How do people afford this stuff??

I have lived below my budget and had a high savings rate since I was 16. The average joe isn't like that, regardless of what people claim on this thread.....

 

But this thread isn't really full of average joes... regardless of how many mods people have done, we are still driving trucks that cost more than what the average joe can afford.

 

Yup, all of us TW members are the exception to the rule.

There are no average joes on the internet....

 

I treat my CC like a debit card. Don't charge shit you can't afford and you can pay it off every month. My parents don't have that mindset (they charge and charge and are surprised by their bill at the end of the month) so they still pay for everything with their debit card. Wasted opportunity for them to acquire cashback and airline points, but it keeps them out of debt I guess.

 

When I was on the fence about buying a new truck, I kept looking into the depreciation of Tacomas. Bottom line is that our trucks hold their value like no other. I can venture a guess and say that most of us are buying our trucks and looking towards the long term. How many of us do you think are going to be buying a new truck two years from now?

 

You're missing my point. This is a thread in the 3rd gen section. I assume the OP was gearing this conversation to those with 3rd gens, which means that those he is referring to have at least a 25k truck. 25k car isn't what the average person can afford on a vehicle, so he isn't really wanting the opinion of the average joe.

 

Tons of people on this forum have traded 2016 for 2017 and 2018. There have been lots of people trading 6 month old AT for MT.

 

This is true but you have to keep the bigger picture in mind when making decisions.
Just like always having 20% isn’t a good rule neither is always going FHA.

You have to make the best financial choice for yourself long term.

Even if FHA is a good choice for some people they still should do additional principle payments to get rid of the PMI. Because PMI is wasted money.

 

Can't buy a new truck every 2 years with that 96 month loan

 

I am poor

My 2018 cost me $22,200.

 

If my girlfriend didn't work for a family business here I'd get out asap. Way too expensive in the Bay Area.

 

There is probably a lot of truth to that.

I was actually being honest. There was a lot going on behind the scenes that helped get my fam where it is. I won't say I'm an average Joe, but I'm not lighting cigars with $20s.

 

Actually you can, with the low deprecation of trucks

 

The analysts at Kelley Blue Book today reported the estimated average transaction price (ATP) for light vehicles in the United States was $36,113 in December 2017. New-car prices have increased by $583 (up 1.6 percent) from December 2016, while climbing 66 (up 0.2 percent) from last month.


"Average transaction prices closed the year on a strong note, rising nearly 2 percent in December 2017 to set a record high," said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "Incentive spending was a concern in 2017, averaging 10.4 percent of MSRP, but encouragingly, this figure held relatively flat over the final quarter of the year. In 2018, interest rate hikes could be another concern, as they threaten to increase monthly payments for consumers; however, Kelley Blue Book anticipates they will help contribute to another down year of new-vehicle sales more than impact prices, which have steadily risen along with the economy since the recession."

Transaction prices for all of 2017 also finished 2 percent higher than last year, slightly slower growth than 2015 and 2016, which was at 2.5 percent.

 

Jeez. Maybe I'm poor then haha. I'm seriously in shock that it's that high of a number.

 

That's half my mortgage payment, and we didn't put much down. Out here I would say that the Tacoma is a truck the average joe could afford. Maybe not in large cities where the average is brought down because of the low end.

 

You seem really bent out of shape that people live differently than you, or can afford more than you. We picked up my wife's '17 at the end of January; by the end of March it had wheels, tires, ADS/TC/IVD suspension, Nitro 4.88s, and a front ARB. All of that was put on a card, and that card was paid off when we received my annual bonus a few weeks later. We didn't touch our savings, didn't use a penny of our regular monthly income. Guess what? I'm not unique in this regard.

 

That is reality...

 

I am happy that you are richer than me. Congrats.

 

I'm happy that you seem to think your saving/spending habits are somehow superior, and the rest of us are lying, apparently.