At what HHI would you feel comfortable buying an $80-90k car?

[Anonymous]

People in this board are just super frugal and they must lie about their income. I live in a UMC community and I would estimate that 80% of the cars in driveways cost 80k+ when they were new.

The median new car is over 40k now, the median new car buyer makes about 90k. Based on that a high percentage of those making 200k+ are likely buying 80k+ cars.

I bought a 80k car after making in the 350-400k range for a few years. Have to spend it on something and I already take 3 vacations a year.

[Anonymous]

I would say $300K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People in this board are just super frugal and they must lie about their income. I live in a UMC community and I would estimate that 80% of the cars in driveways cost 80k+ when they were new.

The median new car is over 40k now, the median new car buyer makes about 90k. Based on that a high percentage of those making 200k+ are likely buying 80k+ cars.

I bought a 80k car after making in the 350-400k range for a few years. Have to spend it on something and I already take 3 vacations a year.

I was just coming here to write something similar. $80k buys you the nice SUVs and sedans that are par for the course is most UMC neighborhoods. Are they essential? No, but we aren't exactly talking about Maseratis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$1M I guess, if we loved it for some reason. We're at ~$550k and I scoffed at the title, so clearly not yet.

+1 We are usually at $500K and sometimes have been up to $1M with bonuses, and have never been over $60K.

[Anonymous]

This thread is insane.

The question was when you would feel *comfortable* making that purchase. Comfort does not equal desire. You would (or should) objectively feel comfortable doing that. Doesn't mean you would. But it would not likely materially hurt you financially.

P.S. Please stop bragging about your beater '99 Camry with $10M in the trunk of it. It's so obnoxious and honestly worse than the new money driving a Range.

[Anonymous]

Never


Cars are a waste of money..

Even the billionaire founder of Ikea recognizes as such.

You don't get wealthy pissing away money down the drain on assets that lose.huge amounts of money.. tell me what your Porsche and Ferrari can do that a Toyota 4 runner or a Honda civic can't do. Big whoop, you can go 200 mph faster......that doesn't help me during 99.99999999)% of my daily life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People in this board are just super frugal and they must lie about their income. I live in a UMC community and I would estimate that 80% of the cars in driveways cost 80k+ when they were new.

The median new car is over 40k now, the median new car buyer makes about 90k. Based on that a high percentage of those making 200k+ are likely buying 80k+ cars.

I bought a 80k car after making in the 350-400k range for a few years. Have to spend it on something and I already take 3 vacations a year.

The median is NOT 40k.

Please be more careful. The average may be 40k, but do not conflate that with median.


If 3 people buy a 20k Hyundai, a 20k Mazda, and an 80k Mercedes, sure, their average of $40k will make it seem like Americans are typically purchasing expensive cars. In reality all of the numbers are skewed by the idiot buying a Mercedes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People in this board are just super frugal and they must lie about their income. I live in a UMC community and I would estimate that 80% of the cars in driveways cost 80k+ when they were new.

The median new car is over 40k now, the median new car buyer makes about 90k. Based on that a high percentage of those making 200k+ are likely buying 80k+ cars.

I bought a 80k car after making in the 350-400k range for a few years. Have to spend it on something and I already take 3 vacations a year.

Thank you voice of reason!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never


Cars are a waste of money..

Even the billionaire founder of Ikea recognizes as such.

You don't get wealthy pissing away money down the drain on assets that lose.huge amounts of money.. tell me what your Porsche and Ferrari can do that a Toyota 4 runner or a Honda civic can't do. Big whoop, you can go 200 mph faster......that doesn't help me during 99.99999999)% of my daily life.

Big whoop, your heels have red soles....my crocs can get me from point A to point B too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never


Cars are a waste of money..

Even the billionaire founder of Ikea recognizes as such.

You don't get wealthy pissing away money down the drain on assets that lose.huge amounts of money.. tell me what your Porsche and Ferrari can do that a Toyota 4 runner or a Honda civic can't do. Big whoop, you can go 200 mph faster......that doesn't help me during 99.99999999)% of my daily life.

The founder of Ikea was a Nazi...and is dead. I don't think he cares much about car prices.

[Anonymous]

1 mil

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the difference between a 20k car on a 100k salary and a 100k car on a 500k salary? I don’t understand why people are scandalized by a purchase that isn’t expensive relative to income.

You asked. We are responding. Do what you want to do. It’s your life!

I’d personally rather travel really well and have other things….

I'd rather have a nicer car over 15 years than stay at a luxury or expensive hotel (or travel for longer with a cheaper hotel).

[Anonymous]

HHI is around 800k. We bought our first expensive car last year, a Tesla Model Y, with FSD, which after taxes was 69k. We would not imagine paying that much for a plain luxury car without some other benefit (i.e., for the environment).

[Anonymous]

Hhi is not the right indicator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in this board are just super frugal and they must lie about their income. I live in a UMC community and I would estimate that 80% of the cars in driveways cost 80k+ when they were new.

The median new car is over 40k now, the median new car buyer makes about 90k. Based on that a high percentage of those making 200k+ are likely buying 80k+ cars.

I bought a 80k car after making in the 350-400k range for a few years. Have to spend it on something and I already take 3 vacations a year.

I was just coming here to write something similar. $80k buys you the nice SUVs and sedans that are par for the course is most UMC neighborhoods. Are they essential? No, but we aren't exactly talking about Maseratis.

Exactly my experience, I live in howard county and even my neighborhood is full of porsche/land rover/tesla/bmw etc... and these families are likely not making as much as many of the posters here.