Garage Pics

[Hamster]

Leegamer - I estimate that I paid about $40,000 extra in principal payments in the last maybe 1.5 years alone. That took a lot of sacrifice. I agree, making big extra payments makes a huge difference! Just a couple years ago, I was paying maybe $400-ish of interest monthly. Now, I'm down to about $100 interest a month. As my salary went up, I didn't go out buying stuff, or go on vacation. Instead, I made extra principal payments. Once my duplex is paid off, freedom! And the rent from the other side of my duplex will pay for my high property taxes.

The fact that I still have my Yaris, and plan to keep it forever, is a symptom of my thriftiness. This year will mark the 10 year milestone of me owning this car. Most people don't keep a car for that long. I'm never going to trade in my Yaris or sell it. It's super cheap to insure and maintain.

[Leegamer]

Originally Posted by Hamster

Leegamer - I estimate that I paid about $40,000 extra in principal payments in the last maybe 1.5 years alone. That took a lot of sacrifice. I agree, making big extra payments makes a huge difference! Just a couple years ago, I was paying maybe $400-ish of interest monthly. Now, I'm down to about $100 interest a month. As my salary went up, I didn't go out buying stuff, or go on vacation. Instead, I made extra principal payments. Once my duplex is paid off, freedom! And the rent from the other side of my duplex will pay for my high property taxes.

The fact that I still have my Yaris, and plan to keep it forever, is a symptom of my thriftiness. This year will mark the 10 year milestone of me owning this car. Most people don't keep a car for that long. I'm never going to trade in my Yaris or sell it. It's super cheap to insure and maintain.

Agreed on keeping the yaris. It's not like I could sell mine for much. I bought mine brand new in 2008 and it only has around 160k but the interior is rough from me carrying tools and music equipment in it for several years and the pain is faded terribly. It's easy and cheap to maintain and comfortable enough for me (I'm easy to please). I'll probably end up giving it to one of my kids when they get to be driving age.

[Hamster]

Originally Posted by Leegamer

Agreed on keeping the yaris. It's not like I could sell mine for much. I bought mine brand new in 2008 and it only has around 160k but the interior is rough from me carrying tools and music equipment in it for several years and the pain is faded terribly. It's easy and cheap to maintain and comfortable enough for me (I'm easy to please). I'll probably end up giving it to one of my kids when they get to be driving age.

My car is the complete opposite of yours! It's absolutely pristine inside and out. Still looks like brand new. I gave up on detailing years ago. Since 2012, I've been having it professionally detailed (washed, waxed, interior vacuumed, engine bay cleaned) twice a year, for about $100 each time. I view it as just another maintenance cost. At the time of this writing, I've put just under 28,000 miles on the car. I admit that this is insanely low miles. About 10,000 of that was put on in the first two years of ownership. After that, I moved to an area within walking distance of a bus line. My job pays for my bus passes. I work in downtown Columbus, so taking public transportation allows me to avoid paying for parking. And I'm getting my passes for free, so why not. Anyway, when you drive only on the weekends, and you don't go on road trips, it's tough to put a lot of miles on a car!

[ern-diz]

Originally Posted by Leegamer

Agreed on keeping the yaris. It's not like I could sell mine for much. I bought mine brand new in 2008 and it only has around 160k but the interior is rough from me carrying tools and music equipment in it for several years and the pain is faded terribly. It's easy and cheap to maintain and comfortable enough for me (I'm easy to please). I'll probably end up giving it to one of my kids when they get to be driving age.

This. You could swap the engine for a more powerful one for around $2k. Nothing on the car is too hard to fix. Would never get in trade or private sale what the car is worth as a second, reliable vehicle. Whenever I get around to buying a new car, which prob won't be for a while, I'll keep the Yaris. It's not leaving me unless it gets totaled out, Odin forbid.

Originally Posted by Hamster

My car is the complete opposite of yours! It's absolutely pristine inside and out. Still looks like brand new. I gave up on detailing years ago. Since 2012, I've been having it professionally detailed (washed, waxed, interior vacuumed, engine bay cleaned) twice a year, for about $100 each time. I view it as just another maintenance cost. At the time of this writing, I've put just under 28,000 miles on the car. I admit that this is insanely low miles. About 10,000 of that was put on in the first two years of ownership. After that, I moved to an area within walking distance of a bus line. My job pays for my bus passes. I work in downtown Columbus, so taking public transportation allows me to avoid paying for parking. And I'm getting my passes for free, so why not. Anyway, when you drive only on the weekends, and you don't go on road trips, it's tough to put a lot of miles on a car!

Mine regularly gets comments on how clean it is and working from home has helped me keep the miles down but your mileage?

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Hamster

My car is the complete opposite of yours! It's absolutely pristine inside and out. Still looks like brand new. I gave up on detailing years ago. Since 2012, I've been having it professionally detailed (washed, waxed, interior vacuumed, engine bay cleaned) twice a year, for about $100 each time. I view it as just another maintenance cost. At the time of this writing, I've put just under 28,000 miles on the car. I admit that this is insanely low miles. About 10,000 of that was put on in the first two years of ownership. After that, I moved to an area within walking distance of a bus line. My job pays for my bus passes. I work in downtown Columbus, so taking public transportation allows me to avoid paying for parking. And I'm getting my passes for free, so why not. Anyway, when you drive only on the weekends, and you don't go on road trips, it's tough to put a lot of miles on a car!

Jeez, I'll easily put 28k on mine every year!