‘I pay more for a 2015 Mazda’: Viewers torn after driver swaps $500 monthly Dodge Charger for a Toyota Tacoma

08.09.2024 22:00

The Daily Dot

A former Dodge charger scat pack owner sparked a TikTok debate after they traded in their $550 monthly payment for a $900 monthly Toyota Tacoma.

Chulo (@392chulo) posted a viral TikTok showing off their vehicle pivot, which racked up 1.7 million views as of Sunday. Some folks couldn't understand how he was able to get a Scat pack for such a relatively low price. Others thought he was "gouged" when it came to the cost of his Tacoma.

Fiscal conservatism?

"Let's be financially responsible!" a voice can be heard screeching as part of the TikTok sound. Chulo's video begins with him holding a pair of car keys as he walks towards a silver Dodge Charger.

@392chulo Had to before it got repoed #scat #scatpackcharger #musclecar #392 #dodgecharger #v8 #repo #tacoma #credit #956 ♬ original sound - House of Auto

A text overlay in the video reads: "Falling behind on a $550 scat pack payments." Next, the video then cuts to footage of a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck parked on the side of a street. The next on-screen caption intones that financially speaking, Chulo jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. "Gets a truck with $900 monthly payments," the text writes.

The TikToker explains why they decided to get the Tacoma pick-up truck in another caption for their clip: "Had to before it got repoed."

If fiscal responsibility is the TikToker's issue, however, it doesn't seem like paying $450 more per month for a car is very smart. Especially if they were worried about their previous vehicle getting repossessed, presumably due to missed payments.

'$900 for a Tacoma is crazy work'

Throngs of TikTokers who responded to Chulo's video said they were shocked he would pay so much for the Tacoma. "$900 for that !???" one penned.

"Bruhhhhhh a tacoma???" someone else replied.

"The equivalent of spend $100 more to save on $7 shipping," another replied, criticizing Chulo's trade-off.

Another speculated a low credit score was to blame for his $900 a month Tacoma payments: "Credit score is 100."

However, others couldn't believe his monthlies for a scat pack were only $550. "Fumbled the bag on them 550$ payments. That’s cheap," one said.

"550 and falling behind is insane," someone else remarked.

One wrote, "Then there me paying 1046 for a GT charger I’ll gladly pay that for the scattyyyy."

"550 for a scat seems cheap I literally pay 500 a month for my vw," another replied.

"That’s not bad at all for a scat I was paying 620 for a brand new RT in 2022," one TikToker replied.

One person said that instead of trading in their Dodge, they could've pivoted to make its payments. "Why didn’t you get a personal loan for 3,000 to catch up and get ahead and paid the bank back around 150 every month?"

Practicality = $$$

Some argued that owning a pick-up is a good way to earn extra cash, though.

"I mean The truck will make you more cash than any car. A truck you can do anything with pull or work in. The car will just sit there for a free fee of $550/1400 a month just to barely drive it," one said.

This was echoed by someone else who said, "Bet that tacoma will get you all your money back."

Also, according to auto industry experts, Toyota Tacomas have high resale values. While all new cars depreciate quickly when compared to other assets, Toyotas do so less than other manufacturers. This is especially true of the Tacoma. Car Edge states, "The Toyota Tacoma mid-size pick-up is perhaps the best vehicle on the road for holding its value."

The outlet's depreciation calculator shows the average resale values of various Tacoma years, with 12,000 miles a year of driving. Customers can expect to lose around $3,000 per year in terms of the car's value. After 5 years, that Tacoma's resale figure is an average of $33,691. The Dodge Scat pack? Around $28,000 with equal mileage on the odometer over the same period.

iSeeCars also published favorable results when it comes to the Toyota Tacoma's resale value. The outlet writes that compared to all other pickup trucks on the market, Tacomas hold their value 12.8% better. And then, compared to all vehicle types, the numbers look even more favorable for the Tacoma: 18.8%.

A smart buy on Chulo's part?

So if Chulo is indeed afforded more financial opportunities thanks to his Tacoma as TikTokers suggested, the swap may've been a better move. If he's earning enough money to help cover payment costs, plus the increased resale value of his car, that is.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Chulo via TikTok comment as well as Toyota and Dodge via email.

Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

The post ‘I pay more for a 2015 Mazda’: Viewers torn after driver swaps $500 monthly Dodge Charger for a Toyota Tacoma appeared first on The Daily Dot.