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Comments
Over a 30 year period most people would break even. While a house appreciates and you get tax adavantages and all that stuff, you also have maintenance. Over a 30 year time, you most likely would replace the roof, the furnace, maybe windows. Mow the lawn, paint the house, pipes burst. Now if your house happens to increase exponentially or doesn't need any major maintenance, well than, you do make out.
But the study was based on averages, and for pure finances, renting isn't the hole most people make it out to be. It's just a mental block most people can't get over.
Why do I own a house? So I have somewhere safe to put my cars. ;-) Besides, at $55k in two years, I'm guessing I will be able to keep up with maintainance costs.
So yes you have equity to take our a loan and buy a new boat. Or you rent, don't pay $10K for a new roof and buy a new boat. It's really very interesting to research it.
And $55K in two years is not the norm. Of course there will be examples on each side. The house I live in has appreciated only 25K in the past 15 years. In which time a new roof, furnace and siding has cost more than that.
I love this debate, but alas it's inappropriate for here so I'll quit now. Fun while it lasted though.
Hope my wife is washing the P5, it's just so sunny today.
That, and trying to force the issue on topic.
Speaking of the topic, how come you folks didn't warn me the cup holders on the Pro are so useless? Worse than useless - they look like they might work, then you accelerate, and with the awesome g's this car can create accelerating (;-0), the drink goes a-spillin' all over the shifter boot and console. Between that, and the car wash incident the other day (I don't want to talk about it), now I really feel like chi-pro.
You will have the hubcaps around noon, or before, tomorrow. I hope someone is there at that address to sign off for them.
True, those cup holders are USELESS. I usually have a bottle of water with me. Most half-litre bottles fly out on the turns, and most litre bottles won't fit. And don't tell me to flip the little flippy thing (I'm sure it has a technical name, like Modulating Container Adjuster)...still not very effective.
--Dale
http://www.escribe.com/automotive/european/mbmc/m7971.html
Thanks for the house comments. It's probably smaller than it looks -- only 3 bedrooms and 1,900 square feet (I don't know what that is in centimeters, Dale). BUT -- they're three BIG bedrooms. I love builders who build "four-bedroom houses" these days and the third and fourth bedrooms can't even hold a full-size bed.
Our master BR is the entire right-hand side of the upstairs in that photo -- we have a king bed in it, two dressers, a recliner, two nightstands, a small entertainment center and another chair -- and it still isn't crowded. 17x20, I think it is. And our walk-in closet covers that "wing" to the right and it's about 8x12. Even got a window in the closet! But what I like best is our 18x23 "great room," big enough for TWO sofas, TWO recliners, my huge home theatre setup, bookcases, a 55-gallon aquarium, and the usual assortment of end tables, floor lamps, etc. And the kitchen is 23 feet long with an island and a "breakfast nook" at one end surrounded by windows.
We have dual-zone HVAC (i.e. two heat pumps, one for upstairs and one for downstairs), attached and detached storage sheds, 2-1/2 baths and the good ol' maintenance-free vinyl siding that I'm about to get washed for $80. Talk about a car wash Dale -- when we do this, we've GOT to keep our windows DOWN, LOL!!! Oh yeah -- tilt-in, thermal-pane windows too.
Bought it in June 1999 for $119,950 -- and with the FHA first-time homebuyers program and low interest rates, we locked in at 6.75%. County just reassessed it at $136,000. The way the housing market is booming in our part of our county right now, we could probably get $145K or $150K for it. (It was built in June 1996 and sold for $102,500 new.) Taking into account the money we put down, we've got about $34,000 equity in it now. I've got a buddy who's still paying rent and the rent on his 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment is only $75 less a month than our mortgage payment.
We bought the house when it was only three years old, so now it's only six -- so no roof replacements or anything like that yet. We did have to fix one of the a/c compressors last summer to the tune of $400, but that's about it for the unexpected maintenance so far.
Meade
sascuderi "K&N Air Filters, bolt-on power?" Jan 2, 2001 6:49pm
Sounds like you got a great deal on the house....and you've got a big yard....big bonus there!
I guess that's why Mazda ain't sellin' too good with us 'Mericns. We all want land yachts with 64 oz cup holders. Heck, that's why I bought the Pro. Now I find out the cup holder in it isn't even 22 oz safe. I want my money back. ;-)
Maybe I'll just glue that door shut so I'm not tempted with their Siren song luring me to my doom.
I was like 5 years old then, and used to call the back seat my "living room".
I guess we Pro owners are in the minority. Maybe the growing crop of young car enthusiasts getting into sport compacts can help turn that trend around. I hope so, so the manufacturers will put more money into designing more nimble, more capable, safer small cars - and maybe they will stop watering them down when they bring them to the US (please!).
I have one, sounds great, works great too!
other gains? hmm, when I first changed it I noticed quicker throttle response (car got a bit jumpier when stepping on the pedal). Nowadays I don't notice it as much, probably because I take it for granted now ;-)
As for MPGs (a lot of people ask about this), I'm gonna create an excel chart of my fueling records and upload it onto the Yahoo forum and you can decide for yourself if the MPG actually improved after I put the K&N in (I'll mark the date that I put in the filter on the chart).
I had no problems with the cupholders in my Protege. I think the best cupholders were those in my 99 & 01 Accords though. One thing I do remember about VW and BMW is that their cupholders SUCK!!! Especially the 99 and older models.
ZZ79, which MY Pro did you have again?
My Protege was a 2001 ES.
And you liked the cup holders in the 01? They won't hold anything right! Can of pop will fall over. A regular size drink from Rotten Ronnie's scratches the front of the centre console. Arrgghh!! Ah well...just another excuse for me to ban drinks and food from my car
I had a 1981 Mazda GLC Hatchback Special Edition. It was the 323 hatchback painted metallic silver with a special interior. The seats were coverd in a houndstooth black and white fabric with side bolsters in black vinyl. Special wheel covers.
Cost $6250.
The only trouble I had with it the heater broke and nobody could fix it. That was after the warrenty was out. Very smooth engine and quiet. But no sound proofing so the tire noise from the rear wheels at highway speeds wore you out fast. After a five hour trip you felt as if you had been driving for 10 hours.
I saw a 323 version Tuesday and was surprised it was still running. Very rusty.
Toyota made a simlar model, you could hardly tell them apart at a distance. When hatches went out of favor Hyundi introduced a copy of the Toyota version.
bigH: It would be a very smart move on your part to consider buying a townhouse. I bought one five years ago with minimum down, price was $100,000, now worth $115,000. Payments are lower than new, nearby apartments, which rent for $1650 a month, by $750. Now is a good time with interest so low.
My townhouse has two bedrooms, two full baths, a great room with a cathedral ceiling which covers the living/dining area and kitchen. Two-thirds of the house. It also has a garage, private fenced patio and yard, and gaslog fireplace.
With a townhouse you do pay a monthly Home Owner's fee which varies from complex to complex, so check on that when looking. The fee covers outside maintenance, landscaping, and upgrades such as sealing the streets. For example, last summer all the townhouses were washed (vinyl siding) and trim painted that wasn't vinyl. Gutters cleaned and roofs repaired where necessary. Those fees paid by many provide maintenance that would be expensive in a single family home.
And your payments don't go UP like rent does. Increases are usually due to higher property taxes,which usually are small. Your payment would include principal, interest, taxes and insurance.
It's a lot better than paying high rent for nothing, and you may, as I have found, find neighbors very helpful when you need it. You don't get that in apartments.
This past winter, when we got two 8-inch snowfalls, one of my neighbors graciously cleaned my driveway, since I didn't have a shovel. The other neighbor changes my furnace filter for me because I am blind in one eye and can't use a ladder safely. The furnace is an odd type mounted in the attic. Most people in apartments won't give you the time of day.
fowler3
What I do on my annual trip to Virginia is carry a softsided cooler in the floorboard with cold drink cans and ice. I don't smoke in my cars, but stop along the way and have a cola and smoke outside.
The last one, I stopped at Appomatox Court House National Monument, where the surrender took place ending the Civil War. Had my refreshment and smoke as I read the history and looked across the battle field. Stops like this make otherwise boring trips mini-vacations.
The year before, I took a side trip to find Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, his summer home, near Lynchburg, VA. Spent some time there taking pictures and watching the archeaologists at work.
ZZ79: If I delivered cars for CarMax the first thing I would check on maps would be historic places I could stop for an hour, knowing I would never get back there to see them.
fowler3
BTW, I finally test drove a Pro last week and I must say that I'm impressed with the little car. It handles well, feels solid, and accelerates well enough for anybody not trying to get a ticket. The seats are very comfortable as well and I have plenty of space in all directions around me(I'm 6'2"). I haven't tried out the back seat yet but that's not that important to me since I normally drive solo. I drove an ES which is probably the model I'd buy since it doesn't cost much more than the LX yet it comes with the appearance and suspension upgrades. My only real(but minor)complaints about the car are the tiny sunroof and the relative lack of convenience features. The sunroof isn't that bad when it's open but when shut, the window is tiny and it only tilts up like half-an-inch. Variable-intermittent wipers, lighted vanity mirrors, overhead sunglass storage, dual power points and rear cupholders are the convenience features the Pro lacks. They aren't major but it's irritating that they come on other cars in this class like the Civic and the Sentra SE-R. Overall, I found the Pro to be a good car and a lot less boring than the Civic. The only other car on my list now is the SE-R. If only they'd let me test drive one...
I also have a K&N drop-in in my P5--but not in the LX--and I must agree with previous posts. I put it in not long after getting the car so it's hard to compare because I'm used to anything that might have done. My recollection is consistent, though: sounds a bit lower and louder, and throttle response seems even more touchy, in a good way. I don't recall any real change in mileage.
Meade
With these jumps, I guess the equally crazy pricing on new cars seems almost normal in comparisson.
Peace, Free love...whatever.
Meade the Guilty
A year ago, this board had a little more than 1400 posts...now look at it...11,566! Way to go Pro owners!
Now if Edmunds would just pay us a penny a word we'd all be driving $23,000 cars. LOL!
fowler3
With the Pro's big glove box why not keep sunglasses in there or the console storage?
For those testing a Nissan Sentra, open the glove box! You will see the poorest excuse for a door in the automobile industry. Wonder what else was short-cut that badly?
fowler3
Cupholders, I have the 2000 Pro and the cupholders aren't great, but they will actually hold a coffee or drink provided you don't gun it at start or brake too hard. Either way, I never use it since I don't allow anyone, including myself, to eat and drink in the car. Water bottles are okay...anything with a secure lid.
The nissan sentra interior, in general, is a poor excuse for a car. The interior just smacks of hard plastic everywhere and cheap, cheap, cheap...didn't like it at all.
I know it's been said before, but DANG my car likes the warmer weather!
--Dale