Has the whole world gone mad?

[Guest]

I just got done reading "ReattaNY what happend?" And was reminded of the state of the world we live in.<P><BR>A college student leasing a Land Rover? I'm 32 yrs. old, A supervisor in a Correctional Facility and I don't have a Land Rover. Nor the means to get one.<P>The trouble is we have an entire generation of people who think, "I want it now, I deserve it, screw working for it."<P>I'm driving a ten year old Reatta because I could'nt afford one when they made them. I know guys younger than me right now driving Ford Expeditions! That a $40,000 vehicle!<P>Have you ever noticed the number of 50+ yr. old's driving brand new Corvette's? It never occurs to people that it took those guys 50 years to buy that car!<P>I guess I have a different outlook on personal wants and needs because I drove the same car for 11 years! What it ugly? yes. Slow as molasses? Yeah. But it was paid for. My kids ate, and wore nice clothes. And no bill colectors sent me letters saying "We break thumbs!"<P>At the prison where I work, the average sallary for on Officer is $30 to $35 thousand a year. And there are more Lincoln Navigators and Ford Expeditons in the parking lot than you can shake a stick at.<P>I can't tell you how many of these guys get phone calls from creditors at work! I think people today just have more money than brains. "$500.00 a month lease? No problem!"<P>Can you really blame them though? You can walk into a car lot and literally without coughing up any money, drive away in a 40-50 thousand dollar vehicle. All within a couple of hours.<P>And it's this same group of people who turn their nose up at Reatta's. They have no appreciation for craftsmenship or enginiering. Just give them what's "In".<P>Well, I've stood on my soap box long enough. <BR>See ya.

[Guest]

This is so funny. I completely agree with you. I just graduated college and I got into a car wreck. I decided I might as well get the right car, now that I can afford it. While all of my fellow graduates are buying the Navigators and Lexus's, I'm cruising around in my beautiful "new" '89 Reatta. It cost me a fraction of what their vehicles cost them and mine is more beautiful. People ask me if it's new. No! I tell them. Would you believe it's 11 years old?<BR> I like to laugh at these people. Here in Houston, you can buy a Townhome in a great area of town for the price of a Navigator. In three years, I'll be in one, while my friends will still be living in their apartments (wasting money again by getting an apartment they can't afford) and dreaming of the day they can put themselves $200,000 in debt to live in a house that the bank's gonna own for 20 years. People are funny.

[Guest]

At the local high school, the student parking lot is full of Blazers and other SUV's, a few 'vettes, newer Camaros and Firebirds, etc. etc. These kids are spoiled rotten. They think they're entitled to new cars, and their parents, who are never home cuz they work long hours, are buying these cars out of guilt. The parents would rather keep up with the neighbors and work their butts off so they can spoil the kids and have a heart attack at 50. Then these spoiled rotten rich kids start doing drugs, refuse to get a job because it doesn't pay more than $10/hr., and end up living at home til they're 30 and find some wife/husband to help support them. I moved away from home at age 21 and drove some pretty shabby cars and lived in some pretty shabby apartments. I'm not rich now but I feel pretty special driving my 11 year old luxury car.

[Guest]

There is a personal finance advocate, whose name I have forgotten, that illustrates the benefit of prudent financial practices thus: If every time that you buy a new car you keep it for 10 years, you will be able to retire 5 years earlier than your contemporaries. The math works the same if you buy a 2-year-old car and keep it for 4 years. Of course, most Reattas well over 10 years old. I cannot think of a more enjoyable way of cruising around contemplating what we are going to do with all that extra time. But make sure that you have started that savings fund for when the eclectics and ABS give out (my 1990 coupe ate and ECM chip and an ABS accumulator this year, who knows what next!).