The $60,000 Mistake You’re About to Make with Your New 4Runner And Other Ways You’re Setting Fire to Your Financial Future
Look, I get it. That 2025 Toyota 4Runner is sexy as hell. It’s got that rugged “I could totally go off-roading if I wanted to” vibe that makes you feel like a badass, even though we both know you’re just going to use it to grab your little groceries and once every 3 years help your friend move a couch.
But here’s the truth that nobody wants to hear: **You’re about to fuck yourself financially.**
Let’s break down this clusterfuck of a financial decision:
The “I’ll Just Pay $750 a Month” Delusion
You’re looking at a 60-month loan with $750 monthly payments. Stop. Just… stop. This is the financial equivalent of thinking you can outrun a bear. You can’t, and you’re going to get eaten alive. A slow, painful death.
Here’s why this is stupid decision:
1. You’re buying a **brand new** car. Congratulations! You just volunteered to eat the steepest depreciation curve in the history of depreciating assets. It’s like throwing money out the window, but with more time and extra steps.
2. It’s a **4Runner**. Look, Toyota makes great vehicles. But you’re paying $45,000 for a 4,500-pound brick that gets 17 MPG. Unless you’re regularly carrying the entire cast of Friends up a mountain, or doing overlanding in the remote wilderness of Alaska this is overkill.
3. You’re thinking in **monthly payments**. This is how car dealers seduce you into financial bondage. “Oh, it’s only $750 a month!” Yeah, and crystal meth is only $10 for your first hit.
The Four Levels of Financial Intelligence
Let me lay out how different people think about major purchases, from “complete moron” to “future millionaire”:
1. **The YOLO Approach**: “Just put it on my credit card, future me will figure it out!” (Future you hates present you, by the way.)
2. **The Monthly Payment Zombie**: “Well, I’m already paying $500 for my current car, what’s another $250?” (This is you right now. Stop being this person.)
3. **The False Security Guy**: “I have $32,000 in savings, so I can totally afford this $45,000 car!” (Narrator: He could not, in fact, afford this car because what do you know, his hvac went in the middle of summer and now he needs to come up with $5,000 to fix it, his ex just put a judgment on him for child support, and his roof is leaking. Hey at least his car is cool.)
4. **The Actually Smart Person**: “If I buy a 2010 RAV4 for $10,000 instead, I’ll save $38,000 upfront. Invested at 7% over 10 years, that’s **$60,000** (!) in my pocket.”
The True Cost of Your “Small” Expenses
Want to have your mind blown? Here’s how much your “little” expenses actually cost over 10 years with that 7% compound interest:
– Your twice-weekly fancy dinner dates – wine, desert, coffee (175$) vs once a week not as fine meal for about ($65) a small difference of $110 per week comes out to about $82,756 over ten years (That’s a down payment on a house, but sure, enjoy your stupid little tiramisu and espresso martinis)
– Daily Starbucks habit $4 per day, $20 per week that’s $15,040 over ten years (You could have bought a super decent used car with your coffee money)
– Monthly shopping/grooming splurge ($100): $17,300 (Congratulations, your hair appointments just cost you a semester of college)
The “Holy Shit” Formula
Want to know how badly you’re screwing yourself? Here’s the magic formula:
– Weekly expense × 752 = 10-year cost
– Monthly expense × 173 = 10-year cost
Put any expense you want in there, then scream “HOLY SHIT!” Out your window
The Bottom Line
That 2025 4Runner isn’t just a $45,000 car with $750 monthly payments. It’s a $60,000 opportunity cost that you’re flushing down the toilet. Think about that next time you’re tempted to “treat yourself” to a new car (or anything else for that matter) that you don’t need.
Remember: Financial freedom isn’t about having nice things. It’s about having the freedom to tell your boss to go fuck themselves if you need to.
Small decisions over time lead to different results so choose wisely.
Now, what are you going to do with that $60,000? (hopefully invest it)
Onward and upward to financial freedom.
#MMMSeries
Joe DiAndrea 