| Jul122007 | Taking care of business |
For those that don’t know, I don’t own a car.
I’d like to own a car but really, I don’t need one. Worst case scenario: I might spend $50 on cab fare if I go out on both a Friday and a Saturday night. It has never happened.
The weird thing about not owning a car and not living in New York City is that save money. I watch as the balance in my bank accounts climb and I think, “Hey! At this rate, I could afford a car.”
This is the definitive proof of how I know I don’t need a car at the moment: I feel like I should buy a car but it’s so expensive. When anyone suggests I buy a cheap used car, suddenly I don’t want one. I just want that new car feel. I want to own a big chunk of metal that I can hug in the morning provided no-one is looking.
To that end, I have a chart:
Figure 1. Jack owning a new Golf GTI vs. owning a new MacBook Pro
Why the Golf GTI? I don’t understand it either. I had a crush on the car when I first met one and now I just see the words “German”, “hot hatch” and “Audi gearbox” float around my head like sugarplum fairies. And yes, I know word on the street is that these things are built in Mexico. For some reason that doesn’t sway me.
First point: initially, I would be overjoyed at owning a new car. But because I am a huge nerd, I would experience similar levels of joy by owning a new laptop with all the shiny bells and whistles. Let me just say that this boy needs some Windows virtualization in his world.
Second, my years on this Earth have taught me that buying shit doesn’t really keep me happy. I mean, it’s nice to own shiny things but it’s people and experiences that mark all the important moments of joy in my life. I might get the occasional thrill doing 75mph in a 60 zone but it’s not going to make me start dedicating sonnets to Volkswagen.
Third, I have no use for a car at the moment. This may change drastically in the short term if I suddenly started, say, dating girls who lived on the east side and demanded to be chauffeured everywhere but I don’t believe this will happen. Like, ever. All I will use this car for is to drive to work when I just can’t be stuffed waiting for a bus or maybe driving to Home Depot to buy a pot plant. I don’t really need wheels.
And the elephant in the room is of course: money. After factoring in taxes, government charges, a year’s worth of parking space rental and a year’s worth of insurance, this damn car could cost me around $35,000. Ok sure I could make some of that back when I eventually sell it but still. It’s not like cars gain worth over time, especially not the way I drive. A new laptop would be a tenth of the cost, nuff said.
| More? |
|
