Since we recently celebrated our blog’s first anniversary, I decided it was time to provide some updates on articles we have published during that time.  In addition to adding an addendum to each article individually, I decided to publish them collectively so established readers wouldn’t miss out. 

 

Since we recently celebrated our blog’s first anniversary, I decided it was time to provide some updates on articles we have published during that time.  In addition to adding an addendum to each article individually, I decided to publish them collectively so established readers wouldn’t miss out.  

1. My First New Car

     In October 2023, I published As a Doctor, Why Did I Buy My First New Car at 48 Years Old?, which detailed my purchase of a 2023 base model Honda Civic, despite being a financially independent multi-millionaire.  At the end of the post, I promised an update after I had driven the car awhile.  I have racked up almost 15,000 miles over the past 14 months, most of which were accumulated commuting back and forth to west TX, where I work.  I feel like I now understand the car sufficiently to give the promised update.  

Objective Reality 

     After one year of driving the Civic, attentively paying attention to every detail so that I can accurately and poetically report every detail and nuance of my experience, here is my diagnosis: the car is perfectly adequate.  I have not had any mechanical problems, which you would expect with a new Honda.  The car drives fine.  It tends to wander on the highway unless you put on the lane-keep-assist, but once you do that, it smooths out.  Speaking of the lane-keep-assist, it helps by stabilizing the ride but is a bit irritating because the sensors are too sensitive.  While I understand and accept that you must always have your hands on the wheel as the car is not self-driving, the car flashes lights and beeps if you don’t provide noticeable steering input every few seconds. 

However, when driving really straight with it on, you don’t need to make any corrections!  So, it’s super annoying because it forces you to move the wheel enough to move the tires in order to show that you’re still driving the car.  It’s not a big deal; it’s just a minor annoyance.  The audio system works just fine, but the car does have a significant amount of road noise, so I have to turn the volume up on my podcasts to overcome it.  I have some issues with the connection at some points in my commute when my Apple CarPlay is hooked up.  I’m unsure if this is an issue with the car or just the reception, but it didn’t seem to happen as much in my Jeep.   

     The car is an adequate size.  I can fit all three kids in the back if I need to.  I haven’t had to do that much, and my kids are small, but it certainly would comfortably fit two teenagers and probably slightly uncomfortably fit three teenagers.  The trunk space is large enough for my purposes.  I haven’t felt invisible to larger trucks like in my TT and Cayman.  

     The car feels underpowered, but I realize my perception may be skewered because I’m accustomed to driving my 700 HP Jeep, and everything is underpowered compared to it.  I have to ensure there is plenty of space when I’m passing someone and when I take off from a stop sign in a hurry to get through an intersection.  There is a bit of a lag when I push the gas before the engine starts to really pick up.  But these are not surprises and are issues that I expected, and it really hasn’t been a big deal.  95% of my time, I’m cruising on the highway, listening to music or podcasts, or thinking, and I’m not really concerned about any of these issues I mentioned.  Overall, I think the car performs as advertised.

Perception 

     As I discussed in Navigating the High Cost of New Cars: Strategies for Smarter Purchasing, Americans love their cars.  So, what has the perception been about me driving a relatively modest vehicle?  I haven’t noticed.  The only person who made comments was my wife, who believed I wouldn’t like the car and made a few comments about trading it in for something cooler.  However, that only lasted a couple of months.  I don’t think she actually cares what I drive; she just didn’t want me to complain. 

     Otherwise, no one has said anything, and I wouldn’t care if they did.  Not caring what other people think about me is one of my superpowers.  Honestly, I’m proud of my car.  It is the first new car I have ever owned, and I paid cash for it.  I think it looks nice, and I feel it is a reasonable reflection of what I want my personality to be – practical, sensible, and humble.  

     In fact, I kind of enjoy purposefully driving a less expensive car than I could.  First, I don’t have to worry too much about the car’s condition.  While I still respect and take care of the car, I’m not going to stress out if it gets a chip in the paint.  I don’t park in the far reaches of the parking lot to ensure no one door-dings me.  I just don’t have to think about it.  Next, when I lectured a group of APPs about personal finance last month, I could honestly say that I (generally) practice what I preach. 

Finally, I also like not being affected by others around me.  Not caring what others think is different from being oblivious.  When I drive my son to school and am surrounded by other parents driving Porsches, Range Rovers, and other expensive cars, I simply admire the cars and hope their owners can afford them.  I never worry about what they think about my car (or me).  

Value 

The fuel economy has been as advertised, and I am saving a ton of money on gas compared to my Jeep.  I estimate that I have saved $xxxx on gas since I’ve owned the Honda.  

     The only problem I’ve had with the car is that I had a cracked windshield shortly after I brought it home.  It was sitting in my driveway at the time, so I’m assuming that the lawn care company kicked up a rock with a lawn mower, but I don’t have any proof.  I had driven home late from out of town the night before and couldn’t swear that it didn’t happen then, although I think I would have noticed.  Anyway, It cost me $1200 to replace the windshield and get everything “recalibrated .”  One thousand, two hundred dollars.  That is 4.7% of the price of the car (before taxes, etc.).  If you haven’t replaced a windshield recently or if you drive an older car, you may be as shocked as I was.  I remember paying $300 to replace a windshield, but inflation and advanced technology have changed that.  

Today, many of the built-in gadgets: lane-keep-assist, distance monitoring, and others, are integrated through the windshield.  So, although the glass may still be 300 bucks, it costs a lot more to have it installed and have all these systems recalibrated.  They don’t guarantee that the systems will work if you don’t have the recalibration done.  Literally within one week, I got another chip in the windshield from a truck kicking up a rock while I was driving to work.  Fortunately, this one wasn’t so bad, and I just left it alone.  I don’t know if that was just a run of bad luck or if there’s some problem with the windshield’s angle or the glass’s thickness, but I’ll just have to wait and see how things play out.

2. The 25th Anniversary Concert of The Magnetic Field’s 69 Love Songs

     In June 2024, I wrote an energized post about an upcoming concert, Why FI Rocks – The Magnetic Fields.  I was prepared to spend big money to travel and see the concert, but fortunately, I didn’t have to, as the band came to Austin last week.  I promised an update after the concert, so here it is. 

          The concert was everything I had expected.  They played all 69 songs in order over 2 nights.  The band sounded great and was able to reproduce the highly varied musical style and sound of the albums.  Stephin Merritt’s rich base voice still sounds excellent, and his on-stage (and reportedly real-life) persona as a depressed curmudgeon was humorous and well-received.  My wife, who was familiar with some of the songs before the concert, thought they sounded better in concert than they did on the albums, which is high praise indeed.  

     The Paramount Theater in downtown Austin was charming, cozy, and acoustic.  It gave the concert an intimate feeling that fit the music and occasion, even if we did have to step over a few homeless individuals walking from the restaurant to the venue.  It was a reminder of why we keep moving farther away from downtown.  

     We had third-row tickets the first night and sat in the front row for night two, which was cool.  I’d never sat in the front row in any concert, play, or musical before.  In the end, I preferred the third row as there was less strain on my neck from looking up and a broader view of the band (the seats were more centered), but it was still a fun experience.     

     With the tickets, parking, babysitter, and dinner for two nights, the concert cost me around $1,500, but it was the best money I’ve spent in a while.  I got to spend some time with my wife and enjoy some great music in a unique way.  

3. Plus De Fille Au Pair

     Also in October 2023, I wrote Au Pair: French for Inexpensive Child Care?, which outlined my family’s experience with the US Department of State regulated au pair program.  We have sponsored au pairs for the last 11 years, meaning my children have never known a time when we didn’t have someone else living in our house.  Our latest au pair went home in May of 2024, just at the end of the school year.  Since we planned on traveling the entire summer, my wife didn’t immediately hire a new one, but we were still undecided about getting another au pair for the start of this school year.  

     While I thought having someone for another year would be better, my wife didn’t.  Since I’m still working part-time, she does most of the domestic duties, so the decision was hers.  She felt she would be OK with occasional help from a nanny, which is what we’ve been doing.  My wife hired someone part-time to drive the kids to some after-school activities when I’m out of town and help on the days three kids go to three different places, and we’re outnumbered.  We’ve had a couple of times that the nanny wasn’t available when I was out of town, which required my wife to call in some favors from friends, but so far, it has all worked out.     

     From a financial perspective, it is cheaper.  We no longer have to pay the expenses related to the au pair, although some of that is offset by paying the nanny.  Overall, it’s net budget positive.  There are also some added benefits.  We sold our extra car that the au pair drove, and we turned the bedroom she used into my office/home gym.  So far, so good.  If that changes, I’ll let y’all know. 

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