Quote:
Originally Posted by UCBPhD
OP:
So, one of the common themes here seems to be "house first". I think this is ridiculous, for numerous reasons, not the least of which being that I have seen _way more_ people being house poor than car poor, although I don't think either is a good idea. Don't force the house situation; do it when you are ready. Maybe the people that say "house first" should rather say "be clear about your priorities, and act on them appropriately".
Another (less common) theme is "if you have to ask, then you can't afford it". Again, nonsense. If no one has ever discussed it with you, you wouldn't know . . . I would analyze the situation as follows: take your after tax monthly income, subtract amounts commensurate for things that you must pay for, and for reasonable entertainment. You can probably spare _all_ of the remaining money, but you probably shouldn't; maybe half of the remainder would be better.
Good Luck.
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+1
Everything is relative. If you can buy a nice house outside of Pittsburg for $150,000 - it might be worth considering. That said, if you live and work in a place like NYC (or much of Europe), owning your own home may be impractical -- even on a high income/without exogenous debt.
Buying a car, while definitively a depreciating asset (a home is a bit of a toss-up), is a much less permanent, far more liquid asset/liability (assuming you put enough money down).