Early-retirement wannabe

JoeEngland

kidmugsy wrote: »

Once upon a time German cars were better built than the alternatives.

But the reliability tables have for years told a different tale.

I've seen a few BMWs and Mercs broken down on the motorway hard shoulder, but my Focus is still going strong!

michaels

uk1 wrote: »

As it happens I have an extremely expensive German car with personalised number plates which my wife told me to buy as the only major self-indulgent reward for taking the risky and stressful decision to leave the safety of a decent salary to specutively start what turned out to be a succesful business. I am certainly not keeping any score of anything. When you leave a salary and have a family who are relying on you and start a business you cannot countenance the luxury of failing. It wasn't an option. In fact the business was profitable in month 2.

I don't have a competitive bone in my body so was driven not by any competerive drive. In fact it was the lack of a competitive drive that I think made me feel I wasn't suited to corporate life. I also felt that I was unemployable and was simply bored and hated not being in control of my destiny and wanted a more secure and better funded and more certain future doing interesting work with clients I chose and liked. My wife felt the previous job was killing me and that starting a business would be less stressful. I knew it was the right decision to leave when all my colleagues told me I would fail as I was starting a business that would be providing a service that had so far never been offered and their take was that as no one else was doing it, this proved that there was no market and my take was that there was a clear market with no competition.

Our criteria for success was to be able to gain some specific clients I wanted to work with and make enough cash to retire extremely early and comfortably. When we started I told my wife if we failed the worst that would happen is that we would live in a mobile home until I found a job and started again. In fact as soon as we had saved enough to retire early well - it took 15 years - we stopped.

Not everyone who has a German car (or as wifey a Swedish one ...) with personalised number plates is competitive and unhappy. .

I can see that if one were to spend a lot of time in ones car that the difference in comfort between an expensive one and a cheap one might be worth it if one had enough money to meet all ones other material desires. For me being slightly more comfortable for the 2 hours max I spend in a car is worth much less than other things I could spend the extra 5k depreciation on but I would have to be pretty rich indeed for this trade off to change.

However unless the number plate was an investment I can not see how it could ever bring me any utility.

Techno

Beloved keeps rabbitting on about getting a rather too expensive car with Rover in the title when our lump sums come in but why? They are no more reliable than our equivalent Nissan and probably not much more comfortable, he prefers mountain bikes and I don't care as long as it gets us from A to B. However, each to his or her own - it is (if we can afford it) a personal choice how we save or spend our money and no-one should feel they have to defend that choice to anyone else (well except for their spouse of course )

bugslet

michaels wrote: »

I can see that if one were to spend a lot of time in ones car that the difference in comfort between an expensive one and a cheap one might be worth it if one had enough money to meet all ones other material desires. For me being slightly more comfortable for the 2 hours max I spend in a car is worth much less than other things I could spend the extra 5k depreciation on but I would have to be pretty rich indeed for this trade off to change.

However unless the number plate was an investment I can not see how it could ever bring me any utility.

I spent two years doing 2500 miles a week, and the vans I drove I found very comfortable. Having since driven BMWs and Volvos, I think any increases comfort that a more expensive car may bring is mostly notional. Tbh, I'd rather drive a Renault Master van over a big Merc.

Edit to say I'm fine with whatever anyone wants to drive BTW, just picking up on the comfort point.

kidmugsy

My most recent journeys in a Merc and a Beamer were uncomfortable; serious lack of headroom and not enough leg room either. Also a bit of squirming required to get in and out. OK for squirts who are still fairly young, I dare say.

At least they didn't sport vanity plates.

OldMusicGuy

I am a petrolhead and I blew some of my money on a classic car before I retired. Paid 29K for it 4 years ago.

It's now worth between 40 to 50K. Now where's the utility in that.....? :rotfl:

Bravepants

DairyQueen wrote: »

So, we have established that you are a a hypocrite.

I pay taxes too. And by holding shares I share in the funding of companies.

Fact 2... why do you assume , high-mindedly, that all public sector organisations operate 'in the public good'.

I made no such assumption.

MallyGirl

DH is a bit of a petrol head and has something very nippy - although he was very upset when he had to buy an auto as they didn't make a manual version any more. He actually uses the paddles to change gear - I didn't think any one bothered with them!
I drive a big thing with Rover in the name but it has to fit the best part of 80kg of dogs in the boot and there was very little choice at that point. Have had it 5 years and it still feels as new as the day we got it (nearly new). It has loads of leg and headroom (am tall) and it doesn't have silly sports seats that are really uncomfortable if you have a few curves.
I have factored quite a lot of car costs into the retirement plan. The dog van will either be gone or converted into a camper by then.

JoeEngland

kidmugsy wrote: »

My most recent journeys in a Merc and a Beamer were uncomfortable; serious lack of headroom and not enough leg room either. Also a bit of squirming required to get in and out. OK for squirts who are still fairly young, I dare say.

At least they didn't sport vanity plates.

I'd better resist the urge to recount the joke about BMW drivers!

uk1

Good Evening all ...

A few general comments not directed at any particular post but general observations mostly intended to encourage those that are so disheartened by employment to seriously consider making the move to self-employment or even part-time self employment if it is feasible or practical ... Not everyone is cut out for it or want it but I believe that many are and hold back from making the jump or even partial step - who should really be a bit more adventurous and give it a try.

If you ever have had that idea in the back of your mind you felt would work and of something to do, then seize the day if you can. It is better doing that than grumbling about work every day, or indeed deriving some sort of satisfaction out of denigrating succesful people that enjoy some of the fruits of the risk that they took or even the specific purchases they have made .... I didn't need the German car, I simply wanted it. And most of my tastes are pretty rustic.

It is really important to work out what is the very worst that can happen to you - in my case it would have been selling a decent house and living in a mobile home - when the upside both healthwise and wealthwise can be great. Most people are capable of more than they think they can if the incentive is great enough. The difference it makes is often moving from being being a person without any control of their destiny and who has to focus on simply satisfying needs on a day to day basis instead of fullfiling the dream of self-determination and aspiration and wants as well as satisfying those important needs.