Is It Worth it To buy a Car?

In these times of pandemic, is it worth it to buy a car?

Most of us probably have a goal of getting to buy our dream car, driving it, and going to far and different places with our friends and family. Perhaps, some of you already have a personal or family car.

I myself have a dream and goal to buy my own car in the future because it is my dream to travel to visit different tourist destinations. It would be fun getting to travel whenever you want and wherever you want to go because you have your own car that you can use anytime.

It is not just a dream for myself but a dream for my family too. I have been very vocal about me not being born with a silver spoon. I am not that poor but not rich too, just living a simple life in a town. However, I am a simple person with huge dreams as well that's why I have been working so hard to earn money and save enough all these years.

Since my family is only small that which consists of my father, mother, and older brother, my goal is to buy a car that is just enough for us. I dream to take my parents to different cities, provinces, and tourist destinations without commuting or paying for a tour agency because it is more memorable if we do it all by ourselves with our adventures. But of course, it is just a dream.

Yesterday, my mother asked me if I want to help my brother to buy a car. After reading her message, I immediately answered "No" to it. She told me the amount my brother needs to buy a second-hand car and I said "I have no money." I even advised my mother to tell my brother that if he is planning to buy a car and he can't pay it in cash, then instead of buying a car on an installment basis, he should just save the money and just buy one when he already saved enough to avoid paying for more interest.

Then she gave me all the details of my brother's plan to purchase one. She said, he is thinking of two options. The first one is to buy a second-hand car that would cost from 200,000 pesos (around $4,000) up to 250,000 pesos ($5,000). His second option is to buy a brand-new car but he has to pay it in installment where he has to pay a certain amount every month. With this option, he said he wouldn't be able to give money to my parents every month if it pushes through.

I asked my mother what is he going to use it for, and obviously, he is going to use it for work and for traveling too. And he even said that he is going to leave the car at our house once he has his training again. Again, I couldn't support him with buying a car so I firmly answered "No" to his request. I lose my control so I got to say nasty words like my brother is being too ambitious with this idea.

I know my brother and he is really ambitious who would do everything to achieve his dreams in life. There is no doubt with that as he got to graduate from college without failing a single subject in Civil Engineering and he is already a Licensed Engineer. Now, he is working as a Police Officer after months of training. As a sister, I am proud of his achievements. I know I did my part as a sibling when I was also able to support him financially when he had his board review in Manila.

I'm not bringing this out to praise myself or seek validation but am I really being unsupportive when I did not agree with his request this time? It's not my thing to talk about personal or family matters through my articles but I guess it's just fine to talk about this topic.

I know my brother has been working hard for a year now since he decided to train in the camp. He has been working for a year and I'm sure he has already saved enough to buy the things he wants. I don't have a say on how he spends his hard-earned money but buying a car would be just another impulse decision, especially if he has not yet saved enough for his Emergency Fund. Buying a car is just too early for him.

I'm trying to manage my money wisely because I also have dreams and goals in life that I want to achieve. I also think that this idea is just another instant gratification if it pushes through. I don't see a car as an investment or an asset for now, but I see it as a liability.

A car is something that depreciates as time goes by. Unless he gets to use it to make money just like for business purposes, I wouldn't take out some money from my bank account because the money he is asking for would surely hurt my personal savings.

Although it is also my dream to buy a car for our family and supporting my brother to buy a car will somehow make this dream come true, I just don't think it is worth it to buy one now, especially with the current situation we are in. There's still a pandemic and there are a lot of things that need more budget and attention than buying a car.

My brother is probably hating on me now but I hope he will think not just twice but a lot of times before he makes a decision.