One could also say that the Chinese never met the Rothschilds

I can see why some people consider it a private matter (e.g. “it’s none of your business if I choose to leave everything to my kids”) and that’s a perfectly valid response. But from an objective and socio-economic perspective, generations of inherited wealth that is “passed down” (thus taking advantage of the time value of money) creates an increasingly uneven playing field. This effect only increases exponentially as the monied class gets educated, passes the laws that protect their status, and get even richer and pass down even more.

For an individual, perfectly able-bodied and competent, surviving in this kind of society is absurd. One is essentially “competing” with other people’s ancestors and entire family tree, which inflates the price of education, rent, houses, etc. much more than govt. bailouts/handouts/welfare times god knows what. It’s the elephant in the socioeconomic room that no one wants to talk about, I think. It’s still more or less invisible as a topic of convo now, but imagine in two generations what this country will look like. 1% elites, the next 4% controlling the wealth, politics, and gates to proper schooling and employment, and the 90% unwashed masses who are overworked and consume as a substitute to live, who fuel “the system.”

Sounds a bit dystopic, eh If the future was a movie, it would be filed under “horror.”

I agree with the others that said a 4WD is not necessary. You can get along fine in a FWD econo-box with snow tires if you’re willing to
- learn to countersteer
- stick to public, plowed roads
- wait out “Nor’easters” (blizzards)
- exercise common sense
If you’re unwilling and unable to do those things then you “need” a 4WD. There are cases where 4WD is necessary, for instance I have an uncle whose cabin is only accessible by an unplowed private gravel road. Those situations are exceptional, though.

My specific recommendation would be any Dodge with the Cummins 6BT diesel. That’s the 5.9L you mentioned (though technically it’s an inline 6, not a V6). I’m also a fan of the 4BT swaps into e.g. a Jeep Cherokee, but that’s an ambitious mechanical project.

In Australia and England, Toyota make a 4WD that meets all of these called HiLux. They advertise them as unbreakable, and a funny car TV show Top Gear put it to the test, left it under sea water, hit it with a wrecking ball, set fire to it and it kept on running.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrk6vsb77xk

The start is a bit stupid, but a seriously strong car that would suit your needs.

New England has beautiful seasons, and autumn there just can’t compete. Good luck on your move!

On an unrelated note, Jacob I was wondering if you could address the issue of inherited money and how it relates to the overall uneven playing field/nepotism/politics of a non-meritocratic society? For example, I know plenty of people (I work for some of them =)) who live in million dollar mansions and run companies because they were the son/daughter of the CEO or founder. Whereas you clearly have a lot less materially but a lot more in terms of intelligence, resourcefulness, and competence. How do you see this topic?

Also, if it’s not too personal, how does the possibility of an inheritance affect your personal FI plans? Does it factor at all? I myself am not relying on any because I don’t have parents, so I am not surprised that I have become financially aware/mature than virtually all of my peers, who still live at home with their parents and subconsciously expect to inherit their house and a substantial inheritance. For them, this replaces the need to save or be frugal. So while I work two jobs and never have money to “go out” they have the option to take a part-time job for “fun money” aka designer clothes and concerts. I’m not griping here by any means, these are just the facts for most youth these days. I am starting to realize that very few people in their twenties support themselves 100% without familial subsidies like me.
Thanks in advance, always very interested to read your take on things.

Besides, then you can live my dream and go off grid, get a wood-burning stove, have composting toilets and grow your own food . It’s not a change in philosophy but a change in location.

As for the 4-wheel drive, maybe you can be green like our ‘governator’ and run it on veggie oil. (You’re going to miss living in a state run by the terminator, admit it.)

Tracy: I love Spain! I’m also thinking about self-employment and being semi-retired–in France though. I’d love to hear more about how you handled your transition. My email is ‘tlblack2006@yahoo.com’ if you don’t mind sharing/exchanging ideas on your transition.

Concojones: Ah, Belgium–that explains the California dreamin’. But I love the rain, hence the move from SoCal.

In addition to it’s favorable tax environment, Delaware has a strong Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish presence. The markets with locally produced food, household goods, and furniture are wonderful; just a great experience. You also practically can’t throw a rock without hitting a university campus, so there are a lot of used bookstores, unique restaurants, semi-pro theater groups and other student culture.

It does snow, but it isn’t as heavy as, say, a New Jersey or New York winter. We did just fine with a Subaru Forrester with AWD. I don’t know if that could haul a largish boat, though.

One thing that the posters from the Midwest aren’t taking into account, we actually have topography in the northeast (lived in IN for a few years, neon followed by the focus were no problem for getting around). While I did drive the focus with no problem in NY (for the most part), we are hoping to find some place more rural, mountains would be great, and he does want to have a boat. So a truck would be a good thing, though we do not want a monster truck or some jacked up rig. Just want one that is safer on back roads in several feet of snow and can haul a sail boat and possible trailer.

I saw the home in Maine you posted on Facebook – it looked great for the price. I told my wife about it and she was jealous. (We took our honeymoon in Maine and have very good memories.) As for the 4WD, I have a 1998 Cherokee that has served me well, I suspect you could find a good used one for a few thousand. Not sure their towing capacity, but it is nice to have the space in the back on my weekly trips to the hardware store or whatever. Mine gets about 20mpg which is nothing special, but much better than bigger trucks/SUVs. They are pretty common, so parts shouldn’t be an issue I would guess.

@tlblack: yes, that’s more like it!! Truth is, I visited CA once and fell in love with it (it’s so different from grey rainy Belgium). But it’s entirely possible that if I were in your situation (I probably *will* be, in a good decade or so) I’d just go on holidays to CA every once in a while and actually live somewhere more affordable.

Concojones–alright, alright, California is a cool place to live. I was in San Diego (one of the coolest places). The weather is beautiful, outdoor activities are abundant, people are friendly and forward-thinking (at least the ones I hung around). People speak of the San Diego vortex–once you go, you never leave etc. And there’s the ocean. I miss that. DH and I had very decent income and put quite a bit of money aside–but still couldn’t really accept the idea of taking out a jumbo-load to live there. Besides’s all fun and games until you loose your job. . . then you have high rent and no health care.

I note that you’re already getting that consumer mindset. “Oh, I should get a 4×4 ’cause I might need it.” “Oh, I should get a vehicle with lots of power because I might need.”

From what I’ve seen, Southern California isn’t a pleasant place and I can understand why you’d like to move away. Moving to a place w/ cold winters and snow is a big change. After 30 years in the Chicago area, I had enough and can’t see going back to where 32F in January is a warm day. And winter driving! Whoo boy! I used to be confident and competent driving on snow and ice, but it definitely takes practice and now I’m very rusty. I don’t know about New England and gravel roads, but in Chicago, and Wisconsin, people do fine without four-wheel drive or chains. The little front wheel cars like Geo Metros do surprisingly well on snowy roads.