We bought a new car. Not a “new to us” car, not a “nearly new” car, an actual factual brand new 2022 Subaru Outback. But Liz–you’re now fretting– don’t you know that: Buying a brand new car has to be one of the worst financial decisions a person can make. Buying a new car is like shooting yourself in the foot not once, not twice, but three times. Here’s why: The mark-up on new cars is...
Low-mileage, relatively young used cars are often a bad deal. Today we’ll explore why and what you can do to save yourself and your money. The Frugalwoods Fleet-O-Vehicles Let me start with a quick rundown of what my husband and I drive our two kids around in: 2010 Toyota Prius: purchased in April 2016 for $8,995 at 96,854 miles For comparison, had we instead bought a brand new 2016 Toyota Prius, we would’ve paid circa...
We finally did it. We didn’t want to do it, we delayed it, we put it off, we even bought a Subaru instead. But the realities of rural living caught up with us and we finally capitulated to the fact that… we needed to buy a truck. And so, this month, we did. I don’t have anything against trucks except that they’re so BIG and non-fuel efficient and, well, truck-like, which is exactly why we...
Buying a brand new car has to be one of the worst financial decisions a person can make. I’ve said this before and I continue to harp, even though I know it sounds a tad… oh what’s the word… hardline? Crazy? Like a frugal evangelist? Nevertheless, I persist because it’s one of those purchasing decisions with the power to impact your longterm financial health in a profoundly negative way. My past harping on this topic is enshrined in...
I knew this day would come, though I dreaded it for years. Because we’ve been together a long time. We’ve charted many an adventure together. And now, our chapter has come to a close. I’m speaking, of course, about my beloved Frugalwoods-mobile, the 1996 Honda Odyssey minivan that Mr. Frugalwoods and I proudly drove. It’s the car we brought Babywoods home from the hospital in and the vehicle that transported Frugal Hound into our lives....
Oh Frugalwoods-mobile the oft-mentioned, but rarely glamorized, work horse of the Frugalwoods family. Today, I dedicate a post to you. Fear not, this isn’t a eulogy for she’s not dead (yet), but rather this is a reflection of gratitude for the tremendous schlepping performed by this fossil of a vehicle. While certainly it would be thriftier to exist sans car, Mr. Frugalwoods and I consider Frugalwoods-mobile a luxurious element of our lives. It’s just plain easier to own...
Mrs. Frugalwoods and I own one car: a cosmetically-challenged 1996 Honda Odyssey minivan. The Frugalwoods-mobile doesn’t have a name (other than somehow being a she?) but she does have 201,000 miles! Despite her advanced age and mileage, she gets us where we need to go with a modicum of trouble. In the 3 years we’ve owned her, we’ve only spent $350 on maintenance… and that was mostly for consumables like oil, filters, gaskets, and brakes. And then there’s...
