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By far by far by far: a pair of 1998 Yamaha Waverunners, purchased new for something like $12K. I rented a set on a trip, and we fell in love with riding them that day.
I didn't know that by 1998, jetski / PWC bans were going up everywhere. I was in a constant battle with the city and the HOA about "boat storage in the driveway". Either I had them in my garage (which took up one whole side), or the driveway, and that would result in notices. You couldn't beach them at any state or county park, you had to use the boat launch and thus they were like full size boats. Smaller lakes banned them for noise. I could tow them places, but of course I found I didn't have the time to take them anywhere too far. When I did try to take them out, the stupid lead acid motorcycle batteries were inevitably dead. So I'd have to keep a spare set on a tender, then swap them the morning I wanted to go out. Then wait in the boat line, and launch both boats with whoever I was going with, then park the truck, etc. And then the goddamn things wouldn't start. The incredibly annoying 2 stroke motors just didn't like to start. They'd foul the plugs like mad. I'd have several spare plugs to try to start them if they fouled the first ones. And then it was a race to see what would happen first: 1) start, 2) foul my last clean plug, 3) drain the battery. The dealer was no help, he just said yeah, they are a troublesome to start aren't they? And If I did get them to start, then we'd have a day of fun but after a while, it was the same old three lakes, the same old zip around, the same old same old. Until the day one of my kids was out with his friend and they ran the pair into each other. Not boring at all! Thank god no one was injured, but $4000 fiberglass repairs required. I unloaded those fuckers to someone who lived in Eastern WA. I didn't want to be a total asshole, so I told them they could be "hard to start sometimes". About a month later, I got a phone message "hey, we're the guys who bought your WaveRunners, what do you do when they won't start?" I gotta admit, I laughed. "Sell them to someone else is what you do!" |
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Shitty truck for 3k, but its going on 2 years of daily driving so I'm actually not mad anymore.
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Quoted:
A house View Quote Not the house itself, just the timing. Height of the market in 05. Needed a house, so bought a house. If I rented or leased for a year, could have saved 10's of thousands on the same house. People said the housing bubble was about to burst that year, same as every year for 5 years prior to that. |
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My house. Bought in 2005 as a “starter home.” In 2009 it lot half its value. 14 years later still under water.
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Toss up between a few.
Bought an 1978 Blazer and put a shit ton of money into that for off road purposes. That thing was a piece of crap but when it worked it was super fun. I was never even able to get it road legal in CA at the time. That didn't stop me from driving it with the top off everywhere possible. I didn't even have plates on it. I look back at that time and particular vehicle and wonder how in the world i don't have an extensive criminal record. How i never got pulled over still amazes me to this day. That was probably in the late 90's or early 00's. I also spent a shit ton of money on computer hardware and cooling equipment to "benchmark" with back in the day. Set a lot of records at the time but holy fuck what a waste of money in hind sight. That was probably the stupidest thing i spent money on, but it didn't seem like it at the time. |
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This house.
Not because of the house, we love it. It's the location. Wish we could pick it up and move it 50 miles east to Indiana. It would be worth twice what it is here. Born in IL, raised in IL, lived our lives in IL. Fuck, we were stupid. |
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Quoted:
Cost $93,000 new (long wheelbase version) and I bought it used. A beauiiful, magnificent, and luxurious automobile that would cruise all day at 130 mph, but was difficult to drive smoothly. Fussy electronics that went apeshit if the system voltage got a bit low, requiring a bettery tender when you were not driving it. Major suspension repairs common (pump and air bags) around 70.000 miles. Got rid of it before it developed expensive problems. I still regret it, and still have very mixed feelings about it. https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/car/2046/Jaguar-XJ-Super-V8-14842.jpg View Quote |
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The 3rd house. Wife fell in love with it, despite the blown out foundation walls and basement floor, WAY TOO CLOSE to the god-damned road (less than 30 feet from a MAJOR 2 lane) and NO MOTHERFUCKING YARD. I can't even get my Geo Tracker between the fence and the fucking house.
Currently saving to buy a 4th house, for ME, and NO OTHERS. Fuck wasting 30 years of my life, other than my wonderful kids. I'm OUT in just under 4 years (youngest will be 18, then) |
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I kind of regret going to law school but it wasn't exactly a losing financial experience for me, especially in comparison to some of my classmates.
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1st wife
1st wife divorce lawyer take your pick! lol nah just kidding, I got my kids so I'd pay 10x what I paid. I'd have to say my boat as I was looking at a 67 firebird and opted for the boat....I know |
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A truck I spent 10 grand on fixing and sold it to a neighbor. Now he hates the truck and it leaks in his driveway.
Nobody won. |
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Probably the 2018 Dodge Challenger R/T I just bought new two months ago. Kind of an impulse buy. Problem is, mine is the 5.7 liter Hemi with 6 speed manual. Got it for a good price, but for a little more I could have gotten a 6.2 Scat pak. Problem is, when I go to sell this thing in 6 years, there are going to be a ton of 6.2's on the market, and my 5.7 will be worth shit in comparison. Plus, it is a Dodge, so it will likely be dodgy at the 6 year mark anyway. But I'm loving it now, and will for a few more years, I'm sure.
Honestly though, my first wife was my worst purchase. Totally cratered my retirement plans, 2.5 years of hell going through a divorce, money pissed away on legal fights, only escaped scorched earth when the dumb bitch inadvertently burnt our house to the ground. Kind of broke even on that, except for the lost retirement funds. 2nd divorce looks to be more cost effective. Worst future purchase will be a 3rd wife. |
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I did see some stuff that you wouldn't believe.
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Quoted:
https://i.imgur.com/KaOXuJK.jpg View Quote |
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Probably an endoscope for peering in rifle bores. Cost more than a Hawkeye and ackward to use without a 90 degree eyepiece. It works, but could work better.
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Nothing like most of you guys. I'm pretty cheap for the most part. Mostly just dumb gifts for my wife that she absolutely needed but never used. Things like a PDA about a year before she got a smartphone. A camcorder that's been used about twice. Again, because smartphone.
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Sig 716 when they were relatively new. It had an abusive recoil and was inaccurate and heavy. I rarely sell guns. I don't miss this one one bit.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
https://i.imgur.com/KaOXuJK.jpg |
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I've made a lot of the mistakes in this thread, it seems.
Sports car, got a steep discount because I bought used, but $50K when I bought it and $7500 in trade when I sold it, 2,500 miles and 15 years later. Stupid waste of money. Airplane that was a money pit -- my mistake was buying too old and too low end (Cessna 150.) A condo 'cause everyone talked me into it. I'm a small town, middle of nowhere guy and that was my first real estate purchase when I was 21. Sold at a 20% loss less than 18 months later to get the hell out of the city. $35K engagement ring. Got $19K when she decided she wanted a new ride. (and on that topic, hot, expensive girlfriends in general.) Honorable mention to a new RV. Those things redefine what depreciation means. ETA: Not NV, but thermal. Spent five figure for early generation FLIR that sucked balls imo. |
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Travel trailer. It's good and all, but I hardly use it.
Should have just rented when I needed to. |
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Equity in a friend's start up company
It's still going and growing, but I doubt it will ever pay out to my benefit and it has affected the relationship. |
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A ring to propose to my ex wife with. I I hadn’t bought that one item it would have saved me so much time, money and heartache.
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Quoted: I worked on those for a while, they were great cars if you could afford to maintain them. View Quote When the supercharger wound up, that fucker would go, and such luxury in an automobile was probably only surpassed by Rolls and Bentley. What a disappointment. |
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New Camaro SS 1LE last May, Sticker $45k, worth $26- $28k to the dealers now a year later with 7,000 miles on it.
Should have never bought it. Under water and can't really(never really could) afford it anymore. |
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66 Chevelle SS
KTM 530EXC ETA, o and a fancy restaurant with a Top Chef winning chef. |
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I honestly can't think of anything legitimately expensive that I've bought and regretted...at least, nothing that I wasn't able to get my money back out of later on.
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Mine would be a house.
I also understand the night vision. While I sold Mine for more than I paid for it I owned it for years and only turned it on maybe 6 times. Mostly just to show it off to friends in the back yard. Lot of money invested in something that rarely got used. |
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