This is baffling to me. In the 90s and early 00s, it seems like every middle income blue collar worker had a truck, and they were all reasonably priced.
Today? Trucks cost $80,000+ and are driven by suburban white collar CEOs as some kind of status symbol. The original target market for a truck has been *completely* priced out.
What changed?
Took the car in for routine oil change yesterday and come to find out, it's in need of the following services. I can't afford to do them all at once, so I'll have to do one every two weeks until they're complete.
> Battery needs to be replaced. Previous owners put the wrong kind of battery in and I need to replace it with an AGM battery and have it "coded" to the alternator. Current battery still functions, but I'm told it's the wrong kind of battery for my vehicle and was not designed for the performance engine or to handle the start-stop system. Current rating is ~540 CCA.
> Transmission flush/service is needed
> Coolant flush is needed
> Brake fluid needs to be changed
> Spark plugs need to be changed
> Belly pan is damaged and needs to be replaced
Of these, the most expensive is the transmission service, and the least expensive is the brake fluid.
How should I prioritize?
TIA.
Both jobs are equal distance from my home - about 30 minutes. Current job has a lot more earning potential (equates to $130K per year if I work every Saturday), but I don't work *every* Saturday - just some Saturdays. However, management informed us we'll be working a lot of Saturdays over the next few months. So that's a potential +$2200 per month in my pocket for the foreseeable future.
New job also has better insurance benefits, but they're way more expensive.