Self insuring... a continuation of "an observation" (long)

[Brucelee]

I will stand by my statement that in the long run, all cars depreciate. Yes, you can find rare examples, such as when the original zr-1 came out and guys were paying premiums. However, for the kind of cars we are talking about here. A Box S, when you buy new and keep for say, three years, you have higher depreciation and interest than when you buy a three year old model and keep that for three years.

Then you factor in mechanical costs and do your comparison. My point simply is that as investments go, cars are not! There have been dozens of studies to support this simple fact.

Not to rain on anyone's parade but if you buy a Boxster as an "financial investment" you will be very unhappy with your return!

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Actually not all cars depreciate. ANd I'm not referring to collectibles.
A friend and his family buy exclusively Mercedez and have been doing so for over 30 years. One member purchased a very high end model which was very hard
to get in this area (or maybe everywhere else). Some how people found out that he got this Merc and were calling him wanting to buy the car. Some offers were as high as $20,000 above what he paid, he's very wealthy and very crazy about Mercs. So he kept it. He also has a 1990 SL 500 that has about 6,000 miles! THis past year he had a bad experience at the dealer and retalliated by buying a BMW 7 series. and driving onto the Merc lot.
(He took it back after six months because he couldn't stand the I drive)

I guess its about Supply and Demmand sometimes with cars.

[IceBox]

I whole-heartedly agree with you, Mr. Lee, and not only because you're one of the worlds' most renowned martial artists, though I admit that getting my ass whooped by 'the Dragon' olds little appeal on it's own. There are always isolated abberations, like the one Perfect Lap speaks of, exceptions that prove the rule. A friend of mine bought a '91 Miata in one of the myriad blues it was available in (though officially Mariner Blue was the only colour that year...Mazda, you tricksy hobbits, you...), drove it for a year, and sold it for $1000 more than he paid. This is not the case for 99.9% of Miatas though. Nor 308 Ferraris, for that matter. Or just about any other car in the market. Just check out that 550 Boxster being sold at a 'bargain price'. 10K of MSRP. And it's a special edition. We're all enthusiast here, so what I'm about to say may seem like a form of blasephemy but "All cars are essentially tools, a mode of transport from A to B ." Would you pay 20% more for a used hammer than a new one? If so, PM me, I got what you're lookin' for!

[Brucelee]

I have been trying to keep my Martial Arts background a secret. What gave it away?

[Onad]

I totally agree with most of your comments. Cars depreciate and breakdowns occur. The goal is to minimize your exposure to both while having the best time.

[Brucelee]

Yes and the focus on the BEST TIME is very well put!

[BuffaloBoxster]

Originally Posted by Onad

The goal is to minimize your exposure to both while having the best time.

Which is exactly why I went with the Warranty Direct coverage. For a little over two grand on a car I paid over thirty for, I can be sure that pretty much nothing is going to spoil my Boxster experience, and I'm virtually assured that my car won't become a money pit

[wetstuff]

.....I heard recently that Freud said; "Neurosis is the inablility to deal with ambiguity".
(to that effect, if not the exact quote...)

It's funny, outside these forums; few people seem to have heard of RMS. My sample is admittidly small, but the first three people I spoke to before buying our car had zero notable problems. I don't think there's a need to go back to them and ask specifically about RMS...

It's also interesting when the results of the TUV (correct?) extended survey results are announced, rather than a collective cheer and a Conga line dance, that WE - not any Honda - are the best. Instead, more posts about: "Should I buy one....in the face of all the problems??"

Considering the number of people on the planet who would consider a single 40w bulb a luxury, we are certainly among the most fortunate to ever walk the Earth....and have pretty much worry-free lives in context.

"Buck it up! Permagrins gentlemen!"

Cheers....


Jim

[IceBox]

That's just it, Wetstuff: Some folks just plain don't have enough to worry about, so they invent little concerns, then agonize about them all out of proportion to whatever circumstance the issue is. Instead odf applying the simple logic that if you can afford the car, you can probably afford to fix it, or conversely, if you can't really afford the car, buy something else, some folks need to over-reach, which almost always leads to bad times. So it's simple...do some research, figure out what you can afford, taking into consideration that cars break and need to be repaired, buy the best example you can get, put the top down, and all those worries will dissappear. And remind yourself every so often, as Wetstuff aptly points out, that we're all pretty lucky if your major concern is pulling some cash together to buy some nice bulbs for your Boxsters' headlights

P.S. Mr. Lee, I only point your skill-set out to fairly warn any contrarians what's in store if they get outta line. They way you took revenge in the Chinese Connection should insure that any comments, pro or con, will be couched respectfully. I...I just don't want to see anyone get the beat down!