There’s an old saying in golf, “drive for show, putt for dough.” Hitting a massive 300-yard bomb looks beautiful, but what really counts is accurate putting.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lost money on the golf course because I three-putted instead of two-putted. I’ve also occasionally won money squeezing in an eight-footer. Those knee-knockers, when all is on the line during an Aloha bet, are intense!

Give me a regular 250-yard drive and incredible putting accuracy over a 300-yard drive and putting yips all day long. The same goes for cars.

I’m a one car type of guy. Owning a car is expensive, especially if you don’t follow my 1/10th rule. With the proliferation of cheap ridesharing options that have emerged since 2009, not owning a car is making more and more sense.

But over the years, I’ve had a tremendous number of complaints that my 1/10th rule is too restrictive. Instead of limiting the median American household to only spending $6,200 on a car, many people feel the typical American should be able to spend much more.

If you want to spend more, it’s totally up to you. Don’t let me tell you what to do. I’m just offering a simple rule to follow to help you achieve financial independence sooner, rather than later.

For those of you who love cars and want to own two or more cars, I suggest owning at least a Dough Car. If you do, you might build your net worth quicker than the rest. You might even better keep yourself out of trouble.

_{Disclosure: Financial Samurai has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Financial Samurai and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.}

Ugh. I just realized something incredibly stupid that only spending hours writing a post could have made me realize.

I *think* I missed taking my car to the dealer to get my clicking noise fixed under warranty for free!

I mentioned in my post on paying for repairs by cash or credit that the clicking noise had been progressively getting worse for about six months. If true, that means my clicking noise began in April 2019.

My car was originally purchased on July 6, 2015. I bought it from a private party on December 28, 2016, so I could get a larger car in preparation for the birth of our baby in 2017.

For some reason, I had assumed my car only had a 3-year/40,000, transferrable bumper-to-bumper warranty. So I just assumed that I had missed the window to get the problem fixed by 15 months.

But as I was doing research online, oddly enough on my own tax rules for deducting an SUV for a business post, I discovered my SUV has a 4-year/ 50,000 mile warranty!

If I was simply understood my car warranty and what it covered, I could have taken my car into the shop by July 6, 2019, gotten the clicking sound taken care of for free, plus anything else the computer found wrong.

Damn it!

_{Disclosure: Financial Samurai has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Financial Samurai and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.}

When it comes to cars, buyer’s remorse is the worst because there’s no return policy.

My first experience with buyer’s remorse was when I had purchased a new vehicle when I was 24 after receiving a lucky break. Within two months I regretted my decision.

A year and a half later, I sold the vehicle for a $10,000 loss because it couldn’t fit in the garage of the condo I wanted to buy. After realizing how much better it was to own an asset that could go up in value, I decided to stop wasting money on cars.

After driving an old $8,000 Land Rover from 2005 – 2014 and a $230/month business lease Honda Fit from 2014-2017, I finally stepped up and bought a two-year-old Range Rover Sport with 10,500 miles for $60,000 after tax. It would have cost $81,000 new after tax.

It’s been two years since I purchased the Range and I have zero regrets. The car runs perfectly and is fun to drive. I also like how it looks with 22″ rims, black tinted windows, black leather, and a metallic black exterior.

If you’re afraid of experiencing buyer’s remorse when purchasing a luxury vehicle, here are some tips that helped me eradicate all guilt.

One of my most financially helpful, but polarizing articles is The 1/10th Rule For Car Buying Everyone Must Follow. I wrote this post to help mostly younger folks not blow their money on the most common financial destroyer. We all know that almost all cars are guaranteed to lose value.

As a young man, I used to view my Toyota Corolla Hatchback as an asset because I didn’t know better. How could a car be a liability when I could take girls out on dates, drive to William & Mary from the DC-area to get a solid education, and take a nice midnight jaunt along the Jamestown river during final exams?

Now I view my vehicle as a liability. All I see in my garage is a large heap of metal necessary to transport my family safely. I’ve got to keep feeding it money in order for it to run – gas, new tires, maintenance, tax, tickets, accidents, and insurance. I’d much rather have the money sunk in my car producing passive income for financial freedom.

For those of you curious about what it’s like to follow the 1/10th Rule For Car Buying for the past 15 years, let me give you an honest assessment as an ex-car fanatic who has owned a dozen cars in his lifetime. The journey just might save you a lot of money and bring you more happiness in the process.