September 16, 2010
In the USAA Magazine this month, my husband noticed a section on buying a car. It was adding two cents to common buyer claims. And to the claim "I just need something to get me from here to there," this financial advisor said, "Really? Can you truly be happy with no frills [...] Deep down, you don't want your car to reveal that you're on a tight budget."
And that, dear readers, is part of the reason America is going to hell in a handbasket. Because financial advisors tell us to pretend that we're all ballers. Don't buy a cheap car you can afford; people might think you're living within your means!
Terrible advice.
Posted by: Sarah at
07:34 AM
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Posted by: CaliValleyGurl at September 16, 2010 08:41 AM (u7VAs)
I HOPE what they meant was, "Is that cheaper car really cheaper?" Because what we discovered with our stupid minivan is that, no, the cheaper car was a lot more expensive when you factored in the repairs and stupid crap like that, and spending 5 grand more in the beginning would have saved us more than that in repair bills for a piece of crap that we ended up trading in for a car that is slightly more expensive than others, but has an excellent resale value and a great reputation (which you should totally know, right?).
But if what they meant was what they really said... ugh. AFG commutes to work in a 10 year old Honda Civic, and we love that car more than we love bacon. Okay, not quite. But almost.
Posted by: airforcewife at September 16, 2010 10:20 AM (uE3SA)
I read the entire article. The author is trying to appease every kind of driver she can think of (in this case, the vain), so she is not entirely consistent. No one can please everyone because some people will notice inconsistency and object to it.
She might defend herself by saying, "Yes, I admit I did have vain buyers in mind, but I can't change their attitudes with a single article and at least I am advocating safety which is my number one priority." In other words, she was asking them to find a compromise between vanity and safety. She might also elaborate on her heading "A Perfect Fit: Safe and Comfortable" and state she was referring to mental (i.e., ego) comfort as well as physical comfort.
She is appealing to a subjectivist mindset that emphasizes feelings over reality. False self-esteem based on what others think about you. What will the neighbors think? Who cares? Think for yourself.
Posted by: Amritas at September 16, 2010 11:05 AM (5a7nS)
Posted by: Lucy at September 16, 2010 11:52 AM (IDfv2)
Doesn't USAA finance car loans for members? So, there's a pretty clear motivation to encourage their readers to buy a more expensive car. I'm just saying'.
Posted by: Christa at September 16, 2010 01:37 PM (2qSbp)
Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at September 16, 2010 02:59 PM (u7VAs)
Posted by: Sara at September 16, 2010 08:10 PM (tz27a)
Posted by: queenie at September 20, 2010 12:28 PM (QNScr)
Posted by: david foster at September 21, 2010 09:08 AM (Gis4X)
Younger people are also driving less:
http://streetsblog.net/2010/06/02/younger-people-driving-less-auto-industry-getting-nervous/
The less one drives, the less status one's car conveys.
Posted by: Amritas at September 21, 2010 10:40 AM (5a7nS)
Posted by: Darla at September 26, 2010 03:17 AM (t/qhR)
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