Is the Gladiator a bad investment

[chorky]

Buy a new rig, go off road, and sell for a profit or a net 0 dollar difference? Thats like asking someone else to pay for your vacation.

The JTR is an investment. An investment to my happiness by getting this broken down body outside to places I otherwise wouldn't be able to go

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[ShadowsPapa]

People seem to forget the opportunity costs, the cost of the money, cost of ownership (wear on tires, belts, wipers, fluids, whatever) and think gee, I paid 46,000 and just sold it for 47,000 and made 1,000.
Uh, did you really MAKE 1,000? What did that money cost you? Was it a loan? Was it cash? If cash, what about the lost opportunity of taking that 47,000 and making a lot more with it?
What did it cost while you owned it?

Classic and antique car collectors seldom "make money" on their cars and trucks. That pristine 1970 AMX that sold for 70K on B.J. a few years ago - big loss. The guy paid 80 for it, then the auction take, and the guy HE got it from had over 80 in it when he sold it for 80.
I paid 13K for my 70 Javelin SST, loaded, 390, factory ram air, group 19 sidewinders, and more. I sold it for 25K cash. I made a killing according to some. But I had 7 in paint, 3500 in my engine rebuild, tires, brakes, etc. and I broke even. I lost nothing, and figure I had fun driving it around and showing it and for a while, I had one of those "envy" cars. (damn, I miss that car!)

I came out well when I traded my 2020 for the 2022 - if you did the deep math, but made nothing. I simply caught the wave at the right time in these weird times of troubles of every sort in the industry and a floundering economy.

In 5 years the same deal could be total crap. In 10 years it could be gee, I made out like a bandit. Anyone who buys a car or truck and even thinks of the term "investment" doesn't know what it's all about.
Buy because YOU want it or need it. Those are the only reasons to ever buy a car or truck - no other reason.
A lot of people ignore the true costs of ownership and like to brag about their deals. Those are the ones to never take advice from.

Invest should always be a longer term, never less than a half dozen years or so.
REAL car people laugh when they see "buy xx car" or "buy xx truck" and "investment" in the same sentence.

 

[gladtohave]

The question " Is the Gladiator a good investment "

Remember when you were young and your Mom said there were no stupid questions .......................she lied .

 

[Caraholic]

I never think of buying a modern car as investing. I am consuming and purchasing both entertainment and transportation. investing in cars generally is t very fruitful after you figure the years u must keep it and inflation, storage costs. Oh by the way- it’s gotta basically be unused. So- as an investment? Not unless your personal parking garage already look something like jay leno

 

[John Lenheiser]

Good Investments were buying into the stock market and land 20-30 years ago, today you probably have more money then you can spend, that's what I call a good investment.

 

[Gvsukids]

A lot of people ignore the true costs of ownership and like to brag about their deals. Those are the ones to never take advice from.

Like those who brag about casino winnings, but not how much they lost.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Like those who brag about casino winnings, but not how much they lost.

We worked with a woman who every so often took a sick day and went to the local casino and all you heard about is how much she won.
When she got sick, her sick leave was gone and she begged to have others transfer their unused sick leave to her, and she griped about frozen wages because she was living paycheck to paycheck. Few felt sorry for her.

 

[Hootbro]

People seem to forget the opportunity costs, the cost of the money, cost of ownership (wear on tires, belts, wipers, fluids, whatever) and think gee, I paid 46,000 and just sold it for 47,000 and made 1,000.
Uh, did you really MAKE 1,000? What did that money cost you? Was it a loan? Was it cash? If cash, what about the lost opportunity of taking that 47,000 and making a lot more with it?
What did it cost while you owned it?

Classic and antique car collectors seldom "make money" on their cars and trucks. That pristine 1970 AMX that sold for 70K on B.J. a few years ago - big loss. The guy paid 80 for it, then the auction take, and the guy HE got it from had over 80 in it when he sold it for 80.
I paid 13K for my 70 Javelin SST, loaded, 390, factory ram air, group 19 sidewinders, and more. I sold it for 25K cash. I made a killing according to some. But I had 7 in paint, 3500 in my engine rebuild, tires, brakes, etc. and I broke even. I lost nothing, and figure I had fun driving it around and showing it and for a while, I had one of those "envy" cars. (damn, I miss that car!)

I came out well when I traded my 2020 for the 2022 - if you did the deep math, but made nothing. I simply caught the wave at the right time in these weird times of troubles of every sort in the industry and a floundering economy.

In 5 years the same deal could be total crap. In 10 years it could be gee, I made out like a bandit. Anyone who buys a car or truck and even thinks of the term "investment" doesn't know what it's all about.
Buy because YOU want it or need it. Those are the only reasons to ever buy a car or truck - no other reason.
A lot of people ignore the true costs of ownership and like to brag about their deals. Those are the ones to never take advice from.

Invest should always be a longer term, never less than a half dozen years or so.
REAL car people laugh when they see "buy xx car" or "buy xx truck" and "investment" in the same sentence.

Yeah, pretty much this. Hobbies rarely are money makers and never should be. Firearms collecting (accumulation in some circles) have the same mindset by many thinking they are "investments" but overlook the piss poor rate of return if any and the intrinsic cost of storage and safe keeping. Investing in physical objects that cannot be readily made fungible is a losers path on investment strategy.

 

[Jeepeto]

What you are seeing is pretty consistent with new car purchase - significant depreciation in the first 2 years and it typically levels off after that.

this is why LEASING makes sense- you will always know in advance what it cost to get out of your vehicle and can use that to your advantage.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Hobbies rarely are money makers and never should be.

The only thing I'd add is that there are times where you can partially pay for a hobby and keep hobby expenses down if you are smart (and that generally doesn't include me)
You can sell off excess car parts and get some of your money back, under perfect circumstances, get more than what you paid for that part.
I observe things as I peruse the forums and fakebook pages related to AMC and Eagle stuff. I see people crying on fakebook Eagle pages that they can't find headlight parts, can't find the rear bumper filler strip (get's broken a lot, and is a 3 year only part for a car that few were made to begin with), and other stuff. Then when I go to swap meets, I find that stuff in boxes almost give-away prices. People are paying crazy prices for some of those things because they are too lazy to look hard for them or go to swap meets. I go to swap meets for my own needs - but when I see an SX4 rear bumper filler strip in perfect condition and the guy has had it the whole weekend, I offer him 20 bucks for the 75 dollar part and get it. I bought a box full of Eagle headlight buckets, bezels, retainers and other stuff for $5 - where the heck where the Eagle people??? That stuff in the box is worth $100 if you sell it a piece at a time.

It cost me a lot more than I'd ever make back to go there (gas, etc.) and the time I spent, but I don't really count that because it's a hobby and hobbies cost money. If you make money, it's a business.

I've got that SX4 bumper filler strip cleaned up and will list that in one of the Eagle FB pages LOL
But shipping is gonna cost 'em - it's a bit over 4' long and plastic.

 

[Dryfly24]

I bought my truck for a whole host of reasons - and am very glad I did - but “investment“ certainly wasn’t one of them. . .

 

[RomeyIII]

Say it with me: vehicles are not investments.

A depreciating asset at most, but never an investment

 

[ShadowsPapa]

A depreciating asset at most, but never an investment

After visiting my son and grandson last week, I'm putting all of my money into skateboards and cordless electric leaf blowers. I see a real future here!

 

[Rusty PW]

What you are seeing is pretty consistent with new car purchase - significant depreciation in the first 2 years and it typically levels off after that.

this is why LEASING makes sense- you will always know in advance what it cost to get out of your vehicle and can use that to your advantage.

On the Z forum. One guy took his leased Z and turned it into a full blown race car. When the lease was up. He was surprised, and so was the dealer. LMAO The dealer wanted it returned back to stock. But the guy had sold everything he took off. The car was gutted with a full cage.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

On the Z forum. One guy took his leased Z and turned it into a full blown race car. When the lease was up. He was surprised, and so was the dealer. LMAO The dealer wanted it returned back to stock. But the guy had sold everything he took off. The car was gutted with a full cage.

A good friend of mine is a Mercedes tech in the Germantown area/DC. He's high enough up the chain that he gets a #@$@ of a deal on a Mercedes lease every so often. A couple of times he's driven his Mercedes to the AMC races at Cordova - and run the car down the track.
He'd take his time slips and hide them in various places around in the car saying he wished he could see the look in the next person who had the car when they found the time slips.

Not as much fun as the clown that stripped that car, got rid of the parts and wasn't able to return it to stock for return. What the heck was he thinking? Just of the now, obviously. He also never read the lease contracts, I'm sure.

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