@mesooohoppy

I could say this is a case of semantics, but it’s not, it’s a tool, and there is a difference.

With this logic, water, toothbrush/toothpaste can be considered an investment, but it’s not, it’s a tool and a consumable. Something you need to live, something to keep healthy. Fact of the matter is they depreciate with use.

Cars are not investments. They depreciate, period. 20k vs 100k, both take you from A to B. Both depreciate but at different rates. It’s a tool, and a consumable.

Investments are opportunities were you look for appreciation… you make a calculated risk to see if I want to peruse that opportunity.

If we contrast cars to stocks, cars are constantly depreciating. Stocks on the other hand are moving up and down, and even when it’s down the losses are unrealized. Point being, don’t sell and realize the losses. You can’t do that with a car or truck.

When you invest you can use time as a metric for growth, and you can reliably see a gain. Look at any index fund over 10 years, 20 years and tell me what you see. If you do it right, you will see appreciation. Investing is a long term strategy.

I’ve purchased camera lenses as an investment and made good money over the course of time. The camera itself is a tool, just like a car, a consumable because over time it ages and depreciates, but the lenses, those my friend are investments.

Either way, I enjoy cars, but approach them as a cost center in my life. Researching "total cost of ownership" is a good way to understand why they are in fact not investments.