Regardless of how much money you make, you will get judged for not taking care of the things you have. This is the same as if you walk around with dirty/torn clothing, a phone with a cracked screen, etc. It communicates to others that you are a messy and unreliable person.

Of course, you can have very nicely kept things and still be an unreliable person - I'm talking in general here.

As for expectations at a certain income level, there is some of that, of course. I will say that for well-off people, they will usually pay for something a little newer/nicer even if they don't particularly care much about it themselves. That said, I don't think a Honda Fit is a particularly bad car for someone making close to $600k. It's an interesting design and has many qualities. I personally think it's fine so long as it is well kept.

Some of us are just super practical. Similar HHI and have a super old sedan (it has a cassette player) which is super dinged up. I love it. I can visit friends in any sort of neighborhood in DC and not worry about it. I secretly hope it will be stolen actually, since I wouldn't mind a more modern car but it's working too well to say goodbye. I'd probably miss it anyway!

The only cars I judge are ones with obnoxious modifications, obvious safety issues, and ones with awful drivers behind their wheel.

Your Fit is fine. Nobody cares.

I'm not. We're at 400k with tons of family money and one of our cars is a 10 year old prius. I love love the car - amazing gas mileage, I can park it anywhere and it is spacious enough to haul stuff from Costco. Cars are such a waste of $$$$ IMO. My FIL loves cars, especially $$$$ ones, and bought DC1 a Tesla when he got into med school. But I don't judge because I won't tell people how much money I spend on my skin; much much much more than a car payment per month.

We're at 350K+ HHI and still only have a single 2005 toyota prius. It works for us, we even sometimes just let the nanny/friends take it for a week or two. We're just a block from schools and shops. Honestly, we've never really cared for cars. If we need a bigger one for a road trip, we just rent one. If it ever gives us any problems, we'll probably just give it away and buy the exact same car new or get an electric one (we've got panels that are paid off and generate more than we can currently use).

Most of our neighbors have BMWs, Teslas, and Mercedes; they seem to enjoy them. Good for them; as long as they don't advocate for getting rid of bike lanes and adding more parking. (Which is sadly happening)

We did the math, basically compared to our neighbors, we're saving 20K+/year in after-tax costs. That is a couple of nice trips every year.

Anonymous wrote:I judge you for not providing a safer car for yourself and your family. The newer cars with more perks also offer features like hands-free driving where your phone works with the stereo, which makes it much safer when you need to get directions or change plans at the last minute while driving.

You look like you're trying to be a martyr by driving what is objectively not a very comfortable or safe car, so I judge you for that. Just go get a reasonably priced up to date basic family car. At your income level, that expense won't change any of your long term financial plans in a meaningful way.

Hands free phones are still distracting. Get off the phone! https://www.enddd.org/end-distracted-driving/distracted-driving-research/hands-free-does-not-equal-risk-free/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm ready to get my car wrapped in purple with orange and blue polka dots so I can find it in the parking lot. Who cares what people think of what you drive!

I’m getting mine wrapped in a 🌈

Is this for real?

Never mind, don’t tell me. I want to believe that this is happening because it brings a smile to my face. Love it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I shouldn’t care, but I can’t help but be curious. Our HHI is 575 and we have one car: a 2014 Honda Fit. I just love it. It’s in good condition as far as mechanics go and I can parallel park really easily. We have two kids, no pets, so with the bike rack we have it works well for our lifestyle. And I suppose I’m also just used to it. It does have some scratches and some of the interior is getting worn, but I don’t care about those things that much.

A friend of mine teased DH and I for our car (it truly was good-natured, she is a genuine friend), and it got me wondering if this is just really weird. I won’t buy a new car until we need one but I am just curious if people who have an idea of what our HHI is because of job titles and our zip code kind of scratch their heads when they see our car.

High-end Audi driver here: I doubt there is much judgment. A lot of "car people" have fond memories of the peppy little Hondas we used to drive, and I, for one, would view that particular choice as reflecting good judgment about cars from a performance perspective. It's better than seeing yet another Jeep Rubicon in the carpool line. lol Anyone judging you for this is not worth worrying about anyway.

So true. We have a Tesla Model X, which I love, but DH and I still get misty talking about our zippy manual transmissions from back in the day (a Honda Civic for me and a Saturn for him).

The bolded is really what it comes down to.

Now THAT I judge you for. And anyone else spending an obscene amount on a car, regardless of wealth/income.

I know, the nerve of our family, wanting an electric vehicle that we can comfortably afford! So obnoxious, not wanting to drive an ICE.

Get over yourself, PP. There are plenty of things worth judging people over, but driving an incredibly safe electric vehicle isn't one of them.

Anonymous wrote:I'm ready to get my car wrapped in purple with orange and blue polka dots so I can find it in the parking lot. Who cares what people think of what you drive!

I’m getting mine wrapped in a 🌈

HHI 475k and two Subarus - a 14 Forester and 16 Legacy. We drive what works for us. And frankly, I don’t even give a second look at what other people drive. Could care less.

I judge you for not providing a safer car for yourself and your family. The newer cars with more perks also offer features like hands-free driving where your phone works with the stereo, which makes it much safer when you need to get directions or change plans at the last minute while driving.

You look like you're trying to be a martyr by driving what is objectively not a very comfortable or safe car, so I judge you for that. Just go get a reasonably priced up to date basic family car. At your income level, that expense won't change any of your long term financial plans in a meaningful way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I shouldn’t care, but I can’t help but be curious. Our HHI is 575 and we have one car: a 2014 Honda Fit. I just love it. It’s in good condition as far as mechanics go and I can parallel park really easily. We have two kids, no pets, so with the bike rack we have it works well for our lifestyle. And I suppose I’m also just used to it. It does have some scratches and some of the interior is getting worn, but I don’t care about those things that much.

A friend of mine teased DH and I for our car (it truly was good-natured, she is a genuine friend), and it got me wondering if this is just really weird. I won’t buy a new car until we need one but I am just curious if people who have an idea of what our HHI is because of job titles and our zip code kind of scratch their heads when they see our car.

High-end Audi driver here: I doubt there is much judgment. A lot of "car people" have fond memories of the peppy little Hondas we used to drive, and I, for one, would view that particular choice as reflecting good judgment about cars from a performance perspective. It's better than seeing yet another Jeep Rubicon in the carpool line. lol Anyone judging you for this is not worth worrying about anyway.

So true. We have a Tesla Model X, which I love, but DH and I still get misty talking about our zippy manual transmissions from back in the day (a Honda Civic for me and a Saturn for him).

The bolded is really what it comes down to.

Now THAT I judge you for. And anyone else spending an obscene amount on a car, regardless of wealth/income.

No one cares that you are too poor to afford nice things.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I shouldn’t care, but I can’t help but be curious. Our HHI is 575 and we have one car: a 2014 Honda Fit. I just love it. It’s in good condition as far as mechanics go and I can parallel park really easily. We have two kids, no pets, so with the bike rack we have it works well for our lifestyle. And I suppose I’m also just used to it. It does have some scratches and some of the interior is getting worn, but I don’t care about those things that much.

A friend of mine teased DH and I for our car (it truly was good-natured, she is a genuine friend), and it got me wondering if this is just really weird. I won’t buy a new car until we need one but I am just curious if people who have an idea of what our HHI is because of job titles and our zip code kind of scratch their heads when they see our car.

High-end Audi driver here: I doubt there is much judgment. A lot of "car people" have fond memories of the peppy little Hondas we used to drive, and I, for one, would view that particular choice as reflecting good judgment about cars from a performance perspective. It's better than seeing yet another Jeep Rubicon in the carpool line. lol Anyone judging you for this is not worth worrying about anyway.

So true. We have a Tesla Model X, which I love, but DH and I still get misty talking about our zippy manual transmissions from back in the day (a Honda Civic for me and a Saturn for him).

The bolded is really what it comes down to.

Now THAT I judge you for. And anyone else spending an obscene amount on a car, regardless of wealth/income.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I shouldn’t care, but I can’t help but be curious. Our HHI is 575 and we have one car: a 2014 Honda Fit. I just love it. It’s in good condition as far as mechanics go and I can parallel park really easily. We have two kids, no pets, so with the bike rack we have it works well for our lifestyle. And I suppose I’m also just used to it. It does have some scratches and some of the interior is getting worn, but I don’t care about those things that much.

A friend of mine teased DH and I for our car (it truly was good-natured, she is a genuine friend), and it got me wondering if this is just really weird. I won’t buy a new car until we need one but I am just curious if people who have an idea of what our HHI is because of job titles and our zip code kind of scratch their heads when they see our car.

High-end Audi driver here: I doubt there is much judgment. A lot of "car people" have fond memories of the peppy little Hondas we used to drive, and I, for one, would view that particular choice as reflecting good judgment about cars from a performance perspective. It's better than seeing yet another Jeep Rubicon in the carpool line. lol Anyone judging you for this is not worth worrying about anyway.

Yet here you are judging Jeep drivers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know and I don't care-- I drive a Prius and it's the best thing ever.

I’m definitely judging you in your Prius. Most sanctimonious drivers ever.

Maybe they just like it and want to lower their impact on the earth.

NP. I just like going several weeks without filling my gas tank.

I used to be a huge fan of the Toyota Prius.
However there have been tons of stories lately on the news about how they are a hot target for thieves looking to steal their catalytic converters.
That is a huge deterrent.

I think the Honda Fit is an excellent vehicle choice OP.
I recently became an empty nester & am seriously thinking of purchasing one.

I recently rented a smaller vehicle 🚗 + was amazed how much easier it was to park and drive that thing.
And the gasoline mileage was a huge benefit!