$52,000 salary, living in an apartment, and struggling to pay of a $14,500 car loan? If the rent is that high he should move! He must have some other expenses like a home mortgage payment or this loan could be paid off in a year.
You don’t understand the reality of living in a number of high cost cities. $52k is not a lot to make these days.
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is how many months left to pay it off?
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Where does this guy get these weird ideas from? 
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The weird ideas come from the same place that makes him think the 90’s were all that wonderful .
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Yep that’s his story and he is sticking to it. 
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“…closer to my major city center and making extensive use of public transportation. If all goes to plan, I will only drive when it is absolutely necessary–such as for an audition, to be on set or a meeting…”
I know this is the “wrong” thing to say on this site, but sounds like you should NOT OWN A CAR for a good long while. Happened to me, after little tin-can car was stolen (twice) for parts in the big city, sat down and did the artihmetic: Transit fares, car rental for a vacation, taxis for a late party, or an important meeting… versus: sky-high insurance (think the thefts had something to do with that…?) and repairs, and parking costs, and parking tickets, and getting towed or booted, smashed windows from attempted thefts, attempts at stealing the wheels off the vehicle (really!), etc, etc.
Decided not to own. Icing on the cake? Not having to look out the window ten times an evening wondering if the car was still there, was that my window being smashed, etc.
Since retired, moved to rural state and now need two cars, we keep them running well, but it is simply a “cost of living” here (any store/town is 15 minutes away, most things 45 minutes). That cost is worth it to us, in this situation, would never be so in the city.
Enjoy your new life!
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Check Consumer Reports for what insurance companies will actually PAY if you have a claim…Ones like Amica (house) and State Farm (car). Insurance is no good if you are not actually “Covered!”
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I live in a city and park on private property at home and work.
Insurance rates for my old vehicles are not influenced by crime rates.
He has a salary of $4400/month, let’s say after taxes, medical, retirement, etc. he takes home $3300. Maybe he’s lucky and rents a 1 bd apt in a not so great part of town and only pays $1200 in rent, and utilities are cheap at $100. That leaves 2 grand a months for everything else to live. At that point the difference between $200 and $400 a month is significant. But the OP has a late model and reliable car.
Suppose he does buy an old beater or maybe 2, assuming he doesn’t have to pay for additional parking. A simple brake pad and rotor replacement can run $400. Shop labor rates are 100-160/hr. We regularly perform repairs in the thousands of dollars on old beaters. Your solution only applies to people who have the place, equipment, and ability to repair their own cars.
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I drive a 2005 Dodge pickup which could easily be called a beater. Purchased used about 6 years ago, it’s perfect for my needs. Consider how many miles you drive. I only drive about 2000 miles each year being retired and preferring to bicycle for enjoyment (year around) and use mass transit, (light rail) when attending any events in Denver, (I’m in the suburbs).
Frankly, I would like to have my 1978 Chevy 4X4 van back. It was easily maintained, though did not have the amenities of new vehicles. It also lacked the safety features of newer vehicles.
For some, a vehicle is a personal statement, a fashionable trinket. One can extrapolate from this, a vehicle for me is utilitarian and nothing more. What does your transportation mean to you?
I think this statement has a vast amount of truth in it and is probably the reason people trade in for a newer vehicle the majority of the time.
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Barky,
report the dead tree to your village and send your neighbor certified, return receipt statement re the tree. Dead trees are dangerous . They will fall it is a question of who or what will be under them when they do. This way if no action is taken your friendly neighbor WILL be responsible. (at least according to the court shows 
)
Blockquote“…closer to my major city center and making extensive use of public transportation. If all goes to plan, I will only drive when it is absolutely necessary–such as for an audition, to be on set or a meeting…”
I know this is the “wrong” thing to say on this site, but sounds like you should NOT OWN A CAR for a good long while. Happened to me, after little tin-can car was stolen (twice) for parts in the big city, sat down and did the artihmetic: Transit fares, car rental for a vacation, taxis for a late party, or an important meeting… versus: sky-high insurance (think the thefts had something to do with that…?) and repairs, and parking costs, and parking tickets, and getting towed or booted, smashed windows from attempted thefts, attempts at stealing the wheels off the vehicle (really!), etc, etc.
Decided not to own. Icing on the cake? Not having to look out the window ten times an evening wondering if the car was still there, was that my window being smashed, etc.
Since retired, moved to rural state and now need two cars, we keep them running well, but it is simply a “cost of living” here (any store/town is 15 minutes away, most things 45 minutes). That cost is worth it to us, in this situation, would never be so in the city.
Enjoy your new life!
My window was just smashed open over the weekend. And my apartment building doesn’t have parking (That comes at a premium). I spent the last few days looking out side wondering if my car was going to get hit again. The paranoia and fear-- That is one point for getting rid of it.
For some, a vehicle is a personal statement, a fashionable trinket. One can extrapolate from this, a vehicle for me is utilitarian and nothing more. What does your transportation mean to you?
I am not a car-guy–more of a utilitarian, tool based guy–like you.
City can’t do anything. Insurance company pursuing reimbursement of my deductible due to negligance , If I get my $250 back as we had spoken with the landlord a year ago about the tree and even sent him a link via text for a tree removal guy, if that goes through will hire someone to remove the crap and submit a claim. June one of his minions came by to say he would have to remove a couple of our fence panels to remove the tree, never happened. Got $500 or so from insurance, pic of former functional table. Lost some tomatoes in the garden also.
I thought you were talking like two feet in diameter. That’s a branch. About 30 minutes to cut it all up.
$295 for removal.
Free firewood from the neighbor and they paid you $295 to burn it.
I paid $3000 for 8 60’ trees, 2-3’ in diameter. But I gave them a $500 tip.