Vehicle Purchases: Is it all worth it?

Vehicles come in many shapes, sizes, forms, and colors. We can customize them down to the very last detail, making them one-of-a-kind.

I recently bought a truck with my husband after our older vehicle started to show signs of major aging. The repair costs were adding up. It was a family vehicle however and still was drivable so our loving grandma told us to try to keep it in the family. We sold it to my husband's parents, who both had vehicles a lot older and a lot more problematic than the one we sold them.

After, we felt a sense of nostalgia for selling something that gave us so many memories and had gotten us to so many places. But we still headed to the Chevy dealership with a hefty list of package options in mind. We wanted another truck but this time, it was going to be newer, better, and something that we could be proud to roll down the street in.

We did a great job negotiating a price. The dealership only made $600, which is incredible. We were brand new owners of a Chevy 1500 Silverado LTZ with leather heated seats, 4 doors, sun roof, back window, upgraded sound system, and more. We fought over the steering wheel for a few months until we realized how expensive that beast really was to drive.

The gas guzzling beast made us realize a few things. Is getting a car with the latest package deal really worth it?

We paid so much extra for options that it is ridiculous. And they didn't really make an impact on the driving ability. That wood trim, add a thousand. Leather heated seats, add another thousand. I realized I just flushed money down the toilet. Our truck lost its value the day we drove it off the lot and I did not need those feature comforts even if my wallet book could afford it.

I don't drive the thing that often when I have two motorcycles and a car. The other options are so much cheaper to drive. And so the the truck often sits, losing value. I could have spent the truck money on improving my house, which would have gained equity instead of just losing it after I bought it. And did we really need a truck if it sat unused? Not really but again, it was handy when we did use it.

Do I regret purchasing the truck? No. But I may think about this the next time I buy a vehicle because the status appeal definitely is not worth burning a hole in my wallet. The wood trim is not worth the extra hundred dollars in yearly property tax either.