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The funny thing about shiny things is that after you have them for a month or two, they suddenly don't seem so shiny anymore. But the bills the shiny thing generated will keep coming for years after the shine has worn off.
My wife and I had the same issues for a lot of our married lives (22 years and counting) and it's only been in the last several years we've really gotten over it. Now we have a family budget, we stick to it, and we doggedly pursue net-worth growth every month, either through extra debt payments or savings contributions.
The best thing I can recommend for anyone with debt and spending issues is to read David Chilton's books, The Wealthy Barber and The Wealthy Barber Returns. There's a lot of practical wisdom there. And I like David because he lives what he preaches.
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And for fun, at the extreme end of the scale (with more humour and swearing!): http://mrmoneymustache.com/
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the key is not to be Mr ghandi, but rather to maximize value out of what you spend, for a comfy balance.
ofc, everyone knows this, you dont need me to tell you this. but knowing vs doing is a world apart in difference
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read 'em and weep
The numbers are in, and it's grim for the subcompact segment.
Here's my 2015 round-up from the Micra monthly sales thread:
Quote:
How did Micra compare to other small cars in 2015 (2014)?
- Hyundai Accent ... 19,371 (23,173)
- Nissan Micra ... 11,909 (7815 (8.5 months sales))
- Kia Rio ... 9761 (13,952)
- Nissan Versa (sedan & Note) ... 9120 (13,314)
- Honda Fit ... 9088 (11,732)
- Toyota Yaris ... 8196 (8530)
- Ford Fiesta ... 5646 (9312)
- Mini Cooper ... 5638 (3278* (estimated; missing Dec. sales))
- Mitsubishi Mirage ... 3361 (4048)
- Toyota Prius C ... 3029 (2776)
- Fiat 500 ... 2955 (5566)
- Chevrolet Spark ... 1561 (1577)
- Mazda 2 ... 761 -- cancelled this year -- (2449)
- Smart ForTwo ... 716 (2550)
- Scion iQ ... 277 -- cancelled this year -- (315)
Those numbers paint a harsh picture for almost every model... except for Micra, Mini and Prius C.
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Those numbers aren't good. Hyundai came out the winner tho? Maybe I was wrong and the segment is starting to flop.
I gotta ask.. What are people buying?
Well. Good on them. The accent is a good car. It has been around for a while so it has built up some rep.
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if i believe what my eyes keep seeing + what i read on TTAC?
more SUVs and trucks :(
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crossovers!
"Crossovers" are THE hot segment.
Ironically: many of them are basically jacked up sub/compact hatchbacks. With worse aero, worse fuel economy, worse handling, worse safety (more prone to rollovers) than the sub/compacts they're based on.
The only advantage is they're easy for old people to get in & out of.
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Yeah, I hear that. Im not interested in these vehicles at all. Kinda like the juke.. Its a micra in high heels. Actually. There is more to it then that. But thats what it feels like inside. 4x4 micra.
Case in point, the new chevy trax. Ever been in one, they arent that big. About the same interior space as a chevy cruze. Albeit You sit more as if you were in a chair with your legs down as opposed to having your legs out in front.
Small SUV's again seem to be leading the front of sales.
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If I'm not mistaken, the littlest Chevy SUV thing is based in the Sonic/Aveo chassis. Another jacked up hatchback.
"High heels" = funny!
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One word explains all of this; CAFE
Scroll down to the part about "Overview of CAFE", and how the calculations have changed since 2011, and that will explain why you don't see any regular cab pick ups being sold, or any incentive to have small vehicles. We worry about safety so build bigger cars instead of maybe, say, driving in a more safe manner? (What a concept!) I want to be safe when I'm texting while driving!
Then there's cheap Gas will always equal sales of larger vehicles, because as North Americans, we can hardly think past tomorrow.
Most North Americans buy the vehicle they need for the 2% of the time, not the 98% of the time. We've kind of played into it too, especially in BC, where I spend more on Insurance in one month than I spend on gas in 4 months for the car (unblemished record for 24 years, no accidents, and absolutely no extra coverage, totally basic, except for $2,000,000 liability), so the incentive to have 2 cars is diminished, so you get the larger one.
