A Prius as a Metaphor for Retirement

 

Posted in Travelling Tuesdays

Part of my strategy to make my money last for the rest of my life is to drive my cars until they have absolutely no life left in them.  Well, almost no life.   I prefer them to have at least enough life to get themselves to the dealership for whatever measly trade-in value they might garner.

And so it is that we have driven the last luxury sedan we will ever own while it still had enough get-up-and-go to get up and get us to the Toyota dealership.  Our old Audi had carried us for more than 12 years and 183,000 miles, never stranding us once.  But the last half of its life had us spending more and more money each year just to keep it alive.  The current list of things that needed fixing would have cost more than the value of the car, so we decided it’s time.

Now we drive a Prius wagon.  I’ve been waiting for them to come out with a wagon, it's slightly less goofy looking than the regular Prius.  Adjusting from a turbo-charged luxury sedan to a Prius is a lot like adjusting from a fast-paced career to retirement.   You have to find your new place on the road. 

In the Audi, when I got on the freeway, I stepped on the gas and easily merged into traffic.  The Prius is not in so much of a hurry.  When I step on the gas, I may have to let a car or two go by before I take my place in the lane.  I’m learning where I fit in now in the hierarchy of the road.  Just like with retirement, I don’t often find myself in the fast lane anymore. 

I still get where I want to go, and at more than double the gas mileage of our old car I get there a lot more cheaply.  Ok, so I don’t go so fast anymore, but I am certainly enjoying the ride.

Related Posts:

            Retired Life in the Fast Lane

            Road Tripping in Retirement

            Downsizing to Retirement

 

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Comments

[Steve]

You made a great point in your last post that I think doesn't receive the attention it should; that being we all need to be aware of how inflation impacts "our particular basket of goods". Definitely a welcome scenario when it is below the overall reported rate of inflation if that's how we budgeted but more importantly, something that needs to be addressed when it is above, especially if that trend continues for multiple years.

[Retired Syd]

@Steve: I should probably bring that topic back to the forefront--it is important. Specifically health insurance and medical costs are likely to grow at a faster rate than typical inflation rates. So to the extent that item represents large portion of someone's retirement budget, that would really impact the inflation of your own basket of goods.

[Jacq]

Is it silly of me to say that I bought my Outlander for the dog carrying capacity? :-)

I hate how people compare themselves to others when the bottom line is that you have to do the best with what you've got. Heaven forbid you actually made some - maybe a lot - of good choices in life, maybe even got lucky a time or two. I'm sure there's some bad times and bad luck in there as well along the way.

You're just too darn positive. ;-) (Although I have read that optimistic people actually make more money and believe that to be generally true in my experience.)

I like feeling a bit of envy. It gives me a target to shoot for. :-)

[Ann Hearn]

Hey, that is a great idea. I am driving an older car too. Not having a car payment is wonderful. The door rattles a little but I don't care. It drives well has low milage and I am good to go. Thanks for the post.

[Grace]

I suppose it says something about my current lifestyle that to me a Prius Wagon IS a luxury car, and IS the luxury car I plan to get when I retire in six years!

[Retired Syd]

Grace: Well to tell you the truth it feels pretty darn luxurious to us. (It helps that we haven't had a new car for 12 years. Probably a Geo Metro would have felt luxurious!)

[deegee]

Hi Syd, long time, no chat (long story, I email you some time, perhaps!).

The previous car I owned, a 1991 Geo Prism (which is basically a Toyota Corolla) I bought used in 1992, I kept for 15 years and I put about 50k miles on it in that time. Five years ago, I bought an actual Corolla (2007, new) and plan to keep that for another 15 years, until it can (as the Prism did) barely make it to the car dealership for a tiny trade-in value. It is a low-end CE model, but it has an intermittent windishield wiper setting!

But the most noteworthy thing about the car is that I finally got a better parking spot in my building's parking garage (after 17 years stuck in an awkward corner spot). Being an early retiree (like yourself), this is actually a big deal for me LOL!

[Retired Syd]

deegee: Welcome back! Hope everything is ok.

My first car was a 1964 VW Fastback (this was in 1980). Years later, I bought my first NEW car, a Nissan Sentra. It was the base, base, base model with absolutely no extras. It didn't even have arm rests on the doors, just a bolted on handle. And when I got my next car, there is only ONE thing I really, really, wanted--guess what that was: intermittent windshield wipers!

All the while, my (future) husband drove a Corolla (1982), it had intermittent wipers, the height of luxury. That car lasted forever--you should have a long run in that one!

[Nissan Sentra Rochester]

A great part of getting older is enjoying the ride instead of trying to be the fastest. I'm sure the Prius will last you a very long time.

[Dante Mallet]

Well, it’s a good thing that you enjoyed the ride. It should be one of the significant points to consider when owning a car. A Prius wagon, you say? Oh, did you mean the Prius V? It does have the potential of having 50 percent more interior room because of its aerodynamic jellybean shape. Its roofline is extended further back into its rear door which distinguishes it from the standard Prius model.

[Tyra Shortino]

My older sister owns the same Prius as you, and she loves it very much to the point that she won’t even let me drive it, LOL! Anyway, I think it’s a very wise decision to drive a Prius especially if you want to save money on gas. I’m glad you’re enjoying the ride. =)