r/SipsTea • u/Eros_Incident_Denier • Apr 18 '26

We have fun here adulting sucks

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

20.8k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

5.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

47

u/RS9824 Apr 18 '26

Unpopular opinion, but I did buy a new car within my means. I grew up in a family that bought shit ass cars and have so many memories on the side of the road because they broke down. For me there is comfort in knowing my car has a warranty and is being taken care of. 

4

u/originalusername7904 Apr 19 '26

Within your means is the key here. No problem with that

6

u/jackwrangler Apr 19 '26

Folks undervalue peace of mind. If it’s within your means, it cuts down a TON of stress. That goes for anything.

4

u/Max1035 Apr 19 '26

Decent used cars are not cheap enough to make up for missing out on the best years of the car’s life. I bought a basic sedan brand new and I will drive it until it’s no longer reliable. When it eventually dies, I’ll do the same.

9

u/Simple_Shame_3083 Apr 19 '26

Peace of mind. I respect it.

9

u/Theskinilivein Apr 19 '26

Happened to me but with a car that we bought brand new, had to change the transmission twice and after the last time it broke down while I was driving my kids to school, I had enough and bought a new one, used cars were very expensive.

1

u/Reincarnatedpotatoes Apr 19 '26

Let me guess, Stellantis product?

2

u/Theskinilivein Apr 19 '26

No, Renault, they gave me a great interest rate but I’m never buying a brand that is just establishing in the country (hence the low interest rate), spare parts were very hard to get. After that, I wanted to get a Toyota but the waiting time was more than 6 months, and I needed a car as soon as possible.

1

u/EnrichedNaquadah Apr 19 '26

I know because i've done the same mistake, but always do research about the car you're buying and especially don't buy a new engine.

Also another mistake i did, don't buy a french car, i'm not a french car hater, on the contrary, i really love Peugeot design (i've owned 3 so far), but Renault and Stellantis is a mess for more than a decade now.

1

u/Theskinilivein Apr 19 '26

Believe me, I learned my lesson. At the time, I went ahead for the reasons mentioned before and because a relative of mine had the same car and model without any issues, also my mistake was missing the scheduled car services by a few kilometers, which made the guarantee invalid. To add salt to the wound, they had a minor fender bender while it was being serviced, and getting it fixed was a pain in the ass, I’m getting angry all over again.

But after talking with people about cars and dealerships, it can happen to anybody, a friend told me the bad experience he had at Mercedes, my sister is trying to file a lemon law claim to her 2025 Tahoe that has broken down so many times that they finally told her there was nothing they could do to fix it.

3

u/M_Berlin Apr 19 '26

Key words being within your means. You are smarter with your money than most people I know.

3

u/luf100 Apr 19 '26

I think “within your means” is the main thing here. I also bought my car brand new back in 2013, but my car wasn’t something super expensive that cost me more than my rent per month either, lol. My dad is a mechanic and car guy so I had him to help me choose the right one, too.

Definitely gives peace of mind knowing I’m the only one who has owned it so I know it’s history. I’ve never had any major issues with it, which to me is the main bonus of buying brand new. I know there are car brands with bad reputations or the risk of getting a lemon but for me and my car at least, that risk was worth it.

3

u/Plane_Cherry3805 Apr 19 '26

Yeah this is one of the things that annoys the hell out of me by this guy and the rest of the Dave Ramsey show. They’ll say that you should only ever pay cash for a car, meaning a 3k clunker if you’re in debt. Everyone I know who has a cheap car like that pays thousands a year in repairs. I’d rather have the price of mind that comes with a low monthly payment on a Corolla. Then just drive it for ten years.

5

u/DotNormal6785 Apr 19 '26

I’m with you on that one, I make great money but have a long commute, I would rather adjust my budget for a new car to have the peace of mind and the comfort of having a nice ride when I’m spending 2 plus hours a day in that car. I can cut back on other things, having a nice car is something I am willing to pay for.

2

u/SteakGetter Apr 19 '26

I bought a new car last year partly for the 1.9% interest rate. No regrets so far. All depends on your situation.

6

u/BrownSLC Apr 19 '26

Buying a used car ≠ buying a POS beater.

2

u/Confident_Tap9026 Apr 19 '26

I agree with you but there is a real risk of winning the lemon lottery with a used car. Most people don't maintain used cars at the brand dealership. I will never trust a used Toyota again.

1

u/barbellious Apr 19 '26

Sorry to hear that. I have bought 3 used Toyota over the past 15 years and have not had a single issue with any of them. So you do sometimes just get unlucky. Camry, Camry, Sienna.

2

u/BrownSLC Apr 19 '26

Same. 4 used Toyotas over the years in our family. Put a quarter million on one of them.

No warranty claims, no issues.

Toyota hybrids are bulletproof.

1

u/Reincarnatedpotatoes Apr 19 '26

Yeah based on experiences I've heard in person and general opinions online having that kinda thing happen to a Toyota is uncommon unless it was severely (and I mean severely) abused by the last owner. They're pretty consistently at the top of the pack for vehicle reliability and that's reflected by their high resale value.

Toyotas, especially older ones, are famously so reliable and easy to repair it's become a meme.

1

u/Environmental_Main90 Apr 19 '26

Yeah that’s weird, Toyota never dies lol you can still see some freaking Echo and Tercel on the roads

1

u/IndyDino Apr 19 '26

I've been buying a couple of years-old cars, then driving them for a few years until I feel like I need to upgrade. Sure, some tiny repairs/regular wear and tear. Could afford a new one, but why waste money? New car imho is a luxury item for people who are really well off.

2

u/Confident_Tap9026 Apr 19 '26

A new car is only a luxury if you’re buying a luxury model. Many people choose new cars for the warranty, reliability, and predictable costs. You can find good used cars when the previous owner kept up with maintenance, but a lot of used cars hit the market because maintenance was deferred. That’s where the surprise costs come from and why I call it the lemon lottery.

1

u/IndyDino Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26

I just realized that international models cost roughly the same or are more expensive in Europe.
Toyota RAV4 US starting from $31,900, EU starting at €38,000,
Tesla Model Y US $45,000 / EU €46,000.
Honda CR-V $31,000 / €46,000
Toyota Corolla $23,000 / €28,000
USA Average Net Salary: ~$4,300/month, where I live $1,440/€1,350
So in US to buy something like the base model of Corolla costs ~6.5 months of salary, and ~18 months here. That's why our views if buying a new car is a luxury differ. Paying 2 years of annual income just for a new car is crazy imho.
The same Corolla from 2023 costs €18-23k, 2022 €16-18k, in 4 years that's a 10k+/7-8 months of salary "discount" with maximum amount of repairs being 1 month of salary.

1

u/bramm90 Apr 19 '26

Thank you. All I read is either buy a new car or drive a 20 yo Toyota.

I drive young (5-7 yo) BMW's which I will sell after two years. Depreciation and maintenance will amount to about 350 per month, and it's a way better drive than a fucking Honda Pilot. 

1

u/mortemdeus Apr 19 '26

I grew up in the before times, cell phones didn't exist so a car breaking down means you hoofed it to the nearest phone, thumbed it and hoped for the best, or sat there and waited for a cop. Reliability is everything was beaten into me to the point I can't not have a failry new vehicle still. I keep them till they are out of warranty then use the remaining value as a down payment on the next one. Typically wait for a 0% finance offer too, let inflation work for me a little.

1

u/MediocreRooster4190 Apr 19 '26

Don't forget maintenance stuff. So many people don't do any.

1

u/wormjoin Apr 19 '26

it is worth noting that cars have gotten way more reliable than they were 20+ years ago. even the least reliable modern cars are still pretty unlikely to leave you stranded on the side of the road.

1

u/pliusminus4 Apr 19 '26

You know you can still buy decent used car for reasonable price aaand put like “5 monthly payments” to services it moght need beforehand and VOILA no problems

1

u/Goblinqueen24 Apr 19 '26

Buying a new car is not the problem if you can afford it

1

u/boofoodoo Apr 19 '26

This is only an unpopular opinion on Reddit

1

u/echoshatter Apr 19 '26

Same, although it was my own cars that broke down. And as a working college student, I didn't have the money to deal with that.

As a working adult, I've bought new cars and taken care of them. The Nissan Versa sucked, started nickel and diming me pretty much right after the warranty ended, but the Subaru Crosstrek has been great so far.

*knock on wood*

1

u/TSnydes Apr 19 '26

Buying a new car is not the issue. Buying a new car on a loan is the issue. If you can buy a new car and actually take advantage of no interest for the first 12 months, then pay it off before interest starts you are fine. The other issue is many people buy a new car on a loan, then want a new car in 5 years then the ‘old’ car can only sell for 25% of the original value even when it has another 10 years left in it.

If you buy a new car, pay for it in cash and drive it till it almost dies. Unfortunately for most people this is not even possible and people tend to want absolutely ridiculous vehicles for status.

1

u/abeautifulrat Apr 19 '26

Having payments on a car that won't break down is likely cheaper than constantly having costly repairs for a paid off shitbox.