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You keep forgetting other scenarios - someone who works remotely and can just take Uber when he needs to go somewhere during the weekend.

In fact, my son started working at a pizza place before he had his driver's license. It was cheaper to pay Uber $350 a month than his current car note + car insurance.

Just to give you a hint about "affordability", we paid $335K in 2016 to have our house built - 3100 square feet - in the "good school system" in the burbs of a major metropolitan area.




$350 a month would cover a $22ish thousand car loan. I know the used car market is a bit absurd right now but I think you're being a bit excessive


You're forgetting about how much car insurance is for an 18 year old male. Car insurance alone is $200+/month for a new driver.

https://www.valuepenguin.com/18-year-old-car-insurance.

It's slightly cheaper bundled with a parent's insurance.


Are you getting screwed over for how much liability your state requires you to carry? The insurance on my $0 value dodge neon in 2012 AFTER a fender bender was $400 a year, because it was on my mom's plan, and had $0 of coverage for my car and only the minimum liability required by the state (which is a reasonable amount).

All of my high school friends have the same experience as I do, a car with near zero value, and no collision coverage, just liability, and paid similarly dirt cheap rates. My friend had coverage on his old dodge van for $120 a year.

My car insurance on my nearly new car is actually double the price, despite me now being significantly older than 18, because I pay for coverage so I could repair it if it gets in an accident.

Consider switching insurances?


> just get the state minimum for liability!

This is absolutely terrible advice in almost all circumstances. I am curious, what you consider a reasonable amount? People in California with the state minimum end up with $5,000 worth of property damage liability. Hope you have the remaining $75,000 sitting around when you accidentally run into a nice car.


The era of kids driving old hand-me-down cars is over. Now at 16 you need a $85k SUV or why even bother!


Well, seeing that my (step)son is six foot 3 and couldn't even fit in my car at the time -- a Chevy Sonic -- that wasn't an option.

Also car insurance for a teenage male ain't cheap...

https://www.valuepenguin.com/18-year-old-car-insurance

Not to mention that the old car needs maintenance and repairs.




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