Post by Thomas E.Post by -hhPost by Thomas E.Post by -hhPost by Thomas E.Post by -hhPost by Thomas E.Post by -hhPost by AlanPost by AlanPost by Thomas E.Post by Thomas E.On Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:22:01 PM UTC-5, Thomas E.
Post by Thomas E.Post by -hhFinally getting around to an upgrade...
<http://huntzinger.com/photo/2024/pre-install.jpg>
You call that an upgrade? The screen is tiny.
Most anything is an upgrade from the OEM AM/SW/FM+cassette deck
radio. But it’s still has to fit within the dashboard
constraint of being single DIN.
Post by Thomas E.Just get a newer Porsche with a real OEM screen or at least
something bigger than this.
Not for this one, as Porsche doesn’t sell new air cooled models
anymore .. at any price.
Post by Thomas E.Heck, my 2015 CRV with its retrofit has a 6.8" screen Pioneer
radio/CarPlay unit. Smaller than the 2022 Accord, but still
very useable. If you can't afford another Porsche get a mount
for your phone. That would work as well as than your unit I
found on
"https://www.thedrive.com/news/33144/porsche-finally-offers-an-upgrade-to-its-eyesore-early-infotainment-units"
that shows a $1550 price tag. A good phone mount is 5% of
that.
That link is to this very product, along with the ‘PCCM Plus’
version, which is for the newer 996 & 986 (first generation
water cooled). The good news for you Tommy is that 996’s and
986’s aren’t as popular, so they’re now cheap enough to be even
within _your_ budget.
After I receive my January RMD funds allotment I could trade my
2022 Honda Accord for a new 911 and write a check for the
difference. But not going to happen.
“Could”… but will never do so. That’s why the most you could
rationalize stretching for would be just a twenty year old used
example.
Post by Thomas E.I have better uses for the money.
Meaning day-to-day living expenses.
I don't buy 20 year old cars. I do not see the need for a Porsche
either. Apparently your ego needs stroking by the car you drive. Cars
are transportation.
For someone who claims he flies for the enjoyment of it, it's odd you
can't understand that someone else might want to make activity most of
us must do every day more enjoyable.
Oh, Tom understands perfectly well: he just prefers anything over admitting
being wrong, including revealing himself as liar and a hypocrite.
And a part of it I think is that he doesn't actually get enjoyment from
doing things...
...as much as he gets enjoyment from lording it over others that he does
them.
The problem he has is that he’s not actually doing any lording.
For example, his “could” claims on RMDs are countermanded by how it’s a
nothing burger in the real world, as he never did buy his own Cessna, or
even doubled up on vacation budget, etc, despite multiple years of RMDs to
draw from.
It is reminiscent of another braggart who went down this same trap of
falsely believing that merely having a modest bag of bucks somehow
magically equates to being a good human. It doesn’t.
But perhaps Tommy will take the opportunity to learn something new and
swing by a dealer for a visit and maybe even a test drive..not that I’d
expect him to spring for a 911; he’d probably not even be able to pass
muster to take a GT3 out for a test drive.
PS: piloting a new Usenet newsreader setup, in anticipation of GG’s demise.
“Meh” so far.
Hugh, you totally fail to see how you can actually see value in something but not
enough to want to own it.
Yet that was what you initiated with your “Just get a newer Porsche with a real
OEM screen” and its follow-up of your January RMD “I could buy” claim.
Post by Thomas E.With over $3 mill in net worth I can afford a lot of things I don't own.
with often with the most tenuous of relevance, dangle a brag of bucks
so as to try to feel superior about yourself.
Post by Thomas E.For less than hanger, maintenance and insurance I have access to 5 flying club
aircraft and can fly CAP aircraft too with almost no out-of-pocket expense.
Nothing wrong about being frugal, but it becomes hypocritical when one then
goes on to criticize others when in their own way, they’re doing the same.
Post by Thomas E.Let's think about a Porsche. I have a 2022 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring.
I have owned 4 or 5, and can see why.
Five and because you’re taking the initial years’ depreciation hits each time,
figure at $25K net capital each. Retaining frugality means you could have
had fewer & saved enough to have gotten the wife a Porsche.
Post by Thomas E.I have no desire to even test drive a Porsche. To me a car is something
to get you from A to B in comfort and do it with no muss or fuss.
Because Hondas are renowned for being the most comfortable of rides … /s
Post by Thomas E.I once had an SVT Mustang Cobra. It was fun for a year, then I went back
to Honda. It's just not me.
Sounds more like you scared yourself with the Cobra, and have been
subsequently “playing it safe” for the past ~30 years.
Post by Thomas E.You have no right to criticize others' choices based on your personal values.
Yours are yours and are mine.
I’m not: I’m simply holding a mirror up … and you’re not liking your own reflection.
Uh, Hugh, the 4 or 5 Honda Accords starts way back in 1989.
What you did 30 years ago just isn’t contemporary, and there’s been other Hondas too, such
as your Insight hybrids. as of late, you’ve been flipping cars as often as your smartphones.
Post by Thomas E.There are many cars that exceed the Accord in some area or another. Your Porche is
quicker, likely more fun to drive (for you), and makes a statement about the owner.
But try to load up 5 or 6 model aircraft to go fly at a local RC field. Or carry 4 people
and baggage on a trip. Does it get 45+ mpg? No, it will not do that.
Fortunately, “the right tool for the job” applies: If I need to carry a half dozen R/Cs or
passengers, I’ll simply choose a different vehicle in the family fleet. Ditto for other
use cases; It’s what happens when one is deliberate & holistic on capability needs.
Insight Hybrids? I had one.
Point being that you've had more vehicles than merely Accords for your total count.
Post by Thomas E.It was obvious that it was not selling well and was likely to be discontinued.
So? That doesn't stop it from being a good vehicle, or meeting your needs.
Post by Thomas E.The clincher was the dealer's trade offer for the Accord Hybrid.
A ... "deal" /s
Post by Thomas E.Let's review the chain. 2015 traded a pre-owned 2010 Accord with about 100,000 miles for a new Civic.
Being pre-owned, it means you owned it for less than 5 years. For a typical three year lease, that
would have been a 2013 purchase and just 2 years of its ownership by you.
Post by Thomas E.Good car that Civic, but not great. 2019 traded the Civic with about 60,000 miles for the Insight.
2019 - 2015 = 4 years ownership
Post by Thomas E.Dec 30, 2021 I traded the Insight Touring Hybrid with about 50,000 miles ...
No more than 3 years ownership
So for what you've disclosed, its (2 + 4 + 3 ) / 3 = flipping your car every 3 years.
Post by Thomas E.Between us since 2015 we have purchased about 8-10 smartphones, 4 or 5 tablets,
Android and Apple, versus 4 car purchases.
75% of which were your cars, not the households.
Post by Thomas E.Phones do not cost as much as cars. News at 11.
Right, and despite that, if we assume that just over half the phones were yours (vs spouse),
your consumption was 3 cars vs 5 smartphones: less than a 1:2 ratio.
Post by Thomas E.You do know that it is totally rational to be frugal in some areas and not-so-frugal in others?
Too bad you didn't afford that consideration to others when you criticized based on passenger seating,
carrying of R/Cs and even fuel economy: makes you more than just a tad hypocritical.
Post by Thomas E.Please note that I did not criticize your car, just its tiny display.
Which you did while being utterly ignorant that it was an interface constraint, and for which you
never acknowledged your mistake. Instead, you tried just saying "buy a new one", which was also
explained as not possible at any price, as air-cooled examples are no longer manufactured new: that
double-down attempt means you make two mistakes instead of just one.
Post by Thomas E.That's my car, a year newer. But nothing will appease your compulsion to find fault.
Who started it in this thread, Tommy? Hint: see "tiny display", above.
And FYI, I'm not being critical of the Honda Accord, but just how you seem to think that it is the
epitome of a comfortable (luxurious) ride whereas its merely just a nice all-around performer.
Plus it doesn't hurt to be able to claim reliability/etc, when one flips into a new one every ~3 years.
And time will tell if you'll keep your 2022 example until after 2025, or be flipping it yet again.
You are aware that if you lay out a long-term financial strategy you need to have detailed records
to track how well you are performing?
Of course, and I even know that this tracking is commonly called a "budget" /s.
Post by Thomas E.I do, in Quicken.
So let's look at this a different way. From January 2002 to today We bought 7 cars. Complete records are in Quicken.
It probably even looks something like this, but with dollars added:
Tommy's Cars:
11/18/2003, 2001 Honda Accord EXL, Used, 140,000
12/22/2012, 2011, Honda Accord EXL, Used, 85,000
3/30/2015, 2015, Honda Civic EXL, New, 50,000
3/12/19, 2019, Honda Insight Touring, New, 42,000
12/31/2021, 2022, Honda Accord Hybrid Touring, New, 22,000
Wife's Cars:
6/2/2004, 2003, Toyota Highlander, Used, 125,000
3/19/2015, 2015, Honda CRV EXL, New, 81,000
Post by Thomas E.Total cost was 2.9% of total gross income since 2002.
2001 Honda Accord EXL $21K MSRP; Used less; figure -25% = $16K
2011, Honda Accord EXL ... $23K MSRP; Used less; figure -25% = $17K
2003, Toyota Highlander ... $24K MSRP; Used less; figure -25% = $18K
2015, Honda CRV EXL .. $28K MSRP
2015 Honda Civic EXL .. $23K MSRP
2019 Honda Insight Touring .. $29K MSRP
2022 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring .. $29K MSRP, but with "almost no depreciation" on the Insight, <$5K net
Assuming no MSRP discounts and trades averaging $3K each (because 'still running'), the
quick parameterized upper limit estimate is: 16+17+18+28+23+29+5-(4*3) = $124K.
Now $124K/0.029 = $4,275K gross over 20 years .. ~$214K/yr gross before taxes, SS, Medcare, self-
employment additions, 401k and IRA deductions. For a dual income white collar working couple, that's
pretty average.
Post by Thomas E.Records are in Quicken and tax returns.
That's 1/3 of vacation spending, ...
So $127K times 3, divided by 20 years = $19K/yr average. Nashton would be jealous /s
Post by Thomas E.... less than groceries, about the same as utilities and home improvements, and a lot less than
charitable giving. Records are in Quicken. Those numbers and others like it reflect our personal priorities.
But of course it is all your choice.
Post by Thomas E.And, over that period we increased net worth by almost 4.5x, grew income, and were debt free from 2003 onward.
The SP500 since 2002 has gone from ~875 to ~4700, which is 5.3x growth, but this doesn't
include making additional contributions. A quick spin using the below web tool...
<https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator>
indicates that a $1M starting point with $2K/mo additions only needs to compound at 6.5% APR to
hit that 4.5x number.
Naturally, annual 401k contribution limits are higher than $24K/yr for self-employed, as well as
for dual-income couples, which merely means that for those who have 'maxed', meeting the same
benchmark is accomplished with a lower overall average compounding rate. For example, at $4K/mo,
it is less than 5.25% APR.
Post by Thomas E.As I stated before the Insight trade incurred almost no depreciation on that car. Also, we did buy
used cars until 2015. All part of the plan to get to where we could afford new. It helped.
Bottom line if we now want to buy a new car every three years we can afford it, and still have
money for vacations, charitable giving and keep groceries in the house. The house we own.
Well technically, the house our trust owns.
As was said, "... well, gosh golly, "Good For You!"" .. but it is still hypocritical of you to work into
into your late 70s despite buying used cars into your lat 60s to try to berate another by saying
that their own financial situation "... is probably more based on necessity than frugality."
Post by Thomas E.You are perfectly free to keep your car with an expensive and tiny retrofit CarPlay screen
as long as you like. You must love that old 911 to spend that kind of money on it.
Honestly, it was not my plan for it to have become an appreciating asset...but it has:
the last time I checked market values for insurance, it was worth more than 4x what I paid for it.
Post by Thomas E.Our priorities may be different.
Of course they are ... yet that hasn't stopped you from trying to criticize others' choices.
-hh
