight car and FWD made that thing completely unstable on ice.

 

Then there was the whole "I paid $10k more for a car in Colorado and my payment only went up by $50/month" deal. Did I mention how much I hate California?

 

Quote:I'd prefer they invest their time and money on designs that don't break down so often in the first place.

 

That's the reason Nissan is not and will not be Toyota or Honda.

Bingo. The hype about Subarus breaking down has yet to prove true for me, and the local mechanic (independent guy) stocks all of the Subaru-specific parts at prices about 50% less than the dealership ten miles west of us wants. I had issues almost from day 1 with that Versa.

 

Quote:Correction.  It's not income, it's how frugal you are.  For a single guy it may not make a difference.  But to those who have multiple mortgages/investments, a family, college funds, and other toys etc, etc,... it may not make sense.  No matter what your income $15k can do a lot more on your asset side than will on your expense sheet.

Agreed on this entirely. The smart way to do it is to pick the features you need, then price it. If I'd had more time, I could've driven into New Mexico and gotten a similar Subaru for $2k less...there's a bit of a premium on the brand here, because it's such a forgiving car in ice and snow.

 

Quote:you should see what Mercedes cost for "regular maintenance"

lol there's nothing "regular" about the maintenance costs on a Mercedes.

 

Quote:$30,000 for a car isn't that much.

For a Bugatti Veyron? No, not much at all. But if you're just looking for a daily-driver from point A to point B, you can get a certified pre-owned car with most or all of the features you need for under $25k. If you start throwing toys and sunroofs and whatnot in there, it gets more expensive quickly.

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