Well folks, after 60 agonizing days of coping with automobile salesmen, test driving way too many vehicles, visiting two auto mechanics to diagnose and repair my current automobile, and an unhealthy waste of time researching online, I even have decided not to purchase a brand new automobile.
I do know this will likely disappoint anyone who has generously shared advice and proposals. Believe me, I listened. At the highest of my list were the Lexus GX 550, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Highlander, Rivian R1S and R2, Range Rover Sport and Tesla Model Y Performance with FSD. I’m sure I might enjoy any of those vehicles, all inexpensive between $50,000 and $115,000. That is strictly the issue.
A silver lining after getting back from Hawaii
Even though I returned after ten days in Honolulu with a totally dead battery, two calls for roadside assistance, and multiple system failures while driving, I still keep my automobile.
In a coincidence, the rainy automobile fiasco on January 1, 2026 turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Completely discharging the battery while I used to be away seems to have reset the faulty modules, leading to parasitic power consumption. Before I left on my trip, the low battery warning indicated that 13 out of 15 cold starts occurred regardless that the battery was replaced. The automobile has performed flawlessly since being returned. No low battery warning. No threatening “system will shut down in a minute” message. Twenty clean days and counting.
Now that the issue appears to be solved, I’ll be staying with my 10 yr old automobile for at the very least one other yr, and hopefully one other three and a half years. It only has 67,500 miles on it and I only drive about 6,300 miles a yr.
So yes, despite the recent tech drama, a roaring bull market since 2023, and a recent article on asset dumping, I’m foregoing a brand new automobile. I am unable to bear to provide it up after spending a lot money and time repairing it. But below are the highest the explanation why I’m not willing to burn tens of hundreds of dollars simply to benefit from the smell of a brand new automobile.
Reason #1: I’m becoming an old dog who doesn’t wish to learn tricks
With a brand new automobile, I might must learn an entire latest interface – the way it drives, how the touchscreen works, the way to activate the air con, and so forth. I used to be sure to seek out out sooner or later. But I’m also the guy who didn’t realize until the fifth yr of ownership that my current automobile has a button to routinely open the trunk and one other button to heat the steering wheel.
I’m officially turning into my dad in the case of technology. He refuses to upgrade his 1998 Toyota Avalon and I don’t desire to upgrade my 2015 Range Rover Sport, which still has nice-smelling leather seats. It has Bluetooth, parking sensors, a rearview camera, four-wheel drive and every thing I could want.
Reason #2: I don’t desire the stress of driving an expensive latest automobile
If I spent $60,000 on a Tesla Model Y Performance or $115,000 on a Range Rover Sport, I might continuously worry about dents and scratches and keeping the device pristine. It’s like wearing a brand latest pair of white sneakers, multiplied by a thousand times.
At the moment I can park my 10 yr old automobile anywhere without worry. When it gets bumps or bumps, I shrug my shoulders. But what if a brand new automobile is encrypted in a supermarket parking zone? I could be offended. And my happiness is price rather more. I used to be in my automobile 3 times when the neighbor who opened his door swore at mine. I don’t desire to fight these nuances anymore.
As a dual unemployed parent (DUPS), I already feel the pressure to supply. The last item I want is latest automobile stress on top of every thing else. In fact, the most important advantage of driving an old automobile is healthier mental health! New cars even have higher insurance premiums, which reduces our money flow.
The principal reason: Opportunity cost Not investing is just too big
It’s nice to feel comfortable with my old automobile. It’s even nicer to avoid stress. But that Number one The reason I didn’t replace it is that this: Buying a brand new automobile now would sabotage a serious financial goal.
My passive income is currently about $20,000 per yr below my ideal goal of economic independence. At a 4% withdrawal rate, which means I want at the very least $500,000 more in invested capital.
Since purchasing my home on a big lot in 2023, I even have been working on earning more, saving more, and investing higher to exchange the $150,000 in passive income I lost. I’ve made great progress, thanks partially to a bull market in stocks. Two tenant changes in 2025 also proved to be a blessing, as they allowed me to regulate rents to market levels and significantly increase rental income.
So to spend $50,000-$115,000 With an asset losing value, it looks like an unforced error. I do know the wonderful feeling of getting 100% of your required living expenses covered through passive income and I’m dying to get back to that situation.
If I keep going for one more yr or two and the market follows suit, I should easily reach my passive income goal of $380,000 per yr. But saving $50,000 to $115,000 in capital today would cost me at the very least: Losing $2,000 to $4,600 per yr in passive income, endlessly.
This puts much more pressure on the stock market to do the heavy lifting, which I’m not optimistic about based on valuations. Managing my family’s funds sometimes looks like a full-time job with 10 investment accounts. I actually don’t desire to pull this out any longer than needed because I’m already burnt out.
The even larger opportunity cost: my kid’s funds
It’s hard enough to justify buying a automobile that I do not absolutely need when I’m trying to attain an enormous personal goal. Because of this, I rolled the dice and spent $1,750 to repair the automobile from money flow. But once I take into consideration my kid’s future, it’s almost unattainable to become profitable.
At ages 6 and eight, they’ve the longest time horizon of all and due to this fact the very best compound interest potential. Every dollar invested for them today is much more helpful than a dollar invested for me.
And to be clear: they’re technically bad. They haven’t any great skills, no jobs, no approach to generate income, and yet they are going to enter a job market disrupted by AI. They could also be underemployed after college and still living at home with us.
My hedging comes primarily from investing heavily in AI on their behalf.
I even have already financed a brand new one $200,000 Fundrise Venture Account Financing is planned for them in August 2025. Ideally, I would love to double the financing in order that it has a probability of earning tens of millions by the point it’s taken out as an insurance policy. Of course, I won’t tell them that they’ve this insurance policy.
Furthermore, I consider there might be a ten percent decline within the stock market this yr. If it involves that, I need to speculate as much as possible in my kid’s custodial accounts.
This is where the mathematics gets serious
If I invest the cash in a brand new automobile as an alternative:
Scenario 1:
Invest $50,000 (Tesla Model Y money) for my daughter at 8% for 13 years: -> $50,000 -> ~$136,000. I believe she could be more comfortable with $136,000 in her savings account after starting college than sitting in a brand new Tesla from the age of 6. She’s perfectly content to step into the back of the front seats of my automobile as is.
Scenario 2:
Invest $115,000 (Range Rover Sport money) for 10 years at 8%: -> $115,000 -> $248,000. I believe he would appreciate having $248,000 to pursue his profession dreams reasonably than simply going into an industry that society deems prestigious.
That’s life-changing money for a baby growing up. For me, driving to the food market, school, or Lake Tahoe in a nicer vehicle is life-changing. To be honest, I just need a reliable automobile that gets me from A to B safely.
A return of 8% is affordable. However, if we see strong runs like we’ve got seen since 2023, absolutely the dollar gains over 10 years might be even larger. The Fundrise Innovation Fund, for instance, returned 43.5% in 2025.
When I saw the numbers, I noticed: It’s higher to speculate of their future than to drive a brand new automobile that I do not necessarily need.
So as an alternative of selling treasuries to purchase a depreciating asset, I transfer maturing treasuries into traditional enterprise capital funds that spend money on AI, in addition to an open-ended enterprise fund. I may also use the cash to purchase any significant decline of three% or more within the stock market.
I consider the larger risk shouldn’t be that the AI bubble will burst, but reasonably that a life-changing opportunity for your complete generation might be missed right from the beginning.
Paying for repairs through money flow
So there you’ve gotten it. The personal finance nerd in me just cannot justify buying a brand new automobile. To be honest, I feel silly once I just stop appreciating latest cars. More than anything, I value freedom and peace of mind.
I hope to get through the subsequent yr with minimal automobile problems. If I can only spend $1,000 to $2,000 a yr repairing the automobile in the long run, I consider it a win. If I ever get an enormous windfall, I would buy a brand new automobile.
But today is the day to proceed investing in a greater future. In the meantime, I’ll just wash and vacuum my automobile to make it feel like latest again! And guess what, washing the automobile worked! I feel like I’m driving a brand new automobile free of charge.
Suggestions for a safer life
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