You just finished paying off your vehicle. What do you do next?

[prolesunited]

Poll question: You just finished paying off your vehicle. What do you do next?

I think I covered all of the bases and threw in an "other" category for anything I missed.

[JHB]

1. Wreck it

At least, that's what always seems to happens to cars once they're paid off...

[prolesunited]

6. Didn't think of that one

That really sucks!

I would like to hear the secret of the person who pays cash upfront. I drive a Saturn so we're not even talking big bucks, but I never could have paid cash.

[greatauntoftriplets]

20. Congrats, prolesunited!

I still have more than half of my car to pay off. It also is a Saturn, and I don't want to give it up -- ever. It was the demonstrator, so has all the stuff I didn't necessarily want -- like cruise control, leather seats and a spoiler. But it did have the necessary thing (other than an engine, of course) which was a sunroof.

[prolesunited]

21. I bought a demo model, too!

1,200 miles on it in mid-November so I got a pretty good deal as well. Sun roof and cruise control as well along with an alarm system and keyless remote entry. It's not a spectacular car or ride, but it does the trick and gets me around.

[ret5hd]

13. FIRST...drop full coverage, then...

wreck it.

return to square one.

[Systematic Chaos]

2. Car payment + full coverage insurance = $515 / month for me

That's $6120 per year for about 2 more years. Once my car is paid off I will be able to save $600 / year on insurance and the entire $374 car payment.

If I had to spend half that much per month on average in repairs (which is not very likely since this is a Honda Accord) I would still save over $200 / month.

[Susang]

3. Crash it into a wall

Collect insurance $$ and start over again! :-)

[LuLu550]

4. have a beer

:beer:

[Drifter]

5. I have had my ...

Mazda 626 since Oct 1991.

It has 120,000 miles, and gets 30 MPG. It is my basic "get to work" ride. The family-mobile is a brand new mini van.

My goal is to get 2 more years out of this car (donate it to charity), then I am going to look into getting a hybrid.

Cheers
Drifter

[demnan]

7. Other

I just paid off my car - i will continue to pay off my credit cards and save money, then I'm buying a house.

[prolesunited]

8. That sounds like an excellent plan!

I'm down to just a house payment now. It takes a lot of discipline (and the good fortune of being able to keep a job in this sucky economy), but it's definitely worth it. Good luck!

[frylock]

9. keep the paid off vehicle, and purchase another..

When I paid off my Toyota PU ('93, 147,000 miles and still runnin strong) I purchased a nice car (Grand Prix GTP.. the blower man!!)to drive on weekends, or nights out. My first car with air conditioning!! I use the Toyota as my daily driver, and baby the hell out of the GP.

[bif]

10. You brace yourself for a huge repair.

I just paid off my van and I know some big repair is just around the corner. Always happens.

[sandnsea]

23. That's exactly what I was thinking

And never ever speak about extra money in front of the car. Cars get jealous and immediately need attention.

[MissMillie]

11. Mine's been paid for for a year and a half...

.... oldly enough, I don't seem to be able to find that money I spent on my car payment.

[AntiCoup2K4]

12. Paid mine off in July, no plans to replace it.

Or make any other major purchases until that fucking asshole and his PNAC circus are out of the White House.

God only knows how much more damage they could do over the next year 1/2, and I'm not getting my credit trashed again because of those assholes. Actually, given what happenned to Tommy Chong yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised if people are sentenced to federal prison for bad credit before too long. According to the "Patriot Act" Asscrotch does have access to your credit report now :scared:

[NewYorkerfromMass]

14. Rotate tires every 5000 and change oil 3000

and otherwise drive it (slowly and safely) into the ground. :)

[BiggJawn]

15. Pay it off and trade it in...

Before it becomes worth only $100, like POSsy-the-Ford was...

Not gonna run it into the ground, because by then, I will have gotten away from having to budget a car payment every month, and yes, I WILL blow the money!

And it's cool having to worry about nothing but oil changes...I'm too old for that "Meatball Surgery/Driveway Mechanic of Neccesity" bullshit.

[midnight armadillo]

16. I was thinking of buying a car...

I have my eye on 1992 Saab 900 Turbo for $3k, 110000 miles. Fun, practical, and with enough love can easily beat 200k. My last car was a 1990 camry I retired at 190,000 miles. New cars are nice, but I can't see myself shelling out more than $150 a month on a payment for any length of time.

[SOteric]

17. It's paid off?!

Save some money tout de suite! Something big and expensive is going to go wrong with it any minute now.

[prolesunited]

18. Actually, I have a five-year warranty

so if anything major goes wrong, I'm free and clear. I just have to keep up with the mandated maintenance cycle. Basically, I have two-and-half years of peace of mind.

I still envy all those who paid cash. Any of you going to clue the rest of us in on how you did it?

[Bake]

19. Call the garage and ask how long it'll be in the shop.

Still, an occasional repair bill is usually cheaper than a payment every month.

Bake

[bleedingheart]

22. You are playing with fate....

I am so superstitious... you shouldn't speak aloud about having extra money...the evil gods of expenses...always take it....

[prolesunited]

24. This thread was purely hypothetical

:D

[Shakeydave]

25. Drive it into the ground!

My Nissan X-Cab had 250,000 miles on it when I totaled it. My insurance company gave me $6,500 for it! That's a nice down on a new truck!

[LWolf]

26. I just turned 200,000 in mine.

The energizer bunny still runs like new. A pricey 200,000 mile maintenance trip this summer, but worth it.

I'd really like to turn the e.b. over to my youngest boy so he could get rid of his payment, but I can't afford another payment at this point. Maybe when I hit 300,000.

[SoCalDem]

27. If you are my son's fiancee or ME...You TOTAL it..

:(

[BritishHuman]

28. I paid upfront...

And got a years free maintenance should anything turn up wrong.

As a kid, I was the one who would save up his pocket money until I could buy the thing I wanted, whereas my brother always borrowed the money right then off our parents and then paid it back.

It seems to have carried over into adulthood - I've always bought my vehicles outright, he always seems to have a few years of payments stretching ahead of him.