How would you justify...

[vinsanity]

...dropping a considerable sum of money on something you don't need (not at the moment, at least), but REALLY want. Would the fact that said item would cost you $1,000 now instead of $1,500 later (when you likely would need it) help justify the purchase?

To complicate things further, is it worth spending $1,000 on the bargain item rather than $2,500 on the premium designer item you REALLY want?

[ScottyTheBody]

Depends what it is....I really wanted a big screen TV so I dropped $1000 on one. I didn't NEED it but I use it pretty much every day and think that it was well worth the $1000.

[wordsmith]

If I had the thousand saved up and earmarked for discretionary spending, and it was something that would appreciate in value, I might consider it. If it was something I'd been saving toward, probably.

[capella]

...dropping a considerable sum of money on something you don't need (not at the moment, at least), but REALLY want. Would the fact that said item would cost you $1,000 now instead of $1,500 later (when you likely would need it) help justify the purchase?

To complicate things further, is it worth spending $1,000 on the bargain item rather than $2,500 on the premium designer item you REALLY want?
What are you buying? A Mac? :p

[roulettefanatic]

it depends on what the item is, but if you really want it and it's cheaper now, i'd say get it.....i also did this with a tv and an xbox and i don't regret it one bit.....when i bought it i cringed a little since i figured it would serve me better to save the money but now i'm glad i got it.....

[vinsanity]

For those of you wondering, this probably sounds a little ridiculous, but I want to put new rims on my car. My original plan from before was to wait until the tires needed to be replaced, and buy a set of designer wheels, but I've recently decided against going for a super expensive set in favor of a more reasonably priced one. And today I found out that the more reasonably priced set is on "closeout" which means that the online store won't be carrying that style anymore, and they're clearing out their inventory at a reduced price.

I just checked my tire treads today, and it looks like I might need to replace them in a few months, anyways.

[redav]

I replaced my wheels a couple months ago.

My car came with low profile tires (like so many do now), and those are almost always geared to performance, which means they don't last very long. I figured it was a waste to buy expensive tires every 30k miles when I could get cheaper, longer-lasting touring tires. Problem: there aren't any touring tires that would fit. So I resorted to buying new rims, too.

I went from 16" to 15", but couldn't find a single fit guide (online or print) that even acknowledged the possibility that someone might want to go smaller. All the people I talked to just gave me a dumb look when I told them the size I wanted.

I could only find one set of rims that were the right size, and they're ugly, but that's okay. The ride is less harsh, and the tires will last 2.5x as long. (Skipping one tire change more than pays for the rims.) I'm also getting better mileage, but that's probably due to the fact I bought an OBD-II sensor to monitor my mpg more than the tires. I can also only drive 118 mph instead of 149 mph, like that's going to happen. :rolleyes:

[vinsanity]

lol, I'm looking to go from 16" to 20", so I can totally picture the tire shop guys giving you a confounded look when you told them your plans :D

Admittedly, most of my reason for this is for aesthetics. The smaller rims make the car look like its body is too big for its chassis.

[Bocheezu]

I've had so much fucked up shit with tires the past year that I already feel uncomfortable with the amount I've spent. Stupid tires, I've needed three complete replacements, with one completely blowing out after I had it replaced two weeks previous. The tire before that had a leak that the tire people said they fixed, but didn't, and I came in a 2nd time and suddently it was "unfixable" and needed to be replaced. Those two were on top of the tire I had last year that bulged and needed replacing.

The only one that was a cheap replacement was the blowout one because I actually had that one under warranty with the tire people. Only $16 to re-up the warranty on the new tire. Either way, I doubt I'll ever need to worry about replacing tires due to tread wear since they get all seem to bulge, get a nail at the edge where it can't be fixed, or blow out altogether.

[vinsanity]

I've had so much fucked up shit with tires the past year that I already feel uncomfortable with the amount I've spent. Stupid tires, I've needed three complete replacements, with one completely blowing out after I had it replaced two weeks previous. The tire before that had a leak that the tire people said they fixed, but didn't, and I came in a 2nd time and suddently it was "unfixable" and needed to be replaced. Those two were on top of the tire I had last year that bulged and needed replacing.

The only one that was a cheap replacement was the blowout one because I actually had that one under warranty with the tire people. Only $16 to re-up the warranty on the new tire. Either way, I doubt I'll ever need to worry about replacing tires due to tread wear since they get all seem to bulge, get a nail at the edge where it can't be fixed, or blow out altogether.

That actually almost seems like the perfect excuse to get rims. These are the ones I was thinking of getting:

http://www.kingstireandwheel.com/cms/userimages/asa_fusion_st3.jpg

But I'm currently scouting even better deals on craigslist and ebay.

[analogman]

If you change your wheels from 16" to 20"s, you would likely end up with VERY low profile tires. The tires will be a lot more expensive and you'll be buying them more often. So it'll cost a lot more in the long run.

Also, you'll want to check on your suspension components more frequently, that's a lot more unsprung weight and the parts were probably not spec'ed to handle the weight.

I would think a +2 (16" -> 18") would be more reasonable.

redav, not many people go down in size unless it's because they are buying snow tires (tend to be skinnier and taller profile tires). Good thing your brakes didn't get in the way. You can always go bigger but can't always get smaller wheels.

[spokes]

personally i am now a believer of spending the money and getting the item you really want.

also for those of you swapping tires sizes - what are you doing (if anything) to adjust the speedometer.

[winneythepooh7]

I'd go for it given I had the means, and it wasn't going to cause me to go in debt. I am planning to buy a bunch of formula for my son this weekend that I technically don't need all at once, but the person is selling it for 1/2 of what it goes for normally in the store, so it seems pretty worth it to me.

[winneythepooh7]

Depends what it is....I really wanted a big screen TV so I dropped $1000 on one. I didn't NEED it but I use it pretty much every day and think that it was well worth the $1000.

We did something similar. And ours was more than that. We really don't buy a lot of things like this and it didn't break the bank, so why not? It made my husband happy so I think that alone made it well worth the price. :p

[wordsmith]

My rule of thumb is to spend whatever I like if I've planned/saved for it.

I wouldn't generally ever make a purchase of that magnitude on a whim, or charge it. But if it's something I anticipated and put money aside for, sure.

[winneythepooh7]

My rule of thumb is to spend whatever I like if I've planned/saved for it.

I wouldn't generally ever make a purchase of that magnitude on a whim, or charge it. But if it's something I anticipated and put money aside for, sure.

Agreed. We have been talking about purchasing a new car/small SUV for awhile now and still haven't been able to justify this kind of purchase, even if we can make the monthly payments. Just curious as to what others think about that kind of thing...........

[vinsanity]

Agreed. We have been talking about purchasing a new car/small SUV for awhile now and still haven't been able to justify this kind of purchase, even if we can make the monthly payments. Just curious as to what others think about that kind of thing...........

If you want to justify buying a new car, consider that it's easier to sell your old/current one while it's still in good running condition rather than waiting for it to require a costly repair. And word is that there are great deals to be had right now, since car dealers have a huge backlog of inventory that is costing them money to keep on the lot.

[vinsanity]

If you change your wheels from 16" to 20"s, you would likely end up with VERY low profile tires. The tires will be a lot more expensive and you'll be buying them more often. So it'll cost a lot more in the long run.

Also, you'll want to check on your suspension components more frequently, that's a lot more unsprung weight and the parts were probably not spec'ed to handle the weight.

I would think a +2 (16" -> 18") would be more reasonable.




The beauty of this situation is that the 20" tire I found on tirerack.com is very cheap (under $100), and is a good brand with a good treadwear rating, and has great consumer reviews. It's actually cheaper than the 18" tires that would fit the car.

As for the weight issue, I'm anticipating having to get new front brake pads very soon, but the suspension should be fine. Practically everyone and their mom who has this car has big rims fitted to it.

[winneythepooh7]

While that is certainly true, my current car is paid off, and gets really great gas mileage. If we bought a new car, we'd have to finance. It seems kind of ridiculous to get a new one just because we "want" one, when we could continue to save that $$$$ otherwise towards something we may really need one day. Plus my husband does not bring in a traditional weekly paycheck, so there are months when having to make that payment is going to be pretty depressing because it's going to be pretty tight financially. This is why we haven't proceeded in buying something new thus far.

[vinsanity]

I remember another poster here mention that she continues to save up money so that she can buy a new (to her) car with cash + trade-in every few years or so. Since your car is already paid off, maybe you could put your savings toward that once you have enough cash.

[BLK95TA]

personally i am now a believer of spending the money and getting the item you really want.

also for those of you swapping tires sizes - what are you doing (if anything) to adjust the speedometer.


when i swapped the stock 16" rims on my 95 trans am for 17's i went with a factory sized tire that was offered the next year on the WS6 so my speedometer didn't change at all. well it changed but its only off 1 mph off at 150mph according to a speedo calculator, lol. I went from 245/50/16 -> 275/40/17. I also added ram air since my car came out the year before they offered it (and when i bought it it was $4k less than a comperable 96 WS6 ram air car would have been)


http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff279/pdennis93/generic%20photos/100_0893.jpg

here's how it looked when i got it back in may 2004

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff279/pdennis93/generic%20photos/05020025.jpg

[vinsanity]

For some reason, I now have an unexplainable urge to watch Smokey and the Bandit :p

[redav]

redav, not many people go down in size unless it's because they are buying snow tires (tend to be skinnier and taller profile tires). Good thing your brakes didn't get in the way. You can always go bigger but can't always get smaller wheels.
It's just that big wheels are the auto equivalent to high heels. They may look good, but that's really all they do for you. I'll be glad when the fad passes.

Another thing that can happen with lower profile tires is that since the tire is stiffer, it deflects less during suspension travel and that can lead to a loss of traction. Normally, the tire tilts slightly as the suspension goes through its travel. If the tire is flexible, it deforms and maintains a large & wide patch of contact with the road and that keeps its behavior consistent. But if the tire is too stiff, that contact area gets small and the result is decreased handling performance. To compensate, the suspension would need to be tuned to limit the travel.

[BLK95TA]

For some reason, I now have an unexplainable urge to watch Smokey and the Bandit :p


:lol:

most people would probably say knight rider but yeah smokey and the bandit works, lol.

[vinsanity]

Just in case anyone was wondering...

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/733/1000471m.jpg

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/3391/1000468m.jpg

[Mini14]

wow, are those eucalyptus trees in the background? they are everywhere!

oh and your car looks cool too :P

[vinsanity]

I believe so; apparently, the early American settlers of California somehow thought it would be a good idea to import them here from Oz.

...And thank you :)

[Mini14]

I think the climates are pretty similar between California and the more southern areas of Australia :)