roll over

January 1, 2008

It’s been said that rolling over car loans is driving people broke (pun intended) and that it could mean a huge slump in new car sales.

Um.. duh? Yeah.

I have an ‘05 truck now. I don’t have any issues with it save for the fact I hate the payment and want it gone.

It’s very unlikely I’m going to buy another new car for a long time. The next ride I get is definitely going to be used. The only real decision I have to make is whether to go with style or mileage.

If I go with style, I’d get a late-80’s or early-90’s Corvette. The mileage is 15/22. Very crappy, but the car is just fucking cool. :-)

If I go with mileage, I’d get a specifically equipped late-80’s or early-90’s Civic 3-door hatchback. “Specifically” means I’d purposely seek one out that has a manual transmission. With the stick you lose somewhere in the neighborhood of 200-300 pounds from the weight of the car. Less weight means better mileage if you don’t lead-foot it.

But even if I did lead-foot it, I’d still be saving money.

See, the funny thing is that most people don’t realize that older Civics get 30mpg easily. In fact, a properly-tuned (meaning a smooth running engine) 1986 Civic gets 39 miles per gallon on the highway.

And that was a car built 22 years ago(!)

I mean, sheesh.. these cars are dirt cheap to get. Even if you had to spend $1000 to fix it up it would pay for itself in less than a year.

Still think going new is worth it? :-)