Why do so many Tacoma owners live in Apartments?

Well, the way it's set up here, my property taxes on the land and house, about $250 a year are close to the tag/tax fee for the Truck as well. Ky. has it set up that you pay taxes based on the value of the vehicle when you renew your tags each year, so it actually does go down just a tick as the book on the truck goes down.

 

I wasn't talking about mine.

I was talking about the two renters that I met yesterday. Both had 40K+ trucks.

 

She's not Asian. There were no hand me downs. Has been working here at our firm 32 years. Self made. Drives a 1987 Honda Accord with 450K miles. Annual salary now with bonuses is 89K a year.

 

Wait, so the guy that paid $99K for a condo that's now worth $200K is the fool? Hmm.

Anyway, renting vs. buying has so many "what if" factors to consider. How long to you plan to live in the area? Do you have a down payment? Do you need a tax break? What's the local real estate market like? I suspect the reason you see a lot of Tacos in apartment parking lots is simply because they're popular with the 20-30 year old set; which is also a set that typically just isn't in a place in their lives where buying is the right choice for them. And like someone else said, most homeowners have other priorities that diminish the practicality of a Tacoma... a commute that begs for a more comfortable or efficient vehicle, a need for a more family-friendly vehicle, or maybe they're more financially stable and would rather drive something nicer. Again, tons of variables.

 

I'm sure you like your truck, but how's your horse ride? Is it too high for you?

 

When I lift it with tires and wheels I will let you know

 

400lbs. And no it wont go bad if properly processed, packaged, and stored. I take it you don't hunt. A typical elk harvest is 500+ lbs and none of it goes to waste.

 

32 years?! Shit, working at a place that long I would have two owned propertues as well. The trouble is, not everyone is fortunate enough to have that sort of stability for work.

 

Agree 100%

 

Love the tangents a thread can take on here...

 

Nope, no hunting here. Well as an overall that sounds very fruitious. I'd still rather just buy the milk and meat when I'd like and not have to worry about constantly tending to that 1000lb -1500lb overgrown baby.

 

To each their own

 

Whether you own or rent, you're going to pay $1500 to a couple grand every month for every month of your life. 30 years from now you'll either be holding an asset worth $500K to a million+ or holding nothing at all. If you've been renting you've kindly bought that asset for someone else. While owning a home does involve maintenance costs, it also comes with tax breaks, property value appreciation, stability, a sense of community, roots in a town, etc. Plus renting has "costs" too... those assholes next door that trash the place, that park too close to your Tacoma, that party all night, probably having to move every few years, etc. I'm not saying that owning is right for everyone at every point in their life, but it's more than just the bank that wins.

 

Depends on the mentality. It was stated before, too often people would rather put their money into a depreciating asset instead. They like their truck, spend money on the truck. Screw getting a house, putting money into the bank, or putting it away for retirement. Gotta have that monster of a truck on 35" tires and only the best suspension that I'm never going to use and then complain I can't make ends meet and live in a cheap apartment with my $40k truck with $15k in mods. I'm not contributing anything new.

I have a house and two cars. I'll tell you it's caused some friction with relationships and friendships though. Apparently you can't be a early-30s, single individual with their shit together these days. Feels kinda frowned upon, at least in the Seattle area. And if you do, then it's gotta be because of some demographic advantage, your parents' money, or something else.

 

You're making an assumption here that people are buying trucks and not a house because they can't afford both. Sometimes renting is a choice made because it fits a lifestyle and outlook on life.

 

Sure. But, in some instances, the whole complaint of not making ends meet (albeit not on TW as much) because of car modification isn't uncommon at all.

 

True!

 

You need new friends!

 

Check out the 3rd gen section then