As you’ve probably read – and it’s true – used car asking prices have gone bananas. On average, they are up some 30-40 percent vs. about two years ago this time, not coincidentally on account of what came into office around that time.
This rise in used car prices – which usually go down, because they are used cars – has led to a paradoxical situation in that their prices now approach those of new cars – which in many cases cannot be purchased because they don’t exist (on account of the supply chain disruptions engineered by the thing that gait-ataxia’d into office). On the other hand, used car prices are now so high that many people simply cannot afford to buy them anymore – and not just because they cost so much.
So does the money, if you haven’t got it.
It has always cost more to finance a used car because it wasn’t new – and for that reason had less expected life in it. Because it had already depreciated (lost value) significantly vs. what it was worth (sold for) when it was new. Accordingly, interest rates were (and are) higher on used car loans and the duration of the loan usually shorter – the latter being a necessity, from the lender’s point-of-view, because a used car’s value will usually reach that dangerous event horizon of being less than the balance due on the loan, sooner. Ergo, there is more of an incentive for the person making payments on a used car to stop making those payments, if they go on for too long – and walk away from the debt albatross around his neck.
And thus, an incentive to not issue such loans in the first place. 
The same is true now – only even more so – because of the unprecedented rise in the asking prices of used cars, which don’t cost any less to finance. And which, by dint of those higher prices, a growing number of buyers can no longer afford to finance at those higher interest rates and shorter loan durations, which can make the monthly payments even higher than they would be on a longer-duration new car loan.
Historically speaking, one of the great boons of buying used was being able to pay cash – and not just because it mean no debt. Being in a position to show a wad sufficient to buy the car outright served as an incentive to the seller to part with his car; it made “getting a deal” easier for the buyer.
Cash talks.
But how many people can come up with say $10,000 in cash to buy a used car from a private seller? Probably not many. Those who can’t must buy from a dealer – who will finance the sale. And the seller who cannot find a buyer with $10,000 must also go to the dealer, to sell what most potential buyers can’t afford to buy anymore.
The dealer then marks up the used car and finances it at an extortionate rate to a buyer who cannot afford a new car – which is even more expensive, assuming it’s even available for buying.
The good news here – kinda sorta – is that it can’t go on. Meaning, the asking prices of used cars cannot continue to increase because there is a limit imposed by the ability of people to buy (and finance) them.
The bad news is that the prices of used cars are not likely to go down – because the prices of new cars will continue to go up. Irrespective of people’s ability to buy them.
One of the chief drivers of this being the force-feeding of electric cars (and partially electric cars) onto the “market,” via the enforced manufacturing of them, absent a market. Government is immune from market discipline. It – rather, those minions who are the government, including the head minion, that thing which took office about two years ago – simply decree and enforce. The car companies have no choice. They cannot lower prices of the cars they sell when the government continues to impose costs, via regulations and “standards” that must be complied with, period.
The most expensive of these being those pertaining to what are styled “emissions” (which aren’t, except in the sense that they are “emitted” – as distinct from polluting or causing harm) which all-but-require a mass conversion of the new car fleet to electric cars and partially electric cars that cost thousands of dollars more than non-electric cars. People won’t be able to afford these, either – especially given the thing’s devaluation of the buying power of their increasingly less valuable dollars.
This means demand for used cars will increase. It certainly won’t decrease much – if at all.
Because will be – there already are – fewer of them available. Because those who have them know the value of what they’ve got and are not interested in selling – even at today’s (and likely, tomorrow’s) astoundingly high prices.
It is like the child’s game of musical chairs. The music has stopped and those who found a seat aren’t going to give theirs up. And for exactly that reason, those left standing aren’t likely to find a place to sit.
All courtesy of the thing that gait-ataxia’d its way into office, with a little help from a few thousand mules.
. . .
Got a question about cars, bikes or anything else? Click on the “ask Eric” link and send ’em in! Or email me directly at EPeters952@yahoo.com if the @!** “ask Eric” button doesn’t work!
If you like what you’ve found here please consider supporting EPautos.
We depend on you to keep the wheels turning!
Our donate button is here.
If you prefer not to use PayPal, our mailing address is:
EPautos
721 Hummingbird Lane SE
Copper Hill, VA 24079
PS: Get an EPautos magnet or sticker or coaster in return for a $20 or more one-time donation or a $10 or more monthly recurring donation. (Please be sure to tell us you want a magnet or sticker or coaster – and also, provide an address, so we know where to mail the thing!)
My eBook about car buying (new and used) is also available for your favorite price – free! Click here. If that fails, email me at EPeters952@yahoo.com and I will send you a copy directly!
It’s a sad thing that most Americans are so economically hobbled, they cannot come up with 10,000$. This looks like the subprime lending market of the 05-08 subprime housing market. We know where that ended.
One of my Childs friends signed up for a car loan at 28%. Even as a young E-1 out of jump school I could get a 6-7 % loan from a credit union back then. Its almost as if the lenders and borrowers know it is a fiction, but pretend otherwise. Just like everything else in this fake country where people would rather beleive a pleasant lie than an uncomfortable truth. That being, the freedom of driving is no longer attainable to everyone like it was in our youth.
We might get an epic price collapse if the economy continues its downward spiral. having some cash on hand, ready to deploy if prices crash is a sure win. I have been offered over 20k for my low mile T-bird I purchased a little over a year ago for 13K. Problem is what good is 7k extra $s? I figure I might put it on Turo and make that 7k, renting it out over the summer, and still have the car. Hopefully not much worse for the wear.
Eric: If cars become unaffordable, will American roads resemble those of Cuba. Home made cars, black market hacks like small diesel motors gerry rigged to work. Like a scene out of Blade Runner or Mad Max. Your thoughts.
The difference is, that the US is rich enough to enforce vehicle “safety” standards, a third world nation like Cuba isn’t. Our overlords would never let us find the Cuban solution, we’re not as free as they are in that regard.
Hi Oskar,
We won’t know until we see – cuing Nancy Pelosi! I suspect that something like Cuba will develop outside the major urban areas, where there is simply too much area (and not enough resources) to enforce a Motor Law. One of the great boons of a collapse is the collapse of authority; we are at that stage now, I think. Cynicism toward government is probably higher than it ever has been. The system cannot maintain control given that for much longer. The danger – as well as the opportunity – will come after the current system falls apart as the old Soviet Union did back in the early ’90s.
That’s a reason that if you have the ability, stay the hell out of the big cities (run mostly by Dummycrats and infested with negroes anyway) and live on at least a small plot of land. Even three or four acres can be, provided there’s adequate WATER, able to sustain a family with a lot of what it needs in terms of vegetables and small livestock. Build not only a barn and/or coop or pen for your animals, but also an “out-building” where you’ve got room to work, and set up a SHOP. Although likely you’ll be connected to the local power grid, have a diesel generator on-hand for when it fails (“brownouts”). Acquire skills to grow your own food, raise your livestock for meat and/or hides/fur/feathers, and preserve your produce and meat (canning/jerkying/dehydration). Have at least one sidearm per adult, and a shotgun, a carbine, and a traditional rifle. Learn how to RE-LOAD ammo; it’s not hard and it stretches out your ammo supply.
As for automobiles, better to have several; including one truck that parts are plentiful for. Get a DIESEL ‘Benz, preferably from the 70s or 80s, as they were smog-exempt, even in the People’s Republic of Commiefornia, and can run on biodiesel if you can get it. If you bought a care NEW, KEEP it unless it’s patently unsuitable for your needs or an outright lemon. The costliest mile you drive is the one out of the dealership’s lot. So, since you’ve ALREADY taken the hit on a new ride, stretch it out as long as you can maintain that car and it’s suitable for your NEEDS. Don’t ‘dicker’ or “kick the tires”, car salesmen are well-training in pressure tactics to close a deal, hey, it’s how they earn their daily bread! Like most industries that live off sales, car dealers have all manners of schemes to “churn” transactions. And since about 80% (probably at least 85 percent if not closer to NINETY now) of car sales are of USED cars, yes, ALL car dealers sell “used” cars. Also remember that in most states, sales TAX on automobiles is a significant revenue source. Why FEED the “beast”? A $30K car, which is NOTHING these days, in Commiefornia will cost you a minimum of $2,475 in sales tax! That’s nearly $2,500! That, along with the huge hit of deprecation, makes buying of cars something that should be AVOIDED until you absolutely NEED a replacement. Be like the late Sam Walton, who drove from his home to Walley World’s worldwide HQ in a ten y.o. Ford pickup.
Most married couples generally own two cars, and that’s been the case for most since the 1970’s. I wonder if those couples will be forced to go back to one car due to the cost of ownership. Some will try to fill the gaps with ride sharing, taxi, bike riding, carpooling, public transit etc. But it’s majorly inconvenient to not have two cars for most lifestyles since most women work outside the home.
I know if we see a lot of that happening, car ownership is probably in very deep trouble. We already see much lower ownership of cars by teens (owned by the teen themselves, not provided by parents).
There is no question the powers that be are slowly removing car ownership from the great unwashed. Some are getting inpatient and moving much faster than in the past.
“…the asking prices of used cars cannot continue to increase because there is a limit imposed by the ability of people to buy (and finance) them.”
You will own nothing and be happy about it.
Good point on the new cars simply not being available. I thought about trading my Nissan Frontier in on a Maverick, but those seem to be more of a theoretical construct than a pickup you can actually go buy.
Does that Frontier run well? Does it meet your needs? If the answer to both is YES, trading in a usable truck is a WASTE of the depreciation that you’ve already suffered on it. Drive it until the wheels fall off.
The greatest cause of financial difficulties is the inability to distinguish between needs versus wants. I’ve done it too, and learned bitter lessons in money over it.
Ordinarily, I’d never think of trading it. But with used prices inflated, gas expensive, and serious availability questions in the future, the temptation to get while the getting is good is hard to resist.
debt slavery
used, new doesn’t matter. the point is to get you to owe.
if you owe, you can never be free
Used car prices are way up, but stock prices are starting to crash…..
‘Build Bears Bigger’ – S&P 500 Plunges 20% From Record Highs
from zh comments
The S&P was around 700 when QE started 14 years ago, and even after the recent “correction”, the S&P is still over 3800–a 550%+ increase. The 30-something jackasses who think a 20% down move means we are at the bottom are in for a big surprise.
If it goes down 80% you will be crawling in garbage periodically kicked by mobsters and criminals. More than half of healthy population will be unemployed, without access to food and water. 50% down is possible but taking into account that so much has been printed already and will be soon it may not even reach that level.
Pension funds are about to start blowing up like a string of firecrackers.
So print another $4 Trillion and bail them out. No problem.
Then the problem becomes the 50%+ inflation.
No way out. Game over, man.
Ruble just hit 7 year high. Pozsar was right again about the commodities backed currencies. Powell will not have the same options as before to start QE. Watch the dollar collapse if he does and take everything with it through hyperinflation: the faith in the dollar as a stable reserve currency is crumbling.
As much as I despise Jellyfish Jerome, Helicopter Ben was the one who thought the Fed should be the institution to manage the economy and ruined it in the process.
Good video to see why there are so many shortages right now. Productive work is being destroyed in this country due to Federal Reserve policies to promote speculation in housing and stocks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyq2963BlsI
The “wealth effect” is in reverse. Next up for a shellacking: Main Street.
Prices of most houses and all full sized pickups & SUVs in particular will crater. The cost of gasoline, food, insurance, clothing, electricity and natural gas, and other consumer basics will continue to inflate up and up. Used boats, RVs, and other hard-to-store-and-maintain energy-intensive recreational toys will be worth next to nothing. Interest rates on credit cards, HELOCs, mortgages, and debt of all kinds will continue to go up. Employment will go down, wages will go nowhere. The cost of living will go up as the quality of life (in material terms) goes down.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/build-bears-bigger-sp-500-plunges-20-record-highs
Wow. The 3:30 rip to flat at the close was pure PPT action. Like clockwork.
Knock, knock, knockin’ on Heaven’s door, just like so many times before…
Hi Anon
The PPP is having problems this year keeping this fraud market inflated, one opinion is it will crash right through to october 2022. The perma bears are finally making money, the perma bulls are road kill….hahaha….lol….
The bears made money from 2009 until 2021, the market went almost straight up, now the bears are making money….hahaha…..the real estate market the same thing, stepping off the cliff….haha.
The only no bubble over sold market is gold and silver, hammered, shorted, beaten down through fraud, every day for years and years by criminal banksters (if gold goes way up people will freak out, the canary in the coal mine),
….. gold and gold mining shares are the best, more leverage….in this 2022 selloff they have been a safe haven
GLD the gold miner’s etf up 3.5% since dec 15 2021,
In 2022:
SLV the silver miner’s etf down 7%
gold up 1.5% in 2022
sp 500 down 18%
nasdaq down 27%
russel 2000 down 21%
bitcoin down 36%
bonds…BOND the bond etf down 11%
treasuries….iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF down 20%
…this is supposed to be the safest investment…haha
real estate:
an example……in two months average sale prices declined $70,720, or 8.65%. That means buyers in February who put 8% or less down may well have slipped into negative equity by the end of April, owing more than the home was worth.
And let’s not forget that a drop of 8.65% in sixty days is equivalent to an annual decline of 52%. Ouch.
Gold and the gold miners are the best investment this year…
GOLD AS CHEAP TODAY AS IN 1971 AT $35
Finally my favourite chart which shows that gold is a cheap today relative to US money supply as in 1971 when the price was $35 and in 2000 when gold was $290…
https://goldswitzerland.com/gold-as-cheap-today-as-in-1971-at-35/
Hi Anon,
One of the things I like about silver and gold is that it is extremely improbable they will ever become worthless – as is both probable and probably inevitable with regard to digital currency, which can be created in unlimited amounts and represents no other value except that which people are willing to ascribe to it. Gold and silver cannot be (short of alchemy) produced in unlimited amounts, which is an inherent value stabilizer. Also, these metals have real value because they are precious metals. They are real, too – as opposed to the digits representing digital currency.
Hi Eric
Oil is the best investment this year…..iPath Pure Beta Crude Oil ETN is up 33% this year, (up 46% since august 2021), you should have bought this to offset your huge gas bill, everybody should have bought this……instead they kept their rapidly dropping stocks, real estate and crypto…lol….
….. gold and gold mining shares are the 2nd best, the shares have more leverage….in this 2022 selloff they have been a safe haven
GLD the gold miner’s etf up 3.5% since dec 15 2021,
https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=OIL
Oil is the best investment this year…..iPath Pure Beta Crude Oil ETN is up 33% this year,
Longer term….iPath Pure Beta Crude Oil ETN up 380% since march 2020, nasdaq is up 78% since march 2020, SLV the silver etf is up 87% since march 2020, bitcoin up 660% since march 2020, at today’s price, GLD the gold etf is up 23% since march 2020
bitcoin up 660% since march 2020…this is the real reason for all the fake news, fake numbers, distorted facts, constant demonizing, slandering, paid well trolls/haters, 24/7 365 hate campaign against bitcoin, they are scared of that giant sucking sound of fiat flying into bitcoin, bitcoin market cap now is one trillion dollars….haha, buy the dips BTFD
So the silver etf SLV, bitcoin (the huge huge winner) and oil out performed nasdaq since march 2020, but nobody will tell you that….lol…you will not see this written anywhere else…lol
you should have bought the oil etf to offset your huge gas bill, everybody should have bought this……instead they kept their rapidly dropping stocks, real estate and crypto (not bitcoin)…lol….
actually since march 2020 they should have bought bitcoin….lol
….. gold and gold mining shares are the 2nd best this year, the shares have more leverage….in this 2022 selloff they have been a safe haven
GLD the gold miner’s etf up 3.5% since dec 15 2021, a lot better then bitcoin or the stock market….
.iPath Pure Beta Crude Oil ETN up 380% since march 2020, crude up 547% since march 2020 low, but gas only up 145% since 2020,you are getting off light, not for long….haha….gas going higher…..
in a lot of places 90% of electricity comes from burning hydro carbons too, so electricity going way higher….kiss mobility goodbye….remember EV’s only get 25 mpg in reality….haha
All this does is reveal the outcome of all the fiat money printing….right here….crude up 547% since march 2020 low, more fake printing press running wide open money required to buy a barrel of oil….haha….solution…lie and hide it…..
crude up 547% since march 2020 …this is a bloody big problem, it will blow everything up…….
solution: a fake war so you can blame someone else…..haha
https://finviz.com/futures_charts.ashx?t=CL&p=w1
Hi Eric. As I’ve mentioned I also like gold/silver. BUT they have limitations in terms of international trade. Especially in the modern age. I’m certain that a system could be established that would smooth out the rough edges, but how would that benefit those who own the current group of gangs and the central banking cartel? Unless they can get their hooks into it, it would likely never happen. Any establishment system has already been infiltrated and undermined. That is why the hope of the future is distributed and decentralized. I have much more faith in the mathematics and principles involved, than for any of the proxies that are currently paraded around the stage.
I’m always amused by agents of despair, and their endless Prophecies.of Doom™. Their glib surface perceptions of matters that extend far beyond their limited comprehension, is as predictable as it is damaging. They have blinded themselves to the wonders that exist all around us. Instead they fixate on the dark and ugly. They have truly stared much too long into the abyss.
Don’t give in to despair. It is one of the enemies favorite weapons. Keep focused on your own life and family. Make your preparations and always hope for the best.
Hi BJ,
I don’t understand this argument. Was there not international trade when the dollar was tied to silver and gold? So long as a dollar is redeemable in specie it need not be actual specie used to facilitate transactions. Digital currency is incandescently dangerous for all the reasons I’ve laid out.
PS: I’ve not given in to despair. If I had, I would not be here!
Hi Eric. Yes there was, and it worked rather well, given the limitations of the time. But what country in its right mind is going to trust the US or any other major power with the majority of their gold or what ever else is being used for backing? By seizing Russia’s central bank reserves, the Empire demonstrated that it has no respect for the rule of law. Thus, neither it nor any other major power can be trusted. That is why a better system is required. It can’t even be SWIFT, because the Empire has ruined its reputation. That’s why China/Russia/India and their allies have now created their own version. We are moving into a multipolar system. No doubt the Empire (and those behind it) will resist, but given the realities of power, that may not prevent it. For all of those reasons, we can’t simply go back to what worked in the past. I totally understand your reservations about digital. I have many myself. But I suspect that those who actually own the global central banking cartel are going to attempt to foist it upon us. One way or another. Only major bloodshed is likely to stand in their way. Lets hope for the best.
Hi Eric
Have you been here? Original gold bugs….banned from CNBC…lol
http://lemetropolecafe.com
Hi Anon,
I just went there and then went away – after I read the word “investment.” I am defending sound money. I am not looking to “invest” in money. I am not a speculator. I advocate for money that is stable as a means of storing value and honest as a medium of exchange. I think many of us have lost sight of what money is supposed to be – the purpose it ought to serve.
Money can be used to make investments – as in a company or land. But it ought not to be one , as such.
Hi Eric
These guys are hard core gold bugs, as in return to a gold standard, sound money. They are 100% against central banks printing 24/7, destroying your money.
NOTE: The price/value of gold never changes, what changes is the number of printing presses running fiat dollars required to buy one ounce (was in 1900 $20, in 2020 $1800)
The Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA) Bill has led the fight against gold market, and other precious metals market manipulation since 1999.
The gold price is suppressed, held down so people don’t think their dollars are becoming more and more worthless, gold is the canary in the coal mine. This job number one 24/7 365 for central bank banksters. This is important, if people were aware a return to the gold standard would be quicker….
In December of 2009 brought suit against the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, seeking a court order for disclosure of the central bank’s records of its surreptitious market intervention to suppress the monetary metal’s price. The Fed paid GATA $2,870 for illegally withholding a document sought by GATA.
In December of 2009 brought suit against the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, who else do you know that has taken legal action against the banksters?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf5JLVefhZk
Hi Eric
What’s Up With Gold?
Remember, gold is for long term wealth preservation and not for short term speculation. Owning gold sets you free from the destructive money debasement policies of central bankers and centrally planned governments. And owning gold will be especially important when the dollar turns later this year – if it didn’t already turn this week.
You see, the U.S. economy is entering a recession. In fact, it may already be in one. U.S. GDP shrank by 1.4 percent during the first-quarter of 2022. The stock market, sensing the weakness, is in full meltdown.
With this backdrop, Fed Chair Jay Powell is staring down a difficult choice. Continue to hike interest rates in the face of a recession? Or reverse course, support financial markets, and let inflation run?
What will he do? We anticipate he’ll do both…
The Fed will likely hike rates another 50 basis points following the June FOMC meeting. It needs to put on a show of strength to restore any semblance of credibility after boofing it so hard with its “inflation is transitory” shtick.
By mid-summer, however, it will be clear the U.S. economy is in a recession. The Fed will then pause its rate hikes, and then start cutting rates.
Under this scenario, the dollar will turn from sirloin to bottom round. This is when gold will really shine.
If you recall, the last time the dollar was this strong – back in 2002 – an ounce of gold cost about $320. Over the next nine years, an ounce of gold, priced in dollars, increased by 490 percent to about $1,900.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/whats-gold
Nothing wrong with have precious metals like gold and silver as a hedge against inflation.
That being said, you can’t EAT a gold bar or silver ingots. True wealth consists of the following:
LAND – enough to sustain you and your family, and, beyond that, enough to give a degree of PRIVACY and AUTONOMY.
SHELTER – a home that’s enough to live in, but not so ostentatious that it empties your wallet.
WATER – your property should have a well, even if there’s municipal service. Also, although most rural properties have a septic system, if you’re connected to a municipal sewage system, you might have to figure out a contingency plan in case SHTF.
FOOD – not only the land necessary to grow vegetables, fruit trees where they can grow, and livestock, but canned and dry foods, rotated and stored in controlled conditions where possible. Read the old Pat Frank novel, “Alas Babylon”, which treats the subject of how a family gets by when nuclear holocaust hits the world, in Central Florida, ca. 1960.
EQUIPMENT – tools, hardware, and spare parts to keep your property, vehicle(s), and person maintained. Includes FIREARMS.
FACILITIES – Barn(s), Coop(s), Corral(s), Pen(s), Garage(s), Out-Buildings and other facilities beyond your house, as needed.
SKILLS – You have to know how to fix and maintain things. When SHTF, you won’t necessarily be able to just “call the guy”. Also, if your skills are marketable, you can BARTER. Again, read “Alas Babylon”, the Bragg family and their neighbors that banded together for survival did carry on trade with their local town folk (based on Mt. Dora, FL). And, of course, even if things don’t go utterly to hell, you’ll keep more dough in your pocket if you shift for yourself, and you’ll have the satisfaction of Self-reliance.
HEALTH – None of what I’ve listed means anything if you’re sick, and if SHTF, what was once treatable can be FATAL Again, read “Alas Babylon”, and how, for example, a sixty-ish woman, not in terrible health but suffering from diabetes and needing insulin that required refrigeration, died within two weeks of “The Day”, since her insulin ran out and there was no electricity to refrigerate it even if she could have gotten it. The time to get yourself into as good a shape as you can of your own efforts is YESTERDAY, so start anyway. Just as important is MENTAL health…you have to be cool under pressure and able to “roll with the punches”. Life can be tough but often that proves who IS tough. Be one of the “tough”! And lastly, SMILE. Every day that you’re not taking that “dirt nap” is an OPPORTUNITY to do good for yourself and your loved ones, and take time to enjoy the simple pleasures. Like most aircraft, your “attitude” will indeed determine your “altitude”.
Well-said, Douglas –
We are well along on most of those (have well, have land, have equipment/skills; coop/stored food, etc.) We want to get a few cows and are working toward that. My main action items at the moment are adding a hand-operated (manual) pitcher pump and some solar to provide enough power to power lights, recharge tools and keep the computers working. I’m having to study up on this, having no experience. But I plan to acquire it!
There are many sources re: “off-the-grid” living, space prevents me from any of my usual lengthy soliloquies. The only thing I could add, and it’s very unfortunate that I feel the need to even mention it, is…BE DISCRETE. Too many busybodies and “Gubmint” snoops out there that target folks into “prepping” or any manner of independent, PROVIDENT living. It’s another symptom of de facto tyrannical rule by these control freaks, and they always profess benevolent motives, like “combatting ‘racism’ “, or “saving the planet”…but in the end, it’s about CONTROL, they want to exert it over myself and YOU, and once they’ve acquired even a smidge of political power, not only do they fight fang, nail, and claw to retain it, but the inevitable overreach happens…they don’t stop, and forget about “Rule of Law.” The Founders were wise in setting up what they THOUGHT would stay a LIMITED Central Government, subservient to the several states and the PEOPLE that HIRED it, but, well, we know how that’s worked out.
In the meantime, the best policy is to “fly under the radar” and keep up with the transition to a lifestyle that’s less dependent on others. Not simply for SHTF, but for also a sense of self-satisfaction…and FREEDOM. One is truly free if he doesn’t have to worry about making the next month’s rent, or where the food that’s getting overpriced is coming from, or will he be able to keep his ride running, and so on. While no man is an island, nor does he have to be some small country that has the misfortune to lay on a natural invasion route between belligerents who are, well…BELLIGERENT.
Sell Us Your Car
The words on the sign at the local GM dealership. Will Work For Food, ’bout the same.
At another dealership, a paved lot that was filled with new pickups sits empty.
The Dodge dealership is now parking vehicles with more space between each one.
‘There’s a sucker born every minute.” – David Hannum
It was not P. T. Barnum who said those words.
The mask cultists are the world’s biggest suckers ever to breathe air. Next in line are the warmunists, it is the coldest spring I’ve ever seen in these parts, not one day in the eighties, not one day in the nineties, it is definitely a cool down, the weather says so.
You’re a sucker if you believe in global warming due to carbon emissions by those evil humans. Ain’t happening here. It is 33 degrees and snowing, just miserable weather. Fools never learn.
Why do anything?
Can’t drive, too expensive.
You can’t sell, what will you drive? You can’t buy, too much money for what you are going to get. You’re stuck with the vehicle you have, no reason to sell it at all. Just take care of it, change the oil and fluids, buy tires and buy good premium gas.
Diesel and gasoline are in sub-orbital flight above the thermosphere, gas costs an arm, diesel, a leg.
Stop consuming 1 million gallons of bunker fuel to ignite the power plant to run non-stop for days on cruise ships.
The navies in this world can stop churning ocean waters, stop burning diesel fuel and park 12 miles off shore and be ready to do some defending. At eight gallons per foot, you need some serious tank capacity. It is done in this world.
Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are exempt.
If you want continuous electricity with very few emissions, build and maintain nuclear power plants. You’ll be cooking with gas with nuclear power.
The special operation in Ukraine needs to stop, all sides need to seek peace, not war. It’s not about the money, it’s about a shitload of money. Putin will gladly sacrifice a 700 million dollar yacht for a good-sized chunk of Ukraine. The yacht costs an arm and a leg to float, Putin’s warehouse is filled with arms and legs, doesn’t need more arms or legs.
On May 20th 1506, Christopher Columbus passed away. Mr. Peabody’s WABAC machine has the history. Well, the story is at history dot com and other websites, now you know.
Christopher ended up in chains for discovering the New World. No good deed will go unpunished.
Your labor to benefit the general welfare, increase and sustain the national treasure, of any state, civilization, will be punished, you’ll be taxed to death and then some. You can’t depend upon good deeds to satisfy the demands of the state, your money is what counts. You can’t depend upon good deeds to get you into the good graces of God the Almighty. A fool’s errand there.
Only by the Grace of God can one be saved. Good deeds ain’t going to do it.
The Big Bang Theory, the precipitate of the primordial substance is nothing more than the creation theory without a creator. The creation theory suggests there is a creator, the Big Bang theory just rejects a supreme being who is in control. How’d the primordial substance get there?
There is no beginning and there is no end.
Beer and wine were and are beverages because you couldn’t drink the water.
Be thankful there are municipal water systems that provide potable water. Don’t drink water from the tap, too much chlorine. Water is not going to go away, water treatment exists for a reason. It is a science for your own good. Running water, hot water, plumbing, you’ll miss them all if it all goes gone.
If you need the fire department to get there in a hurry, the fireplug is right there.
The fire marshal will know if it is arson or not.
Delivery of potable water for relative low cost is a modern MIRACLE that enables our standard of living. When SHTF, see how things fall apart as folks don’t know what to do other than open up a bottle of Evian. Figure out both an emergency supply for “bug out” and also a LONG TERM plan to provision water for your home, like having your own well on your property.
About 10+ years ago I saw a used car on a lot that I wanted. All the cars had “$XXX DOWN” on the windshield. I wanted to know what the price was to pay cash. I was told to get lost, they didn’t sell to cash buyers.
Car dealers are little more than finance companies/loan sharks that deal in wheels.
Mark, I call BS on that story. You might not get a great deal with “Cash on the barrelhead”, but “cash”, at least in the form of having your banker wire the funds once the deal is consummated, is something NO dealer would EVER turn down! If nothing else, they can take that “cash” to better acquire further financing for their inventory; dealers have to borrow or dig into their own pocket, just like you and I do to have cars on their lot.
Now, I can see turning down a buyer that flashes a fistful of “Dead Presidents”. Funny how those Federal Reserve Notes have printed on them, “LEGAL TENDER” for private and public DEBTS (or “debits”), but even the strictest compliance with US Dept of Treasury regulations for reporting of transactions with currency can bring UNWANTED attention from Government bureaucrats and AGWs. No dealer, though so many of them are con men in a loud sports jacket themselves, wants any part of some guy flashing greenbacks that may be, *ahem*, “Dodgy” (drug dealer, mafioso, etc.). And I don’t blame them. If one of those crooks plunks down, say, $15K for your used ride in a legit purchase, and shortly thereafter he’s busted, guess what? You get a letter from your bank saying that the US Treasury Department has SEIZED the $15K from your bank account as it’s the fruit of criminal activity, even though your sale of YOUR property was legitimate.
It’s not just used and new prices going up. If you decide to “keep your car,” unless you do repairs yourself, garages are absolutely ripping customers and dazzling you with their incompetence. Before I ended up selling my 2003 Lexus ES300, I tried to see if I could get it repaired. Absolutely no one will go and rebuild cyclinder heads (which is what it needed). It costs $3500 to $4000 to properly replace the engine. (New mounts, timing belt, water pump). That’s almost the cost of a better car, so that’s what I did. Got a 2012 Acura TL with more miles than I would like for about $8500. I think I would have paid $7000 for a similar car two years ago. This market is ridiculous. People are ridiculous, and the cars are ridiculous.
Swamprat,
If you’ve got the space buy a replacement vehicle but KEEP the old car that needs repairs. That way you can take your time finding a good mechanic or just wrench on the old thing yourself during your spare time. I’ve bought rebuilt cylinder heads right from the big box auto parts stores. It’s usually not too hard a job to replace them if you have the book and some patience. With the way things are going it’s getting easier to justify having 2 older cars around that you can fix yourself rather than just one new car. Bonus if you can get 2 of the same car to get familiar with, swap parts and plates between them… when one needs fixin just drive the other.
I thought about it and will probably live to regret selling it. I may try and buy it back if the owner decides to get rid of it, but, I have two cars now. A 2006 Pilot and the Acura TL. What I like about having two of the same manufacturer is they both use the same fluids and are similar to work on…
I like the idea of having the same exact model car as well. Interesting idea.
Hi SR
One of my cars most places weren’t interested in working, so I have done everything myself, saved a fortune in labor, for some repairs/modifications I can do it better anyways, nobody does diagnostics, they don’t understand what you want done, they screw up and break things, for a lot of cars/engines they have zero knowledge, they won’t research, they only want quick simple jobs for a quick buck, they over charge you.
A long time ago a guy bought an old Ferrari nobody would work on it, it had to learn to do everything himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibqZCt5Snow
Just spent $600 to get the rusted out brake lines replaced in my ‘01 Corolla, great shape otherwise so hopefully it will last until I’m too decrepit to drive it anymore.
Hi Mike,
Did you have them use stainless steel lines? This is the way to go if this job ever becomes necessary as it will never be necessary to do it again. I replaced all of my ’76 Trans-Am’s steel lines (brake and fuel) as well as the tank (on account of ethanol fuel).
Hi Eric & InPlainSight,
He used the nickel-copper but doesn’t really matter; while it was up on the lift I saw how badly the frame is rusted. Rear control arms almost rusted through and will have to be replaced shortly. After that I hope I can get a few more years out of it, at least until used car prices come down. A shame too because the engine runs like a Swiss watch. Damn road salt up here!
Hi Mike
Re: stopping rust, it might be a bit late but….
Use a wire brush to remove loose rust, then paint all metal surfaces with POR15….it stops rust…
Thanks anon, will give that a try.
Hi Mike
To patch holes, non structural…use POR15 and fiberglass fabric…apply paint, apply fabric, apply paint on top, multiple layers if you want…..
Meticulously pressure-wash that undercarriage at least once a year, Eric, and if you can garage that T/A, do so, and it should out-live YOU. The biggest threat will be if the “Gubmint” bureaucrats decide that’s it’s a “polluter” or “unsafe”, and the AGWs show up with a hired tow company to take it from you. It’s not as if the various levels of Government have demonstrated a profound respect for PRIVATE property. Indeed, you only “own” what you have b/c “they” ALLOW it, and often you’re TAXED, i.e. on your property, meaning that in effect, the government entity that you pay the property tax to PRESUMES ownership and is charging RENT to you on what supposedly you “own”.
If your local gasoline stations offer “clear” (non-ethanol) gasoline, by all means, get it, even if it’s as expensive as “premium”. It’s REAL gasoline and worth the extra ducats. When I travel through Nevada and/or Utah, I fill up at a “Maverik” (they don’t exist in the People’s “Re-Pube-Lick” of Cali(porn)ia). If I go visit my “little goil” (she’s a college student), and take US 50 from Camino all the way to Provo, UT, I arrive “on fumes” at a Maverik in Carson City that has the “clear”. There’s the same at Maveriks in Utah, but none in Ely where I do have to gas up (it’s 153 miles from Ely to Delta, UT, and there’s but one gas station at the state line, and I’ve made that leg, in good, dry weather, in about 98 minutes, one time). Man, I wish that I could drive a rig with a towed 500 gallon tank and fill up with the “clear”, but likely it just simply wouldn’t be legal, for various legitimate safety reasons, licensing, and taxes.
Hi Douglas,
The TA has always been garaged – and it never, ever goes out in the rain. I almost never wash it, either – with water. I keep it clean with spray detailer once every couple of months. It has most of its original paint and it mostly looks pretty good, except for some spider webbing and a few dings and scratches. But overall very presentable.
If they try to take it from me… well, as OJ used to say…
“If they try to take it from me… well, as OJ used to say…” Ya got me baffled there, Eric…IDK what Orenthal Julius Simpson “used” to say, but as he was a competitor in his prime, it’d probably be some version of…”Game ON!” Am I correct?
Re:Mike+Rusty+Brakes
Parts stores in the northeast usually carry rolls of NiCopp hard line. It’s super easy to bend and flare and will not rust. It’s more expensive than the coated steel lines but right around the same price as stainless. If you had one hard line go others may be on their way out too. Trouble spots are usually at the retaining clips where the line is held to the undercarriage or where rubber sleeving is used to protect the lines from abrasion. Both of these spots hold the evil brine against the lines and are prime spots for preventative dousings with used motor oil or fluid-film waxy type products.
2006 GTO prices:
Jan 19, 2021: $12,000
Jan 19, 2022: $19,000
Thanks, Fed(s)
4th gen LS1 Camaro prices
Jan 19, 2021: $8,000
Jan 19, 2022: $17,000
‘demand for used cars will increase’ — eric
Remember this?
“The purpose of the Cash for Clunkers program was primarily to act as an economic stimulus during the Great Recession by providing the population with monetary incentives to buy new cars, thereby increasing automobile sales, while at the same time reducing carbon emissions by replacing old vehicles with new, fuel-efficient ones.”
Twelve years ago, Big Gov was destroying vehicles to prop up Big Industry.
Now with vehicles in shortage, Big Gov is helpless to increase the supply.
Maybe the meddling Uniparty should just butt out. Aren’t we getting tired of their oppression and looting?
One Intolerable Act after another…and we keep bending over and taking it.
247 years ago, the men who came before us launched a revolution against the mightiest military on the face of the earth at the time, in protest of oppressions that are not one tenth of what we suffer under daily.
They did it with no formal training to speak of, most of these men were farmers and sailors and merchants and tradesmen.
They did it with almost no hope of any help from any other nation.
They did it for no pay, in many cases, spending their own fortunes to arm and outfit a brigade of neighbors and family to head off and fight.
They did it under the most brutal of conditions, marching barefoot in the winter for days on end, living on weevily bread and horse-meat and whatever they could scrounge from the surrounding countryside.
And, in and around Boston anyway, they did it in the face of a smallpox epidemic that killed one out of three.
None of us, myself included, have the right to even speak their names, our poltroonery, sloth and apathy having led us to this point and nothing else.
We are so far removed from them as to almost be a different species.
Anti Federalist, I agree. The Founders generation stands as an example of people doing, not just talking. But generations of government “education” have destroyed most of entire generations. There are exceptions, which is the only hope we have. Look at Ron Paul, and his home schooling system for just one exception. As long as we keep hope alive, the agents of despair can not win.
Many lying, self-serving politicians and their supporters in the “Intelligentsia” and the Lamestream Media simply label these Revolutionary War heroes as “EVIL White ‘Racists’ ” anyway. They HATE this country but won’t leave it. Why, because they’re PARASITES, and will continue to feed off the host until it dies.
Hi Jim
They crushed all the good cars, cheap, repairable, far simpler, far less computers. Those running used cars are worth far more now, and are way better then the new garbage new stuff for $40,000…..lol
Those cars are worth more today even as scrap, the cat is worth maybe $200, the scrap car value was down to about $100, now it is way up, maybe $300. The guys that tow scrap cars and pay you $100 are making money again.
It’s uncanny how similar the game “Trip to Jerusalem” is to taking out a loan from the money changers in a boom-bust economy. It’s almost like we were warned…
I needed a truck after my 1992 Chevy Silverado needed too much work (it needed a new engine, a transmission to replace the slipping one and a billion other things after 450K miles of well-maintained but hard use).
During the pandemic, I found an old Vietnam vet guy who’d lost his wife and wasn’t going to drive anymore since he was moving to a condo. His kids had advertised his 2010 Tundra 4WD for a good price and I wrote a check after negotiating a suitable price.
The truck had 200K miles on it (barely broke in for a Toyota) and was immaculate and well-maintained. Even still, it became my pandemic project in the garage. I buffed out the swirl marks in the paint, blacked out the badges and grill, installed some brush guards, put some Rancho shocks and a lift kit on it, installed a big Warn winch up front, got some lightly-used OEM rims off eBay with some new tires and put a new Borla exhaust to really let the V-8 breath. It’s a better off-road truck than the TRD ones with a huge discount. I’ve taken it on trips and it pulls a trailer like a boss and is absolutely a beast off-road.
The truck looks brand new (thanks Toyota for not changing the Tundra for 10-plus years) and I’ve got several offers from people wanting to pay me more than twice what I paid for it. Even considering I put about $5 grand into it, I’d still clear $10k. But I’m not going to do that because I love this truck and I won’t be able to replace it with something similar.
I feel sorry for the folks who must buy a car in this time. They’re getting ripped off, unfortunately. I don’t see the market getting better because who can afford cars now and who’d want to considering the ASS, electrification, stupid screens that need an engineer to understand and government-mandated “safety” gear. Plus, electric power steering sucks. You can hardly find a car without that stupid system. Thanks Uncle.
dr_mantis_toboggan_md: I like your Tundra story. However, there was no “pandemic,” just a psyop. to get you to believe there was.
That’s the way to do it!!!
07-21 Tundra’s are the best pickups out there. I pull 10-15,000 lb loads consistently with mine. I basically use it like an HD pickup. My family has HD pickups and mine is the only one that has never had anything outside of routine maintenance. The Chevy, Ford and Rams with diesels have more power, but not mind blowingly so. And that diesel torque come with a $15-20,000 higher price tag.
I’m at 104,000 on my 2016 Tundra. I ran an 08 Tundra to 137,000 miles with nothing outside of routine maintenance also. I used it the same way.
Unfortunately the 2022 Tundra’s with the twin turbo 6 aren’t likely to have the same reliability as the last generation Tundra.
Hi Ancap,
I’ll second (and third) your praise of the Tundra; it’s a superb rig. Also the 4Runner (and Lexus GX46). These are all worth their weight in gold, just about.
Hey Eric,
Funny you say that. I have an 03 GX460. It’s at 225000 miles. I picked it up a few years ago when I traded a guy my 08 ES350 for it. He eliminated the one problem area it had(air suspension)by converting it over to shocks. I have changed two coil overs in 30,000 miles but that’s it. I didn’t understand the gold mine I stumbled onto until driving it for a few weeks. Medium sized, heavy, sure footed, smooth and solid.
My only regret is not buying one just like it with around 100,000 miles a couple years ago before prices sky rocketed. My wife loves the thing. It’s her favorite rig she’s aver had.
There has always been an American fascination with, and desire for the latest and greatest, since Madison Avenue is really good at what they do. Phones, music, movies, etc. Looks like cars are exiting that market. I have no idea, nor do I care, how much of financing profit new cars comprise, but one would think they may have to adjust their standard operating procedure to accommodate the market shift toward used cars. Regardless how much they might make on a new car loan, if no new cars are being sold, they make nothing. If on the off chance they actually have the “legal” opportunity to compete, those used car loans may become more affordable. Or, a great many of us might be forced to quit driving. At gunpoint. Which is how everything the government decrees is enforced. There is a reason the US Psychopaths In Charge are so destructive. They’re insane.
One might also expect the failure of many, if not most or all, of the car makers, going belly up, at the command of the Psychopaths.