Your Car is not your ASSET !

Yes, you read it right. Your car is not your asset. Or as a matter of fact, none of your vehicle is your asset unless you are into transport business. If you ask any literate human being about “what is an asset?” you will get a spontaneous reply as “It is something that has value and the value appreciates over a period of time / or it generates some regular income”.

But if you ask same person to list down his assets, he will most likely to write car as one of the line item. Cars are no ASSET. A fact which is hard to digest?

• Car does not appreciate
• Car does not give you income, unless you are a taxi operator
• Car does not keep your principal safe (what you chipped in to purchase it)

When you are writing line items in your asset lists, cars are definitely no-no. They are money drain and are more status symbol in today’s world.

They depreciate quickly, they drain your money quickly –

• You need to pay insurance,
• You need to pay fuel costs,
• You need to pay maintenance costs,
• You need to pay registration and
• You need to pay emission related expenses to keep them road worthy
• You need to pay for wear & tear costs

Imagine, one fine day when you do not have a monthly income coming in, you are retired from your day job. Even though you have a big car parked in porch, it will not give you good or money to buy food. My point is this – a car cannot generate a regular income for you hence it is not an asset. An asset is something which generates monthly income for you like your real estate property given on rent, a fixed cash deposit with your bank, a commercial shop you owe generating monthly rentals for you, gold coins appreciating over the years.

Here I am not saying that Car is bad. I am aware of the convenience it brings when you are moving from point A to point B. My statement is just to make it clear to you so that you do not consider your car as an asset. I want to de-link you from the thinking that you are really doing well in your life by driving a big nice car which is taken on monthly payment. It is absolutely absurd to think that you look wealthy by owing a big car.

Bigger the car – bigger the money drain it is.

•  You incur more expense on monthly payment,
•  You incur more expense on insurance payment,
•  You incur more expense on periodic maintenance, and
•  You lose more money when you dispose it off

Cars are means to carry you from one place to other. They should not become status symbol in your life. Buy what you need, a decent piece not a luxury metal object.

Bottom-line is that if you keep buying expensive cars on payment and think your car as your asset, you are moving away from financial independence. An expensive car is never a good investment decision and is a hindrance in early retirement plan.

CHOICE is yours as MONEY is yours !!!