Americans Are Taking Out Ridiculously Long Auto Loans

[GApeachy]

Those of us (ME!)  that got bit in the tailpipe by recession love our old beaters; hoopties, and '95 jeep wrangler....they ain't got a pymt or appeal. But it's funny, when I go looking at cars/trucks/work vehicles to price, no one rushes out to assist me either.  I just LOVE that; before I'd go to pull up to a car in my Escalade; couldn't get out would have to hop back in real quick and drive to the other side of the parking lot and back and forth just to look at the prices before someone could hollar me down and throw a pitch at me.  An hour long pitch at that!

[Anonymous]

It's a mixture. I also think people have accepted car payments as being "just the way it is" and don't really realize they're overspending on what's sitting in the driveway while also carrying credit card debt etc.

See it here ALL the time with people looking to boost their scores to qualify for a car loan when their high CC util % is the reason the scores are low. People don't seem to make the connection that they shouldn't be borrowing $$ for a car while carrying other types of debt. (Or if you absolutely need to borrow, don't go luxury, new, SUV, sports car or what have you.)

There is also a huge issue for folks being able to separate "want" vs "need" in a vehicle. People think "oh we're having a baby so we need to get an SUV" blah blah blah. They actually don't. Yes, it's a pain putting a car seat in the back of a two-door, but it can very well be done.

Also "I drive xxxx amount of miles per day and NEED something reliable" Well, a 10 year old Honda, AAA membership and a good mechanic can serve that need just fine.

[Anonymous]

“...a mechanic...”

Or for the able-bodied, some tools and internet access. Diagnosing a car is where the knowledge comes in. Fixing or replacing the broken part isn’t all that tough - find what’s in need of replacement, and figure out what to disassemble to get to it. It’s no more technically challenging than making dinner. Auto forums have helped tremendously in this regard, as has YouTube. It’s amazing just how much you can DIY on a car without any formal training.

[Anonymous]

YouTube videos being available for just about anything have saved me more times than I can count (and I am NOT mechanically inclined)

[GApeachy]

but, but, big but here you guys, for some of my single friends, it is easier to pay for and keep a car under warranty than to get a man and/or tool$....both of which are expensive to get hold of/keep in some cases...just saying.  The others will not dare try to pop the hood.  So in those cases I can see staying in debt out of fear and/or lack of knowledge, ability, resources to maintain a vehicle and even having a place to work on one.  Also, women pay more a lot of times on unnecessary fixes that they can't afford.  Or they get to a mechanic and the noise stops or whatever; drive away and then it breaks again.  All in all it's frustrating for some ppl to have and maintain an aged vehicle, for those I totally understand.  Even cheap, new cars are not cheap esp. trade-in after trade-in. It's just gonna cost them....they will never own their cars out right.

[Anonymous]

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@GApeachy wrote:

but, but, big but here you guys, for some of my single friends, it is easier to pay for and keep a car under warranty than to get a man and/or tool$....both of which are expensive to get hold of/keep in some cases...just saying.  The others will not dare try to pop the hood.  So in those cases I can see staying in debt out of fear and/or lack of knowledge, ability, resources to maintain a vehicle and even having a place to work on one.  Also, women pay more a lot of times on unnecessary fixes that they can't afford.  Or they get to a mechanic and the noise stops or whatever; drive away and then it breaks again.  All in all it's frustrating for some ppl to have and maintain an aged vehicle, for those I totally understand.  Even cheap, new cars are not cheap esp. trade-in after trade-in. It's just gonna cost them....they will never own their cars out right.

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Flip side, though. Even if you're NEVER going to touch your own car, in these days of Yelp and online reviews, you can easily find a good, reputable independent mechanic.

I know my way around a car fairly well, but due to city apartment living and street parking it still goes to one of my trusted shops for most things.

I had 3 MAJOR repairs last year and while totally frustrating, I'm not sitting here with a $30k car note.

[GApeachy]

Maybe, maybe not for a female...not trying to turn it dark but I've had some bs thrown at me when I knew better; would then have to get my dh to handle it for me when he got back in town.  Warranty means a lot to a lot of ppl; and some of which do not and cannot be without a vehicle for even a day, will pay the price for coverage of warranty to have that rental car and carry on with life and work, not really skipping a beat.  I am thankful we have backup vehicles, no pymts, and plenty help when it's beyond our scope but for others that's just not the case.  It's just kind of a catch22 for some....others just idk, like the beating every month whether they can or cannot afford it.

[Anonymous]

I do know why they do it, but you can get stuck without a vehicle for a day (or more) even with a new car that has a warranty. The dealer's shuttle will generally take you wherever you want to go, but good luck getting the courtesy loaner in most cases. 

Plus these days Uber is a game changer for getting around if your car needs to spend a few days in the shop etc.

I do respect that women have had those challenges, but sincerely hope that as time goes on, it is getting better. There's also always getting a second opinion . . my Mom is 72 and any purchase of a few hundred dollars gets shopped around. 

Just have to be bold enough to ask the questions and do the research and as time goes on, the intimidation factor diminishes.

My sister has needed things like new engines or transmissions and sourced used ones from totaled cars and shops to do the exchange, never picking up a tool herself, and saving a fortune in the process. 

[Anonymous]

@LauraC, I wonder how many of those who lock into a new car and payment in order to have a warranty, have considered a CPO car instead? Some probably have, but in the “gotta have it” mentality, for many, vanity precludes anything but new.

To illustrate how different it can be, my dad (who could easily buy pretty much any vehicle he liked new) decided to go CPO last time he bought a car. He picked a 2008 Honda Pilot EX-L in 2010, two year lease car being sold CPO. MSRP was $38k new - car was top of the line with heated leather, XM, Sunroof, everything - and he bought it with 29k miles for $22,000. Saved $16k by buying two years old in immaculate shape, with the original warranty extended out 2-3 years if I recall correctly.

Big difference with the only real opportunity cost being not having bragging rights of buying new and spending the full 38 grand (which he could not care less about anyhow)...

[GApeachy]

Well that's why I said others just take a beating every month whether they can or cannot afford it.  But one friend is a traveling nurse; another is a rad-tech student traveling to clinicals in another town an hour away; her college is in another town even further away.  I know some; I've heard this, before you get to 50,000 or so, better trade it in or you won't have a warranty.  Some ppl just got to have that warranty and believe in that warranty.  I do not; but I'm lucky I don't have to figure it out.  If I were single, working out of town.....I'd go with whatever I could afford/or allowed to afford (that's the problem) to have that warranty and reassurance no matter how far back it could set me in the long run.

But again I will say....no car pymt is pure happiness.