The Born Loser by Art and Chip Sansom for August 29, 2022

Gladys and Brutus haven’t seen used car prices lately, have they? One of my cars is 9 years old, low on miles (47K) and from what I’ve seen online, I could sell for 80% of what I paid for it when I bought it new.

Or buy insurance or maintain it or…

We’re all in the same boat Brutus.

Mabelline’s Used Cars? Are they branching out from cosmetics?

You could buy her the car, Brutus, and then push it around.

Just wait until you get your insane renewal on your first. You won’t be able to afford either car.

Prior to the flu thing and the gas-flation I got a used (2 years old) Leaf (2015) for less than 10k. I have driven it for five years now and I believe I could get my money back. Too bad I enjoy driving it so much. Fast little bugger.

!@#$%^&*!!!!!!

Mabelline, why can’t you be true…

Maybe you could leave it at the Park ’n Save.

or the insurance or the yearly taxes or the yearly registration fees or ….

Brutus is doing better than I am. I can’t afford another car or buy gas for the one we already have. The last time I went to buy gas for the mower I filled 2 5 gallon cans and it was $40 something.

I thought Maybelline was make-up.

If the second car is a used EV, then the savings on fuel will more than make up for the slightly higher initial cost.

sell the first car then… you gotta get gas some how. ;)

Brutus “ain’t” so dumb…..gas over $4.00 a gallon!

“As I was motivating over the hill,

I saw Maybelline in a Coup DeVille.

Cadillac rollin’ on the open road,

But nothin’ outrun my V-8 Ford.

Cadillac doin’ ’bout ninety-five.

We was bumper to bumper rollin’ side by side.

Chorus:

Maybelline, why can’t you be true?

Oh, Maybelline, why can’t you be true?

You done started back doin’ those things You used to do."

Chuck Berry Maybelline

not to mention insurance, tags, maintenance…

Yes they can, because the prices are droping… Right JoeEL

Wilberforce is going to be very disappointed in a few years when he realizes he will have to get a job if he wants a car.

For Brutus’ family, often the catch.

If you can’t afford the maintenance, gas and insurance, you can’t even afford a free car….

…..or insurance.

I believe she was the one running from Chuck Berry’s V-8 Ford. She was driving a Cadillac as I recall.

Only Brutus Thornapple couldn’t afford the gas for a second car. But then he couldn’t afford the air for the tires either.

Mabelline’s cars motorvate over the hill great!

Gas? Taxes, registration, and insurance cost more than that if you’re not driving to work every day, and maybe if you are.

Get her a little scooter with a trunk on the back, they get over a 100 miles to a gallon.

japan has an onerous mandatory car inspection system that makes a vehicle more expensive the longer you own it, meaning that owners replace cars every couple of years, so used cars are nearly as expensive as new ones. and gas ain’t cheap, either…

You had me at Mabelline! Everybody sing along now: Why can’t you be true?

I like Gladys’ expression in the third, “oh yeah there’s that, isn’t there “

Why can’t you be true?

Right you are Brutus, and it gets better when the only car you found and could afford, turns out to require premium grade gas.