35 – Car Buying 101

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Car Buying 101

Check out these tips and tricks when it comes to buying a car.

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What investment loses over 50% of its value on average every 4 years consistently? Would you ever voluntarily buy a mutual fund, stock, or piece of real estate that will lose 50% of its value over 4 years? It can be absolutely one of the worst investments there is (unless it’s a collectable classic). Yet, we all buy cars like it’s nothing.

Are you thinking about buying a new car, trading your car in, or just wondering how to save money when it comes to the entire car industry? Many of us give very little thought to the total cost of owning a car. Join Bob and Mary Jo as they share their experiences, tips, and tricks when it comes to purchasing a new car. The more money that you save on purchasing a vehicle, the more cash you can put into savings or investments. Some of the topics that they cover include:

• Helping to get a better price for your trade-in vehicle
• The best time to purchase a new car
• Negotiating skills

Mentioned In This Episode

Want to ask Bob or Mary Jo a question about your specific situation? Schedule a complimentary 15 minute phone call.

[INTRODUCTION]

Bob: Welcome to Christian Financial Perspectives, a weekly program where we talk about ways to integrate your faith with your finances. This is Bob Barber.

Mary Jo: This is Mary Jo Lyons.

Bob: Are you ready to learn the truth about money from a biblical perspective?

Mary Jo: Join us as we discuss what God’s word says about money and integrating your faith with your finances. If it’s your first time listening, welcome to the program and if you’re a returning listener, welcome back.

[EPISODE]

Bob: Today we’re going to start with two scriptures from Proverbs. Proverbs 2:11, “Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.”

Mary Jo: Proverbs 3:13, “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.”

Bob: So I really want you to think about something as you hear these scriptures. Think about this hard. So I’m going to come at you with a pretty good question on the today’s podcast. What investment do all of us make that consistently loses over 40-50% of its value on average every four years?

Mary Jo: Is it buying a new vehicle, maybe a car or truck?

Bob: I think you knew where I was going with that, Mary Jo, because that’s what we’re going to be talking about today. Car buying 101 where the investment consistently loses over 40-50% of its value on average every four years.

Mary Jo: Oh, we should talk to my husband about that, but we’ll get into that in a little bit later.

Bob: Now wait, I think you need to share something. Right before we got on today, what you were telling me.

Mary Jo: And I love him dearly and this isn’t, you know, trashing husband day, it’s not my intent, but I do make fun at his expense. He’s a good sport, but he changes his cars like his underwear, if that makes any sense. I’ve been married 36 years and I know we’ve probably had 36 cars. This is one of those topics “to do as we say not as we do”, but we’re learning from experience. That’s for sure.

Bob: Well, you know what Mary Jo, I have a feeling that a lot of our listeners are going to relate to this and then we have some that aren’t because I meet those that like to buy every year or two, and then I’ll have those that come in and it seems like, I’m like, “Go get a new car. You’ve had that same one for 15 years. I saw the hubcap coming off as you were coming up into the parking lot.”

Mary Jo: In all seriousness, one of the things in my previous life as a financial advisor, I worked with a firm and a lot of my clients were professors and you know, they are the millionaire next door. They have substantial assets stocked away, but you’d never know it because they’re driving a 10 year old Honda. And I think there’s a lesson there.

Bob: Yeah, no that’s true. Gotta admit, some of our wealthiest class have driven up in a 10 year old, beat up old truck. You know, and as we talk about today’s program, it seems like the automobile is one of the most, if not the most, expensive expenditures besides buying a home that all of us have to make every few years. And it’s absolutely got to be one of the worst investments there is, unless it’s one of those collectible classics. Again, just think about this, what investment would you want a make that loses over 50% of its value on average every four years? I mean, would you want to buy a mutual fund stock or a piece of real estate that’s guaranteed to lose 50% of its value in four or five years? I don’t think so.

Mary Jo: I don’t think so, either. It’s kind of interesting. Do we really look at a car or a vehicle as an investment? And you know, back in the day we used to drive for basic transportation needs, but in 2019, many cars that are just basic transportation are huge investments these days at the price of a car. We’re talking $50,000

Bob: Yesterday when we were talking about this, you remember I went online on auto trader and pulled up some of those nice trucks, like the Lariat Ford or you know, the F-350 King Ranch edition – $75-80,000. As this old country boy would say, “That’s not chicken feed, is it?”

Mary Jo: No, not at all. But you know, we do all need safe and reliable transportation. That’s a given, and that’s important and we want to make sure we’re safe and our loved ones are safe. We never want to underestimate that. But buying cars and trucks too often, from a financial perspective, can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses over time and possibly leave a giant hole in your future financial plan. So, we want to look at that and I think we can all agree, buying a car, it’s not a good investment. It’s really a bad investment, right? It’s kind of a sunk cost, if you will.

Bob: It really is. So we have to be careful about how much we’re putting into a vehicle, which we’re going to talk about later. But I’d like to mention, right now, that you know, you think about if you’re making a $500 payment on a vehicle and you’re not putting anything into your 401k, is that very wise? I mean, wouldn’t it be better to get a cheaper vehicle that you’re making $250 a month payment and put $250 away for your future? And I know we’re going to get into that later in the program, but that’s really where we’re going to be coming from today.

Mary Jo: Once we decide and we make this investment, we want it to survive and last for a good number of years so we don’t have to continually make this investment. We’re going to cover some tips and some wisdom on car buying.

Bob: Hopefully, we can minimize that negative impact that car buying has on our pocket book. So in today’s podcast, what we really want to do is emphasize wisdom. Utilize and use wisdom when it comes to buying a car.

Mary Jo: You know, Bob, I think our listeners may be wondering what two financial advisors know about buying cars. As I shared earlier, we’ve bought plenty of them so I know a thing or two. So that’s what we’re going to share and I think that’s appropriate for today’s conversation, don’t you Bob?

Bob: I do. And I know that you asked me to share my story about a car buying experience, and I shared it and you think it’s still a good idea to share that story?

Mary Jo: I do.

Bob: Okay. All right. Okay. I want to give away my age now. I’m 57, okay. But when I was about 21 or 22 years old – I love cars like Mike does by the way – and I really have had to take my emotion out of it because when I was really young going to Southwest Texas back then, now called Texas State University, I tried a little bit of becoming a car salesman and I did that for about a month to a month and a half. It was for a major dealership that was there that handles one of the major brands. Mary Jo, I was just amazed at this particular dealership. I’m not saying all dealerships are like this by any means. I believe there’s a lot of respectable dealerships. But back then, they were asking me to change numbers on credit applications. Telling me to tell the person this, when I knew that was wrong, about the vehicle and it really put a bad taste in my mouth. I quit. I was a Christian then and I said, I cannot do this in good conscious. I cannot do this and continue to work here. So that was my little short tidbit. But from that point forward, I really started looking into it. And is this going on across the industry? And it’s not going on across the entire industry, but a lot of it is, and I’m sad to say that. So, I really started digging in to what is it about buying a car and what things should we be aware of when buying a car? That make sense?

Mary Jo: Oh, it totally does, Bob. And you know, stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason. And we always talk about the slimy used car salesman, and I guess they get to be that stereotype for just what you’re describing – to speak in a slimy car salesman. And again, you’re absolutely right. There are some great ones out there, but there are a few bad apples in every bunch. I had a story that I wanted to share and it’s kind of, if you’re a salesman of any kind, this is what not to do. I’m a professional, I earn a living and I wanted to go out and buy a car for myself and one that I wanted to drive and I didn’t want my husband to interfere with that process. So I did the shopping, I knew what I wanted, and I went to a dealer. And when I walked on the lot, I have credit in my own name, a very good credit score. I had the money and I was prepared to purchase the car and make my decision that day because I had already done my research. And he goes, “Well honey, when you’re ready to make a decision, bring your husband back and then we can test drive the car.”

Bob: Oh no, you’re kidding me. That was not a good experience.

Mary Jo: That was not a good experience. And I said, well sonny, I’ll do just that. And I walk next door and bought a car from his competitor.

Bob: Oh wow. Wow. And so you were already, you were ready to go.

Mary Jo: I was. So anyway, that’s my car buying story.

Bob: All right, let’s get into just a few of the tidbits and we got so many to share today. The first thing is, tip number one is it’s very important to be knowledgeable about the car that you want before ever walking on that car lot. You know, cars costs so much money and it just leaves so much room to overpay and make mistakes because of the amount of investment. Like I say, I don’t like to think of it as an investment because it loses value as soon as you drive off the lot. But they cost so much money and people will, they’ll get that car buying urge. They’ll go just walk on the lot. They’ll drive it. They’ll get that new car smell without ever doing their research. And before you know it, they’re signing papers to buy a car. Has that ever happened to Mike?

Mary Jo: Oh yes. I guess our listeners know, my husband’s name is Mike

Bob: I told our listeners, just so you know, Mary Jo and I, we do the program from remote locations. I do mine from my office here in new Braunfels and she does hers there in Rockport. And I’m looking at Mary Jo and I’m thinking any minute now, the door’s gonna open and Mike’s gonna come in.

Mary Jo: He is. He’s a car guy and he has a bit of OCD. He spends his free time surfing the web and looking at car pictures and blogs, and he can tell you pretty much everything about every make and model. And he’s even more interested in detailing them and keeping them clean. And you should see our garage and the neighbors laugh. There’s nobody that washes their car more than Mike does. All this is a good thing because we spend so much for them, and we do want to take care of them. But Bob, I wanted to go back to our tips and I think one of them is, you know, the dealers, they do have a right to make money. They are not a nonprofit and they’re in the business to make money, but they don’t just have to make it all from us. Do they?

Bob: No, they don’t. They sure don’t. And I’m like you, I agree. There’s nothing wrong with profit. We live in America. I believe in free enterprise. I own my own business, so that’s okay. And they should expect to make a profit and you should expect them to make a profit and they’re going to on your trade-in. They’re gonna offer you less money they can sell it for. So really do your research, as an example. Know what your trade in is worth before you ever go to the dealer.

Mary Jo: Oh, that’s great advice. One of the things we need to remember is this is the finance guy kind of at the end of the deal. The dealership makes a lot of their money when they convince you to buy those extra options and those ad-ons like the extended warranty and not that extended warranties are a bad thing. For some of us, they may be a great salvation and they may make total sense, but they’re always pushing the paint sealant and fabric protectant, things along that line. We don’t always need those things and they sound like they’re inexpensive because they’re spreading them over your payments in the life of the car, but they’re really just profit makers for the dealer.

Bob: The other thing is an example, especially if you have a large family. You know, Mary Jo, we had three girls that were all at home at the same time. Now, they’re all out of the nest now, but we drove Suburbans for the longest time and those were expensive vehicles to buy. You go in and you want to buy a suburban today or that type of vehicle, you can easily pay $50,000. It may be even $70,000 for that new vehicle, but they will sometimes convince you you can afford this vehicle because we’re going to extend those payments. You get in the finance department and they can extend it five, I’ve heard even six years now.

Mary Jo: Yeah, now they’re going six years.

Bob: It’s crazy. Realize that the longer you finance the car for, the more you’re actually paying for it. Now, I have had people come back and say, yeah, but what about the 0% interest rate? Well, if you will buy that car six months old to a year old, even if you were to pay 3% or 5% to a credit union, you’re going to come out better than the 0% interest rate for the new car.

Mary Jo: I’ve already taken the depreciation here. You mentioned that earlier, and that is so true. One of the things we want to keep top of mind is cars depreciate immediately after you purchase them. And then they continually depreciate every day of every month, month after month after month, until they are eventually worthless

Bob: Cars. They are. They’re like a money pit because whether we buy a new one or used one, things wear out and eventually they have to be replaced. I just had to replace the battery on mine and that’s the second time now and it’s three years old. I just noticed yesterday and I look in the floor of the garage, I’m going oh no, what is that? And I’m seeing something red dripping out and it’s the coolant. It’s the coolant. So I put some more coolant in there, so I’m going to be going to the mechanic.

Mary Jo: Did you have that smell when you walked in the garage. Coolant that’s leaking has a very distinct smell.

Bob: No, I didn’t, but I was just really fortunate that I was cleaning out my garage and I pulled the car out and I saw this red spot. I wasn’t sure, and then I opened up the hood and I saw that. But you know what a lot of people might think? It’s time to get a new car cause my vehicle does have close to 70,000 miles on it. But you know what? It’s going to be a lot cheaper to fix that than go buy a new one. So.

Mary Jo: Very true.

Bob: You know another tip is when you’re buying a car, you’re taking money from an appreciating asset or you’re making monthly payments that could be appreciating and compounding instead of depreciating.

Mary Jo: That money could be working for you.

Bob: Oh yeah. So you gotta look at what’s the cost of taking this amount of money out of my savings or this monthly payment I’m going to make. What could that grow to if I could get a lower monthly payment by buying maybe a car that’s two years old or or three years old with 40,000 miles on it? Cause cars today can go 200,000 miles easily – if you change the oil and you do the normal routine maintenance.

Mary Jo: That’s the key. And you know, Bob, there’s also no consistency in prices when buying a car. And I think that’s something for our listeners to kind of keep in mind. One dealership will sell you the same make and model car at one price and in the next town over, another dealership will have it at another price. And many times that can be a difference of thousands of dollars. So it definitely plays to shop around and it really all just depends on how vulnerable you are as the buyer. So Bob, I also know that you have some car buying tips that you want to share with our listeners that can help them save anywhere from $2,000 to $15,000 on the purchase of a new or used car. So why don’t you run through those for us.

Bob: So Mary Jo, this comes from a lot of experience and I have actually helped our clients buy cars and have seen this kind of savings, $2,000 to $15,000 many times over. If you’re not driving and you happen to be at home and you’re listening to our podcast, you want to get a pencil ready and write some of these down.

Mary Jo: Yeah, Bob, before you start, one of the things I was just going to share is the reason that we thought that this topic was going to be so helpful is that that savings, even if it’s just two to $3,000 we want you to be able to use that savings to help future financial goals. If we can help our listeners save everywhere, that’s money they can put to other goals, and that’s our objective.

Bob: That’s right. They could put that money to their own pocket instead of the dealership’s pocket and to grow it for their family, maybe for college education or for retirement. So the first thing that you want to do is decide on that car. Decide on your budget and what you can afford to do. That’s going to be cash or a monthly payment. If you can pay cash, that’s better cause I don’t want to emphasize that Anyone go get in consumer debt and a car is like consumer debt. So decide that before ever setting foot on a dealership. Next, once you think about what kind of car you want to get, go to a few dealerships and test drive some of the cars you think you’d like to have. But do not, and I mean do not, buy that vehicle that you really like, and your emotions can get caught into that, for at least three to five weeks until you’ve done this.

Bob: Okay. So once you decide on the exact make, model, color, and features you want. Example, I’m a Ford Explorer kind of guy. I’ve had two of them now. So once you decide on it, let’s say, and I know this is 2019 but let’s say you’re looking for a two year old white Ford Explorer XLT with sunroof and maybe a trailer towing package. Allow competition in the free markets to work for you. Now how do you do that? Well you go online and what I would do, and this is what I’ve done for clients as well as myself. So, I want to buy a Ford Explorer, so I go on the internet and I find at least ten Ford dealerships within a 200-300 mile radius of New Braunfels. Now, take Austin and San Antonio. There’s that many in our area, so I don’t usually have to reach all the way out to Houston, but Mary Jo, I have reached all the way out to Houston and all the way up to Dallas.

Mary Jo: Sure.

Bob: Then what I do is I find those dealerships, and every one of them, if you go to their website, they’ll have a contact us on their website. You build your email exactly what you want to say. Say, I’m looking for this with these features, this color, this amount of miles, and this is what I’m trading in. You put that email together, the same email and you just go to about 10 of them and you send that email out to 10 of them, all ten. Now, this is after you’ve chosen the vehicle that you want. All 10 of those dealerships, pretty much, I mean it’s usually 10 out of 10 or 9 out of 10, will send you back and say, “We’ve got exactly what you’re looking for and this is what we’ll sell the car for. And based on what you told us about your trade, this is what we’ll give you for your trade.” But Mary Jo, what’s so interesting is as you get these emails back, you’ll see thousands of dollars of difference in those emails. So you take all 10 of those emails. You have to wait, sometimes, five or six days, but usually they’ll get right back to you. You take all 10 of those emails, and you take the lowest priced one that you got and then you send that price to all the other nine dealerships that you sent out. Guess what? For some reason, they’re going to meet that price. And what will happen as you do this two or three times over a two or three week period, you’ll know when you’ve gotten to that price point because they will actually get where they are within about two or $300 of each other. It gets very, very competitive after a two to three week period. Then, you can take that best price and that email, print that thing out and you could take that right down to your local dealership, five blocks down the road from you or five miles down the road from you, show it to them, and guess what they’ll do?

Mary Jo: They’re going to meet that price.

Bob: They will, and they’ll come back and say, “Are you crazy?” And you can look and you can show them those emails. And I have over and over and over just saved thousands and thousands of dollars for myself and for my clients who have allowed me to do this for them because this is one of the services that I offer if you are a client.

Mary Jo: And they know you’re shopping and figure if they can’t beat you, they’re going to join you.

Bob: And you’ve got to take emotions out of it. You cannot let emotions get involved. I’ve gone and done this with my mom and my mama has cried coming out of that dealership, “I want that car.” I said, “Mom, have patience.” And within a couple of weeks we’re coming off of that price $6,000 or $7,000, and I say, “See. Is a couple of weeks worth $6,000 or $7,000 to you?”

Mary Jo: It’s a lot of savings. You know, Bob, we’ve been talking a lot about shopping for the price of the car, but if you’re financing, you also want to be shopping around for the best interest rate. Sometimes the dealer has the lowest rate, but sometimes they don’t. So don’t just think about your payment. You should only purchase what you can actually afford, but you also have to think about the rate that you’re paying. A car salesman, they’re gonna stretch that car payment out so that it’s affordable and you’re kind of like, “Wow, I can afford that.” But you’re talking about a six year loan a lot of times and in about six years you’re going to need to be replacing that car. So, it’s kind of putting you into this cycle of perpetual car payments when you stretch it out that long. The cost of the overall car, the biggest component of that is the interest rate on the loan. So, you need to shop for that and be armed with that information before you walk on the lot. One of the things that we’ve been fortunate enough to do is that 0% interest rate and take advantage of that, but we know we’ve got the money in the bank to pay it off. It’s taken us a long time to get to the ability to do that.

Bob: Mary Jo, one of the things I like to do is shop online for a car and look at the different credit unions. Many times, my own local credit union gives me a really good rate and that does arm you very well when you go into the dealership.

Mary Jo: I definitely think that they are a great resource for cars, especially. Kind of their niche, if you will. And we want to also talk about don’t add those small unnecessary extras at the end of your purchase because they can certainly add up. When you’re about to purchase a car, you’ll be encouraged to buy any of these small options that you don’t need – tire replacement, paint protection, extended warranty. So, be very thoughtful about that and don’t get sold. Just be very cautious.

Bob: Be careful that you’re not just thinking about the little extra bit of monthly cost because that can add up. “Well, it’s only a dollar extra a month or $5 or $10 extra a month.” I wouldn’t worry about the dollar extra a month cause that’ll only be $50 or $60, but what if it was $10?

Mary Jo: But over 60 payments…

Bob: That’s $600 plus interest.

Mary Jo: That’s right.

Bob: Yeah. Cause that finance manager’s goal is to offer you these in a way that’s gonna really make it seem affordable. They may seem inexpensive now, but they’ll add up over time.

Mary Jo: And keep in mind that they are incentivized to sell those to you. The manufacturers of the paint sealant, they’re paying them back a spiff or an incentive, a commission, if you will, to sell that to you.

Bob: One of the things that when you’re buying a vehicle, do not tell them if you’re financing or paying with cash.

Mary Jo: Oh, that’s a good point.

Bob: Because many times they may come in lower on the price if they think you’re going to finance it. And it’s not that I’m trying to deceive anybody, I’m just saying, don’t disclose everything up front.

Mary Jo: That’s true. It’s a negotiating ploy that they come back with all the time. We talked earlier about making sure you know how much your trade in is worth and if you have a trade in to make sure you’ve done your research about the price of the new car, the price of the financing, but also about the price of your trade in. Kelly Blue Book, it’s a great resource for doing this. While you may not get the exact amount that Kelly Blue Book claims you’ll get. It’s a good estimate of what you can expect from the dealer.

Bob: The thing today with all the internet sites is not just Kelly Blue Book. You can use NADA, you can just like go to Auto Trader and see what that same vehicle’s selling for that you’re going to trade in. You can zero down to that year and even the color. So, you can get a really good idea. What is the dealership going to sell this car for and what should I be getting for my trade? So, when it comes to trade in, think about does it have below average miles? Is it in demand? Is the paint in good shape? All these things really matter – scratches, dings, that kind of thing. That’s why every time we go somewhere to eat now, we park in the corner of the parking lot. I bet Mike does that, doesn’t he?

Mary Jo: He absolutely does. He has, I call it parking lot commitment fear. He drives around and around to get the farther spot.

Bob: Most people drive around around and get the closest spot. So, just really cleaned that up before you do the trade in. Now, you heard what I was saying about you can describe your car to trade in. A lot of the dealerships, they’ll want to see pictures of your car. So, clean it up really good and take good detailed pictures, and I’ve emailed those pictures to them because I really like to do all my shopping from the comfort of my home without having to go into the dealership. I will tell you, Mary Jo, the last several cars I’ve bought, the only time I went to that dealership was to test drive, figure out what car I wanted, and the next time I walked in was to sign the paperwork.

Mary Jo: That’s exactly right, Bob. You were talking about the condition of your trade in ,and I just want to kind of emphasize that. I think that it’s really true. If the car looks like a wreck on the inside, then the dealer’s gonna assume it hasn’t been well maintained and they’re definitely going to offer you less. So it is worth taking some time to clean up that car before you go onto the dealer’s lot with it.

Bob: And know things like when the new model years coming out because chances are they’re going to be making deals on the old inventory when that happens.

Mary Jo: Good point. There are certain times of the month and the year that are better for car shopping. If they’re getting to the end of the month and they haven’t met their quota, know what the trends are with that dealer and in your area before you go onto the lot.

Bob: Mary Jo, I’ve made many of the final price negotiation even after I’ve gone out to all 10 of the dealerships, always hit them on the 30th because they had that incentive and I like to go about six or seven o’clock in the afternoon – if they close at nine – because I’m telling you, it is amazing what they will do at that last hour of the last day of the month.

Mary Jo: You know, that sales manager walks out there and says, I’m giving an extra incentive to anybody who can get me five deals by the end of the night because the dealership gets extra motivation and incentive if they reach a certain quota, and that’s big money to them.

Bob: And don’t be afraid to negotiate.

Mary Jo: Right. So even if you get a discount such as a car manufacturer discount, you should still negotiate. A lot of people hesitate and they don’t want to be ‘that guy’ and they take advantage of those friends and family discounts and that can mean something, but there’s still room to haggle. You don’t want to leave money on the table. And I think car sales are meant to be negotiated, and we want to encourage you to get the best price that you can so that you can do more with your own money. We’ve talked a lot about the price of the car, but another area to think about is the cost of the insurance. There can be big differences in how much it’s going to cost you to ensure that. Does it have extra sized tires? Big bumpers? Replacement parts that are heavily stolen? Those are things that’ll Jack up your insurance costs, so you want to be aware of that. You want to consider all the costs before you make that decision to buy. Wouldn’t you agree?

Bob: I would. I would definitely agree. Let’s sum all this up. We’ve talked a lot about buying cars. We’ve talked about the financial aspect of it, but really we want you to understand that when you’re buying that car, you’ve gotta be conscientious of that car payment or that amount of cash that you’re putting in. We’ve kind of started the program off like this, and are you on track to meet your financial goals? Before you buy that car, you think about that, right?

Mary Jo: Absolutely. We’ve talked about that new car feeling, but we want to just encourage you to check those emotions when buying a car. Keep those in check and understand it is just a tool and a vehicle. We’ve found that the kind of car you drive says little about your financial situation. Oftentimes, those in the fanciest cars and the biggest houses have the largest debt load. Those that live modestly tend to have a higher net worth and the peace of mind that savings and an emergency fund can provide. Be thinking about all those things before you shop for a car. What do you really need the most? Sometimes, it’s building that savings up.

Bob: I mean, if that car payment is not allowing you to save for the future, it’s not allowing you the ability to buy life insurance and disability insurance, those are some things that we all need and we need to be doing. We need to be saving for the future. If you’re younger and you’re a breadwinner and you’ve got a lot of children at home, those odds of disability are high, and you need some life insurance. Could that payment be so high that it’s not allowing you to buy those risk protection things that you need as well as saving for the future and a family?

Mary Jo: That’s so true, Bob. You know, and a lot of our listeners are fans of Dave Ramsey and he has a couple of sayings that are very wise and one of them is, “We spend money we don’t have on stuff we don’t need to impress people we don’t like.”

Bob: I love the way he always starts off his program, “Cash is King and the paid off mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as a status symbol of choice.” That’s always the way he says it. So when it comes to buying a car, there are a lot of considerations and it’s not just the cost of the car and the payments, it’s the lost opportunity of investing for the future because the money you sink into a vehicle is money you’re not saving for your financial future. So, we want to encourage you to think about this as you are thinking about purchasing that next car. You know, Mary Jo, in the summertime, those new models come out. So be careful of that and make sure that you’re putting away for your future and that you’re putting away for cash reserves before you just go buy another new car.

[CONCLUSION]

Bob: You are listening to Christian Financial Perspectives. Join us next week as we explore what God’s word says about money and don’t forget, you can sign up for our free newsletter at ciswealth.com or give us a call at 877-71-TRUTH. That’s (877) 718-7884. To make sure you don’t miss any of our podcasts regarding the truth about money, be sure to subscribe to Christian Financial Perspectives at christianfinancialpodcast.com for free. If there are any specific topics you would like to hear more about, we’d love to hear from you.

Mary Jo: That’s all for now. Until next week.

[DISCLOSURES]

Comments from today’s show are for informational purposes only and not to be considered investment advice or recommendations to buy or sell any company that may have been mentioned or discussed. The opinions expressed are solely those of the hosts Bob Barber and Mary Jo Lyons. Bob and Mary Jo do not provide tax advice and encourage you to seek guidance from a tax professional. Investment advisory services offered through Christian Investment Advisors, Inc DBA Christian Financial Advisors, a registered investment advisor.