We have no vehicle debt. I drive an older dodge truck. My wife drove an 05 explorer. She was hinting at a newer car for a while. I said Ok, but we're going to flip a house first and whatever that house makes is your budget.

OT to the OT- I never bought her a ring. I did however tell her that once the kids graduate school, we'll flip a house and I'll buy her whatever ring she wants. I've told her that since we got engaged. Stay tuned! :)

Anyway, we flipped a house and got her a newer SUV. I was driving a $600 02 Ford Focus for the past 8 years that just died this spring. A house we bought at sheriff's sale in February has a 95 carolla that came with it with 100k miles on it. I'm going to run that until the wheels fall off

My question is, do I keep the 05 explorer my wife drove? 118k miles, no debt, 4wd worth about $4500. Or do I sell it?

We have 3 kids and it would be a good back up. I could also stick that money from the explorer to work on a property. I'm thinking if I keep it, do I just park it in the garage and cancel the insurance for now?

It runs great, but it's awful on gas. Always has been. I just don't know if we need 4 vehicles.

Got a ring and a nicer car for her.. each carat for each kid..

NE,

I have 3 flips going at the moment and usually always one in the works somewhere. I choose to flip houses for larger purchases because I won't take out a loan for a car.

With the flips, it's a goal setting thing. Big dry erase board in our bedroom. My wife and I lay out plans for what we want, flip a house and do it.

Right now we have pretty much what we want, so the next few houses are for her school loan debt.

What's those are done, we will look at a few different things. She wants a pool, I do not.

One fun thing that we do after selling a house is we might make a list of things that we want that is totally selfish. It doesn't matter maybe $500-$1000. We will each write down two or three things that we want personally on individual pieces of paper and throw them in a hat and draw one. Someone gets it, someone doesn't. Better luck next time.

Roy I purchased my first NEW car in 2001. I was 51 and never had a brand new car. I flipped a VA foreclosure. Put 600.00 into the house and in 6 weeks made 40K+. I went down and brought a 2001 Chrysler Prowler -- Mulholland Blue and still have it. 13.5K miles on it.

*side note, we don't blow all the proceeds from flips. The majority goes back into the flip or rental business besides what goals we designated on our dry erase board.

The next, as stupid as it may sound, is a new grill. It will be a he// of a grill. The last one we had died about 2 years ago and came out of a property we bought in 2010.

Sell it.

Put that $4500 to work in your RE business instead of in something that goes down in value.

Myob,

A 1999 Tahoe was my first (and last) new vehicle. It only takes about 2 months before the new car smell wears off and then you still have an expensive hunk of metal on 4 wheels to make payments on. I only buy late model used SUV's now.

Razorback, that's kind of the way I'm leaning. I had a friend years ago complaining how broke he was and he had this huge skidsteer in his pole barn. I asked him how much money it makes him and he said hardly any. I told him to sell it and he said no way.

Sell.

You Rock, NE.

I use a 2002 Cavalier and pull a 5x8 utility trailer.

(15 + years)

Thanks RB, I'm so excited about the Corolla, it's been sitting two years. We threw some fresh gas in it and lhooked up the booster pack to jump the battery and the thing fired right up.

I drove around the yard, because it wasn't street legal yet. And since I was able to get it running and shifting without any effort, I petition the court's to get the title for it. So now I just have to get it inspected.

I will say the toyota family must be doing something far beyond good, I got a house with a toyota truck, replaced the battery and fiddled around jumping wires to the fusebox and it started in less than 30 seconds of cranking then one of the neighbors alerted the second tenant back the new owner got the truck running and it dissappeared a week later with my new battery, another nieghbor knew who the snitch was before I could confront them they were evicted by a different landlord so karma prevailed.

RentsDue is right. It's not a pool, it's a $100,000 water feature, unless you have small kids. Instead of a pool, talk her into a hot tub and an outdoor patio -w- fireplace. That combo you'll use most of the year.

When I was around 32 years of age I flipped a rental (Exchanged rentals and got some cash out). I purchased a new car for my wife and mother. Then I gave my wife her annual jewelry gift. I had never purchased for myself a new car unit I turned 50.

My old cars I always saved. Never ever to give a child. The children need to first:

a) get good grades in school

b) get a job and save half of their earnings for college

c) take drivers education and training offered in school.

d) get a learners permit and practice driving until they are

very experienced and competent.

Then when the child has need for reliable transportation, I will allow them to use one of my used older cars. If they take care of the car, get no tickets or accidents -- I may help them buy a new car only if they can afford the insurance themselves.

NE, if I could tell our younger selves ( hubs and myself) what we should buy for rings, i’d advise us to get a cheap cubic zirconia ring, even though zirconias weren’t so great looking back then, and buy a matching set of fairly simple gold wedding bands. Only reason for the cubic zirconia at all was I was being pestered by a couple of guys. Once they saw a diamond on my finger, they left me alone.

Years ago, I lost the diamond out of my engagement ring, and though hubs was certainly willing and able to replace it with bigger and better, I elected to get the gold band that matches my husband’s. Much easier for working with kids, which I was doing at the time, and better for construction now. And, I like our rings being equal. We’re partners for life.

Some information is missing or something is terribly wrong. NE, you are cutting deals, making flips, and have rental income.

Yet, a decent car $35k - $50k, and a long overdue ring $30k is too big of a spend. Keep cash in your account from sale profits and take care of these needs.

I'm with Ken. Sell the 05, keep your truck for truck stuff and new car for your main squeeze. Drive the toyota until you feel you warrant a newer vehicle. Seems well rounded to me.

If you need cash sell the toyota also, you still have two cars, one new. At one point we had 4 cars, too much insurance and upkeep, hardly ever drove two. My spouse wrecked one, I finally sold my old 1980 truck and it was totaled 4 months later, but that big old steel saved the buyers life!

Right now we have my rental truck and our old 2002 mitsubishi. We use the beater if we need to blend in with the townie tweakers. We've been looking to buy two new cars, I'm leaning toward a Toyota 4 Runner and a Toyota Tundra. Both are top off road and snow vehicles. One thing I absolutely demand is seat coolers and heaters. And a sunroof! :D

HEY wait a minute??? How do we know this is NE posting? What if it's his girlfriend? OR WORSE-- Maybe it's Mr. Robert in CA without 3 stars??????

Late to the party here, but I say buy the pool for her and the kiddos. Maintenance? Sure, but the memories will last a lifetime. So, sell the SUV and buy the pool.