Update Season X - "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Vol. I."

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

My god, $540/month car payments for 72 months, even after $4,000!  I realize I'm out of date on car prices, but what was it, a Mercedes?

It a 2014 Ford Escape.

$540 a month for 60 months is over $32,000.  It's probably a four year loan.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Yes, exactly. Bushie's family is well-off by any standards, and for rural Oklahoma, they are living like royalty.

No, not so.  They're just very average - living pay-check to pay-check.  Having a few old beaters isn't a sign of being 'well-off'.

They just bought a brand new car.

Her old car was about to cost mucho dollar in repairs.  It was time to put it out to pasture or start wasting money on repairs.  We hadn't bought a car since 2007 and this was our first brand new car since the early 80's.  They want to pay it off before Dad retires.

No consideration was given to buying a car a couple of years old with low miles on it I take it. That is what I do. I bought my Lexus when it was two years old with about 18,000 miles on it, up in Big Bear (thus the low miles, because there is really nowhere to drive up there that is very far, except down the mountain and into Mordor). There was a delay in driving up the mountain to pick the car up, because that Spring it snowed for four straight weekends, and I don't do snow chains. Instead of buying a new Lexus  costing 60K, the one I got cost 35K. I still have it, 8 years later, so the car is now 10 years old. Wasting money that one really does not have to waste, seems to be a veritable art form there in Midwest City, doesn't it?

We normally do that, but since this is planned to be the last car they were going to buy for a while, they wanted to get one they wanted and what they would be happy with.  They didn't want to regret their decision 2 years from now.  It has several of the bells and whistles that come with a 2014.  Back up camera, navigation, Sirius XM, phone sync, Siri voice commands, Automatic 911 dialer, rear gate that lifts by foot, and dual temperature control.

[Joe Biden 2020]

My god, $540/month car payments for 72 months, even after $4,000!  I realize I'm out of date on car prices, but what was it, a Mercedes?

It a 2014 Ford Escape.

$540 a month for 60 months is over $32,000.  It's probably a four year loan.

The price was around $35,000 or so.  So, your calculations are accurate.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Did you talk to Allison today?

Not yet.

Key word being yet

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Did you talk to Allison today?

Not yet.

Key word being yet

Please talk to her before Dukey get's all bourboned up and really starts posting wild sh**t. 

[memphis]

Even the super duper "Titanium" model has an MSRP of $29,100. Did you guys get $6,000 in undercoating protection? There is no reason to have a car loan for that long, ever. I know most people, unfortunately, can't afford to pay for a car in cash, but 3 years is the absolute longest anybody has any business extending an auto loan. If you can't afford to pay it off in 3 years, you can't afford it and need to choose something cheaper.
Also, if needed, somebody could easily take dad to work in the morning and pick him in the afternoon. It's not like you guys have super hectic schedules. You obviously just like to piss money away. And that's your business and you're welcome to do so if you can afford to do it. I'll concede it does rather make my skin crawl to hear about it, knowing that your earning potential is what it is. But, at the end of the day, it's your life and it's not my business. But know that the Deluge is coming for you. It wouldn't hurt to make a few preparations.

[Torie]

My god, $540/month car payments for 72 months, even after $4,000!  I realize I'm out of date on car prices, but what was it, a Mercedes?

Nutter, just nutter.  Heck, my mortgage payment is about $1,300, and that was based on an original loan balance way, way back when of $247,000. I happen to know because for some reason the border folks want to see see my mortgage statement, so I just printed it out, among about 10 other documents, so that I can finalize getting my Sentri pass that allows me to queue jump, and skip most of the 3 hour wait to get back in the US from Tijuana. I never in my life expected to spend so much time in TJ.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

To my mind, such choices are insane, but that's just me.

I don't disagree, but wanted to avoid coming across as at all Smilesian...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

On the bright side, we know that his general attitude to life, money and so on is absolutely inherited.

[Torie]

To my mind, such choices are insane, but that's just me.

I don't disagree, but wanted to avoid coming across as at all Smilesian...

For the rest of us on the left side of the pond (including moi), meet Samuel Smiles. Al was worried that he was flirting too close to the Horatio Alger box given his world view, and thus his comment about the entire panoply of dysfunctional syndromes being "inherited." Voila ... the dots connect.

[opebo]

My god, $35,000 for a four cylinder faux Jeep.  Its amazing what things have come to nowadays..

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Does he really need to support her though? She's a girlfriend, not a wife or anything. Sure, he can pay for a date here and there, but I never paid for EVERYTHING with any girl I have ever dated. She's not my wife. I have no obligation to buy everything for her.

1. Jeff is probably a "Southern gentleman"; he'll feel an obligation.
2. He has no money whatsoever.  An increase of a single penny is more than he can bear.

Inks, you're right, I have no money to support a girlfriend right now.  $40,000 a year is more than what people think it is.  I'm not going to be dirt poor at that wage.  I made it just fine on $25,000 a year, so $40,000 will be quite a bit easier.  I'll be able to live somewhat comfortably, especially for a bachelor in Oklahoma.  I might have a little money to play around with.

You didn't make it fine on $25,000 a year, because you ended up with over $11,000 in credit card debt.  And how much of your life were your parents subsidizing back then?

I dunno. Cars must be terribly inexpensive in Oklahoma if everyone can afford to have one.  Also, cheap gas, no mandatory insurance and hardly any restrictions on testing. Probably few rules at all.  After all, there's no public transportation right? If any of those things weren't true, there'd be a demand for it. Right?

Liability insurance is mandatory in Oklahoma.  I have full coverage.  There is public transportation in Oklahoma City, but it doesn't extend out this far.  Still, it's just a bus system.  It is so much easier and much more efficient to drive.  Walking takes time.  It takes me 20 minutes to walk a mile.  If I were to walk to a store 2 miles away (which there are none), it would take me 40 minutes to get there, plus 20 minutes or so to shop and then I would have to walk 40 minutes with those heavy bags in my hands.  That is an hour and 40 minutes of time wasted when I could get there and back in 30 minutes.  To me, the time expenditure doesn't make a lick of sense.

Says the man who watched over 50 hours of TV in one weekend.........

Inks, you're right, I have no money to support a girlfriend right now.

Good GOD man, you don't support a gf.   

Yeah, he already eats out for all his meals anyway, so I'm not sure what all these additional expenses would even be.

I have lived off $200 or less per month for food.  Case in point: Utah.  I've done it before and I can do it again.  It's called a grocery store.  Believe it or not, I know how to shop.

I would like to see the receipts for that.  $200 a month is $6.66 a day.  Once you subtract the money for pop, you're already below $6.  I don't believe it.  You may think you spent less than $200, but until I at least see a spreadsheet or some record, I call BS.

Okay, but what does this have to do with not having enough money to "support" a girlfriend right now?

Because he has no money.  A girlfriend would mean more driving (unless she always comes to him) and likely more eating out.  Plus he'd have to find things to do on dates unless they're going to watch football all weekend.

Why do you demand to see nearly every document I possess?  Is there nothing called privacy?  I spill a lot of beans, but I don't disclose everything.

I don't; that's all I needed to know.  The simple fact that you won't reveal it has shown me that you were lying.  Come on Jeff... we know the game.  You do this all the time.  When you don't back up your claims with evidence, it means you are lying.

I would show it, however, those receipts are either not readily accessible or are no longer in my possession, especially the cash receipts.  It doesn't mean I'm lying, just means I can't put together a spread sheet without making up a lot of figures.

Then how do you know how much you spent?

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I move that: Inks be prohibited from posting in this thread.

xGrumps

Your motion is denied, with prejudice.

[Lief 🗽]

I'm not seconding Gramps' motion yet, but if Inks continues with this damn fool notion that Bushie shouldn't begin a whirlwind romance with this Allison the door-to-door tupperware saleswoman character, then I just might.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I'm not seconding Gramps' motion yet, but if Inks continues with this damn fool notion that Bushie shouldn't begin a whirlwind romance with this Allison the door-to-door tupperware saleswoman character, then I just might.

Meh - if the worst he does is drive his parents into debt, I'm fine with that, because at this points, they're idiots for supporting his habits, so maybe they need to learn the lesson too.  What's going to be sad is if he fathers a child, because he does not have the capacity to care for a child, and his irresponsibility and past promiscuity are what really worry me.  Granted, I doubt he'll knock this Allison chick up, but if he does, that child is in for a rough life.

[Torie]

Inks look at it this way. Bushie doesn't listen to anyone's advice. But if he got involved with some woman, who told him to change, maybe that would wean him away from his juvenilizing parents, and maybe, just maybe, if only for the sex and companionship, he might listen to her, even if not to us. So if Bushie managed to get involved with the right woman, that might, maybe, just be a path out of the suffocating dysutopic box he's currently in.

So allow me to join Dukie in rooting for a much larger role in this saga for Allison.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Inks look at it this way. Bushie doesn't listen to anyone's advice. But if he got involved with some woman, who told him to change, maybe that would wean him away from his juvenilizing parents, and maybe, just maybe, if only for the sex and companionship, he might listen to her, even if not to us. So if Bushie managed to get involved with the right woman, that might, maybe, just be a path out of the suffocating dysutopic box he's currently in.

So allow me to join Dukie in rooting for a much larger role in this saga for Allison.

Sure... I'll go along with it.  If it works, great.  If it blows up in his parents' faces, great - maybe they'll quit spoiling him.

[WalterMitty]

My god, $35,000 for a four cylinder faux Jeep.  Its amazing what things have come to nowadays..

as long as there are folks like the family bushie to buy them....

[© tweed]

On the bright side, we know that his general attitude to life, money and so on is absolutely inherited.

mine is too: I take my father's pride in finding a penny on the sidewalk and hearing it clink into my jar, and both my mother's and father's general asceticism in the face of consumer goods.  my main bad financial habits stem from a) propensity for addictive behavior and b) propensity for eating out.  the twenty dumb piss-ant purchases over the one big one any day.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

My god, $35,000 for a four cylinder faux Jeep.  Its amazing what things have come to nowadays..

I paid $20k for my top of the line Jeep. 

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I bought my Mercedes used too. It was 2 years old and only had 2,500 miles on it, driven by some elderly man for that time period. We got it for $15,000 cheaper than the sticker price. I still drive it today. I'm not sure I'd ever pay $35,000 for a Ford when you can buy a Mercedes sedan for almost the same price. Good heavens.

And I'm happy to see Torie and Inks join me in encouraging Bushie to find a woman who will be his better half! Here's to hoping those two have an enthralling conversation tonight!

[memphis]

I'm not seconding Gramps' motion yet, but if Inks continues with this damn fool notion that Bushie shouldn't begin a whirlwind romance with this Allison the door-to-door tupperware saleswoman character, then I just might.

Meh - if the worst he does is drive his parents into debt, I'm fine with that, because at this points, they're idiots for supporting his habits, so maybe they need to learn the lesson too.  What's going to be sad is if he fathers a child, because he does not have the capacity to care for a child, and his irresponsibility and past promiscuity are what really worry me.  Granted, I doubt he'll knock this Allison chick up, but if he does, that child is in for a rough life.

I believe he has had sex twice in his 31 year old life. Bushie has plenty of faults. Promiscuity is not one of them. Maybe if he saw the potential for a little more action, he'd have some motivation to get some exercise. After some thought, I've decided not to give Bushie a hard time about the car. It wasn't his purchase, and he can't tell his parents what to buy. I would encourage him to maintain the car he has as best as possible so that it will last as long as possible. Oil changes, tire rotation, timing belt, etc. Buying a car is such a financial nightmare for most people! My car and I are together til death do we part.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I'm not seconding Gramps' motion yet, but if Inks continues with this damn fool notion that Bushie shouldn't begin a whirlwind romance with this Allison the door-to-door tupperware saleswoman character, then I just might.

Meh - if the worst he does is drive his parents into debt, I'm fine with that, because at this points, they're idiots for supporting his habits, so maybe they need to learn the lesson too.  What's going to be sad is if he fathers a child, because he does not have the capacity to care for a child, and his irresponsibility and past promiscuity are what really worry me.  Granted, I doubt he'll knock this Allison chick up, but if he does, that child is in for a rough life.

I believe he has had sex twice in his 31 year old life. Bushie has plenty of faults. Promiscuity is not one of them. Maybe if he saw the potential for a little more action, he'd have some motivation to get some exercise. After some thought, I've decided not to give Bushie a hard time about the car. It wasn't his purchase, and he can't tell his parents what to buy. I would encourage him to maintain the car he has as best as possible so that it will last as long as possible. Oil changes, tire rotation, timing belt, etc. Buying a car is such a financial nightmare for most people! My car and I are together til death do we part.

Yes... I threw the word "promiscuity" in there for humor.  I'm well aware of the fact that Bushie has probably had less than 10% of the sex that our nerdiest poster has.

[WalterMitty]

If that were the case, everyone here would be making fun of him for that.  There's no need to make her  chauffeur her adult son around.

Everyone would tell him to get a job and buy his own car.

Considering he refuses to work, he has no right to own a car.  His mom doesn't work.  She only uses the car to run errands.  One of the errands could be dropping off her son at school.

If he is embarrassed about being chauffered by his mom, then he should work to change that situation with his own actions.

Mom is retired.  She is entitled to sleep in as much as she wants.  She doesn't have to get up early to take me to school.  Plus, I am 31 years old.  I can drive.

this line is priceless.

bushie, have you ever thought your retired mother shouldnt have to *completely* support her adult son?

[memphis]

I wonder how much money Papa Bushie makes. They have a mortgage. Until recently, they had two because of Bushie's house. Then there was a third residence, a rental in Utah, which Bushie could not possibly afford on a meager call center wage. Obviously, houses require utilities, maintenance, insurance, and property tax. There are three cars. Even if one or two are paid for, gas, maintenance, insurance, and repairs add up quickly. They have very hefty food expenditures, as they eat out quite frequently. I'm sure they have substantial medical bills as his mother is a diabetic with renal failure. Dad is a diabetic also. All those supplies are expensive! They probably give a ton of money to their church. They have to give Bushie spending money, not just for more outside meals, but also for outlandish, ridiculous things like hotels in the snow and multiple pornographic subscriptions. They have to pay his multiple credit cards. They probably have cards of their own. They have to pay his absurd life insurance premiums. They've recently adopted a dog who is receiving veterinary care as well as behavioral training. The Census Bureau reports that median household income in Choctaw, OK is about $60k/year. They must be pulling in substantially more than that or sitting on a big pile of cash that is quickly evaporating. What does Papa Bushie do again?