Jobs Lost to India Aftermath 92On Sun, 20 Feb 2005, Kamal R. Prasad Kamal, you don't understand basic human psychology. Everyone (at least 99%, leaving out the "saints") who...
Brian G. Moore gas) market. 25% as less. 90,000 job. are
Jobs Lost to India Aftermath 90It is dropping wrt the Indian Rupee too. But that is NOW -and a result of bad economic health. Yeah -not surprising, but it wasn't the...
I live in the Bay Area (Silicon Valley), where driving a BMW is cliche, not a status symbol. People here are extremely spoiled.
As for your car repairs... that is too bad, it sounds like buying new, new-used, or leasing might be a more economical choice for you. As for limping along on bailing wire and duct tape, I hear you, been there, done that, while commuting long miles and it wasn't fun to keep breaking down. My mom, however, spend $800 (well, I bought the majority of it because it was an emergency purchase) on an '83 Honda with a rebuilt motor on which she put 100,000 miles before it gave up the ghost. She's currently on a 1972 Toyota pickup she got for $1200 that she's put a few dozen thousand miles on already. Had to get her exhaust manifold replaced (gave her the money for that, and she got someone to do it for $60 labour... but cost $350 for that ancient an OEM part *ouch*), and then her muffler, and a wiring problem fixed, but that is less $1800 invested thus far for a vehicle she's driven a lot for two years.
As for vehicle inflation, I do agree. I am debating whether or not to give my truck to my mom later in the year when I pay it off, but to get something comparable (Toyota 4x4 truck) would cost me $20K on the low end, and I don't relish making payments again. Bad enough trying to add to my savings paying Bay Area rents. However, I could probably buy something less (I do use my truck as a truck, unlike most people here in the Bay Area who probably never even engage their 4WD, nor haul anything in the bed).
