Average Median Income?

[DrkZide]

Is it just me or do I never seem to have enough money to mod my car the way I want to? With the wife and I combined our income is in the $100k/yr range. We don't have many bills aside from household, childcare, student loans and cell phone bills. Both my vehicles are paid off and my wife has maybe a year left on hers.

Is this normal compared to some other users here? I've been waiting like two months so I can order the parts I need for my 120k service. I'm at 100k but I never did my 60k so I figured might as well do the 120k. Yet I see people with 3.5l strokers and new wheels. Makes me wonder even though the initial cost is low if this car is still out of my budget.

[stealthee]

I wish I made that much income. I started my current job in January at 9.50 an hour which is $19760 without overtime. I was given a 50 cent raise in May which brought me to $20800 without OT. I was given another 50 cent raise last week bringing me to $21840. The end of December I am up for another $1.50 raise bringing me to $12 an hour which is $24960, again without OT.

I do ok, even at that income level. I'm not rich, I don't necessarily struggle, but I don't do great either. As the old saying goes, the more you make, the more you spend.

[Emilie@GZP]

It all depends on your cost of living vs. income, and how much work you do yourself, what kinds of deals you get on parts, etc.

[DrkZide]

As the old saying goes, the more you make, the more you spend.

Damn and I consider your car one of the nicer ones around. I do all my own work so I could be spending more. I haven't linked my new bank account to my old MINT account since I joined the Army. At least then I should figure out where everything is going.

[stealthee]

I put myself in a hole making my car look the way it DID. Its developing issues here and there and needs gone through and redone. I'm going to do it right this time both physically and monetarily.

[Purdue3KGT]

It seems like money is buying less and less these days. I think the prices of most goods/services has gone up, while the incomes of most middle-class workers hasn't. I'm very fortunate in that I will be able to graduate from school with zero loans, and with my car completely paid off. I've had to work my ass off, but it will pay off in the long run, as I'll be able to get a fun car once I secure a decent job!

[CoreyB]

I know I dont have the money. I traded for my car a very nice Corrado with the VR4 being a basket case of sorts. I bought the Corrado for like $900 and had a few hundred into it. I have been piecing my car together slowly. Every time I fix something another breaks. I have only about $2000 into the car on top of the trade. This includes rebuilding the engine, replacing all wheel bearings, replacing the computer too many times, and replacing all the rear steering lines. Oh and fluids can get pricey as well. I make like $38,000 a year and my wife like $25,000 or so. So yeah its not easy. I do a lot of side jobs that help fund the car.

[Hammer]

I found it difficult as well at around 100K. It wasn't til I passed 150K that I had enough cash to pay for everything that needed to be done considering everything, including saving for retirement. Let me be clear though 100k is including benefits. So if you are making 100k plus benefits like employer pays health care then you are really closer to 120K. For a family of 4 also.

[CoreyB]

Yeah I didnt include bennys. That puts me closer to 80k or so.

[DrkZide]

I used to have benefits, although Army benefits aren't as nice as some make it seem. It took them three months to diagnose my knee and even then they didn't really do anything. TriCare is still an HMO plan and we all know how HMO's work. Our bills are low enough that we have money for small things. Like I just ordered a set of HID's from DDM for my wife's A4 and I've been putting money into the truck getting it ready for winter. But for things like a new bumper ($600 estimate after paint), 120K service (don't even know how much that is), Reupholster interior, new sound system or just updating things that are slowly showing their age, is proving to be difficult to keep up with.