Continuing to Put Money into a Clunker

[Wes Mantooth]

Have you ever gotten to the point where it just makes no sense to continue to have repairs done to an older car? Where putting another 800 dollars into a two thousand dollar car doesn't make sense, because you know another repair is just around the corner. I'm sure most of us have.

Why put in more money into repairs when the repairs becomes a greater than the value of the car? Why not take those same dollars and invest them into a newer car, where there's greater value? Right? Even a guy like has enough economic sense to know it's evident that my dollars are being wasted and better spent elsewhere.

Well, I think that analogy is discussion worthy because it's how I view are approach to letting players play out their contracts. See Leon Hall as a recent example, and Mauluga and Pac-Man for likely future examples.

Why put 10 mil dollars into Rey and Adam (their potential cap savings) when you can put into another player (another car). Why waste money on something that's clearly not worth it?

Spare me the business of "honoring a deal". Players getting cut is a big factor in the bonuses. You pay a premium (signing bonus) for the ability to part ways at your choosing. It's built into the system. That's why you paid Antonio Bryant 7 mil for nothing. They get a guarantee, you get control of their rights for the next however many years. Not taking advantage of being able to cut bait early is completely illogical.

Every contract they pay out, where they take on the initial risk, pays into it being completely fair. Like it or not, that's the business in this day and age. Adopting some out-dated and stubborn logic that there's honor in seeing a deal through is plain stupid. It became stupid a long time ago. For every guy that gets cut early there's another guy like Ryan Leaf or Brady Quinn or got a big guarantee for next to nothing.

Personally, I this franchise is so stubborn and hell-bent on doing things their way, that they would sooner pay a guy in house money for nothing than move those dollars over to the outside. It doesn't matter if Free Agent B is better, all that matters is their approach. They'd sooner burn a stack of money to have Mauluga sucks ass than try to modernize their approach. Because that's just how they do things. Similar to an man, stuck in his ways. Logic be damned. Sad thing is, this isn't an old man that won't use a cell phone. It's a billion dollar business who values comfort over business sense.

Hope you enjoy that new set of tires and water pump on the 1997 Ford Taurus that is Rey Mauluga. Some may say it's a waste of money. Some may also say that you're driving a piece of shit. Either way, you'd be better off getting a car made this millennium.

[CINwillWIN]

Guilty.

I just put $900 in my 2005 Ford Escape with 256,000+ miles on it.

Has to do with market value as well, if you were driving a 1970 Chevelle that needed work but you knew the worth of that car...Sometimes it is just hard to find value in someone else's piece of shit.

[xxlt]

(03-01-2017, 11:27 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Have you ever gotten to the point where it just makes no sense to continue to have repairs done to an older car?  Where putting another 800 dollars into a two thousand dollar car doesn't make sense, because you know another repair is just around the corner. I'm sure most of us have.

Why put in more money into repairs when the repairs becomes a greater than the value of the car?  Why not take those same dollars and invest them into a newer car, where there's greater value? Right? Even a guy like has enough economic sense to know it's evident that my dollars are being wasted and better spent elsewhere.

Well, I think that analogy is discussion worthy because it's how I view are approach to letting players play out their contracts. See Leon Hall as a recent example, and Mauluga and Pac-Man for likely future examples.

Why put 10 mil dollars into Rey and Adam (their potential cap savings) when you can put into another player (another car). Why waste money on something that's clearly not worth it?

Spare me the business of "honoring a deal". Players getting cut is a big factor in the bonuses. You pay a premium (signing bonus) for the ability to part ways at your choosing. It's built into the system. That's why you paid Antonio Bryant 7 mil for nothing. They get a guarantee, you get control of their rights for the next however many years. Not taking advantage of being able to cut bait early is completely illogical.

Every contract they pay out, where they take on the initial risk, pays into it being completely fair. Like it or not, that's the business in this day and age. Adopting some out-dated and stubborn logic that there's honor in seeing a deal through is plain stupid. It became stupid a long time ago. For every guy that gets cut early there's another guy like Ryan Leaf or Brady Quinn or got a big guarantee for next to nothing.

Personally, I this franchise is so stubborn and hell-bent on doing things their way, that they would sooner pay a guy in house money for nothing than move those dollars over to the outside. It doesn't matter if Free Agent B is better, all that matters is their approach. They'd sooner burn a stack of money to have Mauluga sucks ass than try to modernize their approach. Because that's just how they do things.  Similar to an man, stuck in his ways. Logic be damned.  Sad thing is, this isn't an old man that won't use a cell phone. It's a billion dollar business who values comfort over business sense.

Hope you enjoy that new set of tires and water pump on the 1997 Ford Taurus that is Rey Mauluga. Some may say it's a waste of money. Some may also say that you're driving a piece of shit. Either way, you'd be better off getting a car made this millennium.

Damnit! I was sure this thread was going to be about your favorite stripper in Newport.

[xxlt]

And I am going to go ahead and say it now. It does make more economic sense to drive and repair the old car. The cost of repairs is still less than the cost of a car payment, and your new car will depreciate rapidly. A car is a mode of transportation and not an investment in almost all cases. And, if it is an investment you are cautioned against driving it.

NFL players on the other hand... yeah if you can get Mauluga like performance from a draft pick or undrafted free agent for pennies on the dollar, by all means you should.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(03-02-2017, 08:03 AM)xxlt Wrote: And I am going to go ahead and say it now. It does make more economic sense to drive and repair the old car. The cost of repairs is still less than the cost of a car payment, and your new car will depreciate rapidly. A car is a mode of transportation and not an investment in almost all cases. And, if it is an investment you are cautioned against driving it.

NFL players on the other hand... yeah if you can get Mauluga like performance from a draft pick or undrafted free agent for pennies on the dollar, by all means you should.

Especially when you have the ability to do the repairs yourself....saving even more money.  I am a stickler for routine maintenance as well.  Once I find a vehicle that is reliable...and I get comfortable working on it....I don't get rid of it.  I've had my CRX since 98....and my 2001 Dodge since 2002.  The CRX has nearly 300k on it....the truck has 205k.  I did put an engine in the CRX a few years ago. The engine was 300 bucks from a boneyard and I put it in for free in my garage.  It doesn't get much cheaper than that.

The Bengals bit is spot on though.....

[yellowxdiscipline]

(03-02-2017, 07:59 AM)xxlt Wrote: Damnit! I was sure this thread was going to be about your favorite stripper in Newport.

Hey now Methhead Mary is a good conversationalist when she's not on stage.

[Shake n Blake]

(03-02-2017, 07:59 AM)xxlt Wrote: Damnit! I was sure this thread was going to be about your favorite stripper in Newport.

The Bengals are the Brass Ass of the NFL.

[Sled21]

(03-01-2017, 11:27 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Have you ever gotten to the point where it just makes no sense to continue to have repairs done to an older car?  Where putting another 800 dollars into a two thousand dollar car doesn't make sense, because you know another repair is just around the corner. I'm sure most of us have.

Why put in more money into repairs when the repairs becomes a greater than the value of the car?  Why not take those same dollars and invest them into a newer car, where there's greater value? Right? Even a guy like has enough economic sense to know it's evident that my dollars are being wasted and better spent elsewhere.

Well, I think that analogy is discussion worthy because it's how I view are approach to letting players play out their contracts. See Leon Hall as a recent example, and Mauluga and Pac-Man for likely future examples.

Why put 10 mil dollars into Rey and Adam (their potential cap savings) when you can put into another player (another car). Why waste money on something that's clearly not worth it?

Spare me the business of "honoring a deal". Players getting cut is a big factor in the bonuses. You pay a premium (signing bonus) for the ability to part ways at your choosing. It's built into the system. That's why you paid Antonio Bryant 7 mil for nothing. They get a guarantee, you get control of their rights for the next however many years. Not taking advantage of being able to cut bait early is completely illogical.

Every contract they pay out, where they take on the initial risk, pays into it being completely fair. Like it or not, that's the business in this day and age. Adopting some out-dated and stubborn logic that there's honor in seeing a deal through is plain stupid. It became stupid a long time ago. For every guy that gets cut early there's another guy like Ryan Leaf or Brady Quinn or got a big guarantee for next to nothing.

Personally, I this franchise is so stubborn and hell-bent on doing things their way, that they would sooner pay a guy in house money for nothing than move those dollars over to the outside. It doesn't matter if Free Agent B is better, all that matters is their approach. They'd sooner burn a stack of money to have Mauluga sucks ass than try to modernize their approach. Because that's just how they do things.  Similar to an man, stuck in his ways. Logic be damned.  Sad thing is, this isn't an old man that won't use a cell phone. It's a billion dollar business who values comfort over business sense.

Hope you enjoy that new set of tires and water pump on the 1997 Ford Taurus that is Rey Mauluga. Some may say it's a waste of money. Some may also say that you're driving a piece of shit. Either way, you'd be better off getting a car made this millennium.

You completely ignored the fact that a team known for honoring deals is going to be more attractive to players they are looking to sign than teams known for yanking contracts away from players. Not saying good or bad, but it is a factor to consider....

[Bilbo Saggins]

With the way that they operate, they really may as well just pay people in 100% guaranteed money.  If they never take advantage of the rules of contract negotiations, why not?  

[bengals67]

(03-02-2017, 01:18 PM)Sled21 Wrote: You completely ignored the fact that a team known for honoring deals is going to be more attractive to players they are looking to sign than teams known for yanking contracts away from players. Not saying good or bad, but it is a factor to consider....

Like Denver who just cut their LT?

between Denver and Bengals, who has signed the better free agents?

[Wes Mantooth]

(03-02-2017, 01:18 PM)Sled21 Wrote: You completely ignored the fact that a team known for honoring deals is going to be more attractive to players they are looking to sign than teams known for yanking contracts away from players. Not saying good or bad, but it is a factor to consider....

Yeah, but they don't sign anybody. But you're right, that works in their favor when guaranteeing dollars. I read an article a few years back that detailed the thought process. Essentially, some teams who are more than likely to part ways earlier have to guarantee more than someone like us.

So we could offer an identical length contract with slightly less total dollars, equal or less guarantees, and win out vs a team that is known for cutting bait.

But it's kinda meaningless when you never sign anyone. And it doesn't apply as much to in-house deals because what drives those deals is 1.) You can control their rights. 2.) Earlier guarantee/less risk in waiting for open mark 3.) The ability to tag 4.) Familiarity with organization, co-workers, neighborhood, schools, etc.

I didn't intend to ignore anything. I just thinking floating the idea that we honor deals to strengthen our hand in signing free agents seems kind of silly. And even still, parting ways with someone like Adam Jones does nothing to hurt the perception that you take care of your own. Everyone in the league is wondering why he's still here.

[xxlt]

(03-02-2017, 09:39 AM)yellowxdiscipline Wrote: Hey now Methhead Mary is a good conversationalist when she's not on stage.

I could not agree more!

And her sister Cross Eyed Mary - not such a great conversationalist - but she still works magic with her mouth off stage. How 'bout dem apples!

[Hoofhearted]

(03-02-2017, 08:03 AM)xxlt Wrote: And I am going to go ahead and say it now. It does make more economic sense to drive and repair the old car. The cost of repairs is still less than the cost of a car payment, and your new car will depreciate rapidly. A car is a mode of transportation and not an investment in almost all cases. And, if it is an investment you are cautioned against driving it.

NFL players on the other hand... yeah if you can get Mauluga like performance from a draft pick or undrafted free agent for pennies on the dollar, by all means you should.

You're not thinking very green, xxlt. Newer cars also have less emissions, generally better mpg and safety. 

[Hoofhearted]

(03-02-2017, 09:39 AM)yellowxdiscipline Wrote: Hey now Methhead Mary is a good conversationalist when she's not on stage.

But when she gets on stage...

[xxlt]

(03-02-2017, 03:45 PM)Hoofhearted Wrote: You're not thinking very green, xxlt. Newer cars also have less emissions, generally better mpg and safety. 

My buddy who knows 10.000 times more about cars than me says the most environmentally friendly car is a used car. He makes a pretty compelling argument on the subject.

MPG savings and lower repair bills are usually not enough to offset a car payment.

Safety - yes the new car wins. But how is that green? Less human splattered on the highway?

[Bilbo Saggins]

(03-02-2017, 03:45 PM)Hoofhearted Wrote: You're not thinking very green, xxlt. Newer cars also have less emissions, generally better mpg and safety. 

It's actually more environmentally efficient to run old cars into the ground rather than to spend the resources necessary to make a new one.  Now if you had the option to buy a car where the mining, manufacturing, and assembly operations were run by clean energy(solar/wind/geo/old hydro), then that might be a different story.  At present no one on the market offers that.  The $10 million/minute global subsidies given to energy companies keep the prices too low to incentivize them to do anything aside from what they already know how to do: provide fossil fuel energy for a global economy that has been tooled and engineered to consume fossil fuels.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(03-02-2017, 03:45 PM)Hoofhearted Wrote: You're not thinking very green, xxlt. Newer cars also have less emissions, generally better mpg and safety. 

(03-02-2017, 03:59 PM)xxlt Wrote: My buddy who knows 10.000 times more about cars than me says the most environmentally friendly car is a used car. He makes a pretty compelling argument on the subject.

MPG savings and lower repair bills are usually not enough to offset a car payment.

Safety - yes the new car wins. But how is that green? Less human splattered on the highway?

My 91 CRX gets 40+MPG.

[fredtoast]

(03-02-2017, 01:55 PM)Bilbo Saggins Wrote: With the way that they operate, they really may as well just pay people in 100% guaranteed money.  If they never take advantage of the rules of contract negotiations, why not?  

The Bengals have released players under contract like P. J. Dawson, Kyle Cook, Willie Anderson, Deltha Oneal, Rudi Johnson, and others.

Maybe we should wait to complain about Maualuga until he makes the final roster.

[XenoMorph]

I can see how you might get to that point with a car.. . But if its a 400$ repair with no monthly payments its still cheaper than a 200+ monthly payment for a newer car that could be totaled by an distracted driver as fast as to broken down model well if the said repairs last longer than 2 months at least.(in this example)

[SunsetBengal]

(03-02-2017, 08:24 AM)Wyche Wrote: Especially when you have the ability to do the repairs yourself....saving even more money.  I am a stickler for routine maintenance as well.  Once I find a vehicle that is reliable...and I get comfortable working on it....I don't get rid of it.  I've had my CRX since 98....and my 2001 Dodge since 2002.  The CRX has nearly 300k on it....the truck has 205k.  I did put an engine in the CRX a few years ago. The engine was 300 bucks from a boneyard and I put it in for free in my garage.  It doesn't get much cheaper than that.

The Bengals bit is spot on though.....

I hear ya.  My '06 F-150 has 200K on it.  It's been paid off for years.  The small amount that I've had to pay on repairs and general maintenance is small, compared to the payment of a newer vehicle.