It’s Search Engine Saturday!
Recently someone found this site by searching for “best car to afford with 100k salary.” Too bad the reader doesn’t live anywhere Special, because in the Real Bay Area (RBA) everyone has a 100k salary. Heck, my hairdresser’s housekeeper’s dog walker makes 100k.
So, think back to when you only made a hundred thou a year and tell us what the best car for you would have been. I’m assuming if you’re a fairly recent homebuyer, the car would be a 1988 Honda Civic. For a renter, maybe an Audi R8 is almost good enough to make up for your meaningless transient life as you pile up wads of cash rather than fork it over to a friendly mortgage company.
Today we’re having a two-for-one special. Another reader found burbed by searching for “$150k income $600k mortgage.” Are banks letting people borrow only four times their income? That could lead to the collapse of our whole RBA way of life!
July 24th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Speaking of Audi R8, Volkswagen is expanding its Silicon Valley lab, moving from Palo Alto to Belmont.
July 24th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Mercedes, obviously. They kind of suck and quality has taken a dive, but that’s not the point.
July 26th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
You all already know my answer: Basically anything Toyota or Honda makes is likely going to be good. I’ve had my truck for 14 years. It took me 3 years to pay it off. Thus 11 years with no car payments. It has paid for itself many times over.
On the other hand I have friends who seem to buy new cars every 4-5 years.
July 26th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
bob, last Toyota I bought I paid cash, so no car payments for 11 years. The only reason I got a loan on the newest one was it was 1.9%. It was stupid NOT to take it.
Second you on the Toyota or Honda for reliability, but is that what someone earning a hundred grand living around here would buy? Judging from the sheer number of Priuses, Odysseys, Siennas, Accords and Camrys I see around here, yes.
But I see a lot of Bimmers (Break My Window) too.
July 26th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Is this a pissing contest about who can go longest without a car payment?
Or who will buy the most expensive car with cash? Does it count if the vehicle is a rust bucket? How about if your employer gives you a brand new car for free as a perk?
When does this loop back to real estate?
July 26th, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Bob,
I’ve never had a car payment in my life.Borrowing money to buy a car is a bad idea.
July 26th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
>> Judging from the sheer number of Priuses, Odysseys, Siennas, Accords and Camrys I see around here
I’d say by default most people are average.
July 26th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
I’d buy a refrigerator for reliability.
July 26th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Refrigerators go too slow and have horrible gas mileage.
July 26th, 2010 at 11:05 pm
I’d say by default most people are average.
—-
I agree. As average as “average tech guy”.
July 27th, 2010 at 12:39 am
> I agree. As average as “average tech guy”.
i’d say well below average
July 27th, 2010 at 11:02 am
>> I’d buy a refrigerator for reliability.
Refrigerators go too slow and have horrible gas mileage.
Refrigerators on the wrong side of Middlefield leak more oil, too. Happy, #5? I brought it back to real estate.
July 27th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
#12, I’m never happy. Bah humbug!
July 27th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Here’s some more of that crazy logic by Real Estater:
“I’d say by default most people are average.”
Uh, let’s see, I’ve heard somewhere that the average number of children a woman has is over two but less than three. In other words, two and a fraction.
I’m yet to find the woman who actually gave birth to a fractional child, but I suppose, according to Real Estater, most women have given birth to a fractional child. Find one is as elusive as defining the RBA.