Cars, Money & Life: A conversation with Savagegeese
Mark Sanew, creator of @savagegeese welcomes MotoMan to his hometown of Chicago where they have a far reaching discussion that was intended to be about cars & money but evolved into how the relation between the two mimic our larger patterns of life. Along the way, MotoMan learns Mark’s back-story and how he became a nerdy car guy.
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Food & Beverage Chairman. This couldn't be a more Savagegeese title.
"Arby's Enthusiast" would have been a good fit too, lol
Its my highest aspiration!
🤣 Yeap! At least he's good for something!
They don’t Savagegeese enough credit. One of the best car guys out there.
They are the best and most valuable opinion on modern car buying. Not sure Motoman brings much to the table, but I'll have to try a few more of his videos... I guess.
I totally respect what Mark stands for as a human being. Quality guy.
We need more of these talks in the car community!
Agreed. Have been doing them for years. kzhead.info/channel/PLF6ek7dWy48oxjOzUSoq5HRLvM2zl4YFk.html
One of the only KZheadrs with integrity
I was waiting for Turbowski to make a cameo saying, “they are all junk”
What happened to turbowsky?
No idea, also Todd? He was in the C5 Z06 video. He was a riot, he was so rich😂@@kornofilo
which video? how recently?@@randyp6370
@@kornofilo He went his own way a few years ago. Was just not into it anymore from what I read.
Mark is the very definition of a guy that everyone wants to be friends with. Personally, I think he's one of the coolest guys on KZhead. A short bald dude that has just presence and is well liked. He clearly shows you that if you're passionate... that's what counts the most. The SavageGeese, without question, is the best car review channel. Mark adds so much knowledge and in depth analysis. Interviewing engineers and the people who bring cars to market. However, he also adds subtle comedy as well. If you watch his videos enough, you start looking at the background or read the displays. There's always something funny in there. Like the time he had nothing but strip clubs in the GPS system. Or when he opens the trunk and there's a blow-up doll or has people, at the end of his videos just talking trash about him. Lastly, he's truthful. Many times he can't get the latest cars because he really tells you his verdict on the car. He also able to relate why you may or may not like a car. I remember when the Integra was released. I hated it. But he understood why I hated it. Frankly, he was right. The days of the 90's and 2000's light and high revving cars are gone. This is what we have now.
Short bald dude 😭😭
Agree. Jack is the only thing holding him back
The collab we wanted!
She cancelled your card because she'd rather take the cancel on her commissions then to listen to some guy drone on about dave ramsey again
True 😂.
@@ruturaj47You can see savage geese guy physically cringe when motoman guy said that lmao.
Or she's a devotee.. she's had plenty of exposure to the downsides of credit
@@dielaughing73 lol, then why was she convincing him otherwise at first?
@@ruturaj47 you do know that's her job, right? Plenty of people do jobs like that but their heart isn't in it. She may be secretly thinking "all of these poor, desperate people would be better off without these cards I push on them"
Listened to Dave Ramsey everyday from 2019-2022. Became debt free, house paid off, money is rolling in now. Buying a new zero-turn mower tomorrow 6k cash. The debt free life is the best feeling.
Mark is great. His channel is probably my favorite for his particular "genre" of auto content
Such a real and honest conversation! Thanks for posting. Worth it regardless of the views
Totally agreed and thank you for watching!
SavageGeese is one of those guys that is down to earth and isn't afraid to call out car manufacturer's BS. He's one of the few people where I actually value his opinion on cars
This is probably the wisest discussion I’ve heard in a long time
WOW! Thank you!
Your comment about cars becoming viewed as disposable commodities really resonated with me. I think this is why reliable and dependable cars are becoming so much more interesting to me as I am getting older.
Reliability is a benefit that’s only tangible to the owner. And that’s why it’s so important. When no one else is looking, you need your car to actually do its job and get you places.
Have had an E46 M3 for 13 years. Have learned everything about it, torn it apart, know how to fix every issue (and there are plenty) and I still look at it and say "Wow, what a beautiful car" Purchased for $19,500 and have put a good amount into it, but the joy and learning I've squeezed out of that has been huge. Next car will most likely be a 911 GTS and while it will be better, I'm at a different point in life now and I doubt I will ever be able to squeeze as much happiness that I did out of that old M3 with any other car. When I got it, it was invisible on the road, now whenever I drive I get a lot of thumbs up from young guys. It has become a sort of 'classic' now. Crazy how things change.
Great car and a great experience!
A 911GTS won't be as good. It will cost you money. E46's were amazing!
In a social media world full of shorts, clips, and 43 seconds of "try to get your attention", this long format interview with Mark is very refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion. As a guy in his mid-50s who will retire in a few years, vehicle needs/wants are much different compared to 20 years ago. Now its all about something reliable, utilitarian, and unassuming. A vehicle that's fully depreciated but still has many miles in it. My most recent purchase was a bone stock early 2000s Tacoma 2WD - that's my daily and my only ride now.
2 of my favorite car reviewers together for the first time. Keep it up gentlemen.
If you are disciplined to pay your balance in full every month and have a good card with no annual fee, the points are just free money, I don't see a reason to throw away hundreds of dollars a year. Also, I would never want to attach my debit card to a website, using a credit cards give you far more protection against fraud. I got in deep credit card debt when I younger and get the spirit behind not having any, but I'd rather have the discipline rather than deal with the challenges of not having a card at all in day to day life.
The advice here is really weird. I thought the Dave Ramsey reference was a joke at first. They're showing their age here unfortunately
Motoman elaborated in response to somebody else’s question. It sounds like he was buying stuff he didn’t really need in order to spend enough money to get credit airline card bonuses. I don’t disagree with that logic but that’s not how I use credit cards. I’ve never carried a balance and have paid late fees twice in 25 years back when you had to remember to mail the check early enough to get there by the due date. Thank god for the invention of credit card autopay.
You are right in that, if you use a CC correctly, it's free money. What I think MM is referring to is that if you're someone who's vulnerable to bad spending habits, getting rid of the opportunity and therefore temptation to do something stupid is worth more than the little free money you get from it.
@@Sebb747 I don’t disagree there. Not how I use credit cards at all but it comes down to what kind of person you are with money (no judgment). I have a family member who pre-spends every dollar of income in their head before it’s even in the bank account. A credit card might provide too much temptation for that type of spender.
I pay my fixed monthly expenses on my cc. Pay off full and pay no interest. Even with the 95 bucks annual fee the benefit I get front he card has paid for multiple family trips to luxury hotels and airfare. It's all about how you control the spending. I don't overspend just because I get rewards on my credit card.
As someone who has been able to pay cash for my cars. But have made mistakes along the way when buying cars, financing. At this point very glad to be out of the car buying process and not planning on buying another car again. Being a young 76 years old and enjoying my life and my forever car.
what's your current forever car?
@@teddy0139Toyota Land Cruiser.
well considering average male lifespan is 77 years in the USA, i wouldnt worry about buying another car either
@@VS666 According to the actuarily tables I'm looking at, a male in the U.S. who has lived to 77 years has an average of 10 years of life left.
Meh, financing isn't a mistake unless interest rate is high. Promo APR are basically free money to me, I would rather keep my 10x money spread across HYSA, CD and stocks, all of which make more per dollar than I pay in interest.
Dude is a life coach for real, would've never thought it. Thanks for doing this. #Zengeese
Cars, Money & Life. You nailed it w/ the title of this video! Just a really great conversation with equal doses of all three topics sprinkled about with a nice garnish of personal backstory. Enjoyed it.
Mark: To address your closing question, as a lifelong (and middle-aged) car nut I feel essentially completely disinterested in the current offerings and it feels like the manufacturers are equally as disinterested in me. Currently driving a 2005 E55, which isn’t exactly a classic “enthusiast car” but the supercharged V8 excites my son. It will be interesting to see how that impacts his long term interest in cars.
Very few videos move me to actully taking the time to write a comment, but MotoMan, thanks for recording this conversation and sharing it with the world. It could have taken place between the three of you at a bar down the street, but you chose to intentionally put it on KZhead and share both of your knowledge and life experiences with us and it is truly appreciated. This has certainly increased my level of respect for Mark and Jack and the content they put out. Please continue to partner with and feature other content creators like you have with Savagegeese and TFL.
In a way, I think they're just dipping a toe (maybe inadvertently, maybe it's a trial balloon) into the new direction of videos on YT. The consumer is tired of just marketing cars masking as product reviews. If you're going to retain a maturing customer base, then you've gotta grow with them... I'm sure for the two of them, it's also a relief to talk about something other than HP and torque figures too.
Need more of these episodes !
Be careful what you wish for because you will get it . . . next up: One on one with Jack followed by an episode of all three of us . . .
@@MotoManTVAwesome! I’ve always seen you with the TFL guys, so this is a huge bonus.
Not throwing any shade at the other channels, I just have a special place in my heart for Mark and Jack. Great interview. Thank you.
Oh man! The corporate comments are spot on. I went full time military just to avoid sending emails on the weekends. Don’t get me wrong I still work crazy hours, at times, but I enjoy my work and the people around me. Cheers to both of you!
Tax accountant here currently eyeing enlistment ads
@@markcoopers1930I would look into the Air National Guard if you like the state you’re in. Only other advice is to learn about the job you want and go for it.
Loved the conversation. Very valuable lessons.
You two are two of the very best! I always look forward to viewing your videos!
A rare, and honest take on life, and financial realism, wrapped in a car interview. Well done.
Most relatable video I’ve seen in years. Wish more car review personalities / journalists would cover topics like this.
kzhead.info/channel/PLF6ek7dWy48oxjOzUSoq5HRLvM2zl4YFk.html
George&Mark, plus Roman &Tommy from TFL, plus Alex, From Auto Buyers guide& Sofyan from redline is why I watch you tube automobile videos these guys are the best , All of them hands down , Also Tom Volk does a superior job at Driven Car Reviews! I have been watching all these channels since day one/ of their existence!
Don't forget Yuri and Jacob from the Straightpipes
Don’t forget Throttle House. Straight Pipes are kind of boring to be honest.
@@Dryloch yes I don’t subscribe to them, but they are really good !
@@atmartensBut Straight Pipes do have tons of ads!
@@atmartensStraight pipes have really fell off.
As a 24 year old, I really loved this conversation. Currently Climbing out of a hole with debt I gladly got a hold on early before digging deeper. Seeing that you both made your mistakes and came out on the other end was nice to hear. Thank you for posting as this will be a video I circle back to time and time again!
i love mark, jack and SG. i lived exactly where he does for quite awhile so when i found his channel years ago that was really cool. the sense of humor and every day mans approach at the world of cars and finance kept me a dedicated viewer. i rewatch his track comparisons at autobahn CC a lot. i remember being an apprentice working in arlington heights my boss raced his 944 at autobahn CC frequently. when he was out of the office i would always go into the garage and sit in his race car and make noises hahaha
Wow! Thanks for this conversation!
I didn't expect this much wisdom. So many people need to hear this; from the Midwest fast food punks to the home school fanatics.
This was much better than I thought it could be. Thanks.
This was a great listen keep em coming
Fab’ colab! Two of my favourite car people!
Great episode. It’s always good to hear where people that love cars as I do tell where they’ve come from. I came from nothing very similar and worked very hard to get where I am today. Nothing in life is easy. It takes a team. Thanks for the post.
Great conversation. I enjoy how both of you evaluate cars, but also the honest overall life conversation going on here.
Excellent conversation, I was hanging on every word. Thank You
Both of their podcasts are excellent.
KZhead's two best car reviewers - what a mashup! You guys rock.
How dare you forget about Jack!!!
Love Mark's dry wit and sarcasm and Motoman is mature. Both valid opinions.
Two of my favorite enthusiasts, amazing video!
Excellent interview !
Two of the best !
Great collaboration piece!! Really enjoyed the discussion. Cheers!!
This is the most down to earth conversation that I have a pleasure to listen too!!! Thanks so much!!
Absolutely our pleasure!
Great discussion gentlemen, thank you for sharing ❤
Love mark, he has so many good insights
So great to hear about your story mark. Thanks for sharing
Oh my two favorite car journalists. Love this chat and a lot of it resonated with me.
These collaborative conversations are the best, please bring them to us more often. Thanks for the good work.
I needed to hear this. Currently driving a practical car, while making the most income I’ve ever made. I have debt and I’m always shopping for the next exciting car. Need to pump the brakes. Negative equity sucks.
Man, I have been following you & Savagegeese for years & I love cars so much but I love family, friends and financial responsibility even more. Well done gentlemen and keep up the great work that you all do!
Our pleasure!
Still driving my 2008 Civic SI I bought with cash in 2009 when I was 25. Three years ago I got an S2000 as a weekend toy, also with cash. Finding it hard to justify the carrying cost of the S2000... very interesting conversation and one I can totally relate to and totally get the feeling of the S2000 being part of my identity.
Use the s,2000
How much did you pay for the civic back then?
@@kinglumpy6145 $17k from a Honda dealer, certified pre-owned, 9k miles.
Excellent excellent episode. Really appreciate knowing your life experiences
Love love love this conversation! Hope you two collaborate more often in the future.
Love this!
View on cars: I only buy used, and pay cash. There are plenty of 3 year old Audi Q5’s that fit all my needs - for around $30K. As far as sports cars - I have two 987.1 Porsches. They are 100% stock and well maintained. I will never waste money on mods - I’d rather drive. I’m thrilled to own them. I don’t need anything more. I don’t aspire to the next great “whatever” car. I’d rather have a secure financial future than constantly live on the edge. Regarding credit cards: There’s nothing wrong with them. If you pay off your bills monthly and live within your means. They make life a lot easier if you use them the right way.
You are exactly right in the credit cards. Have paid the balance in full every month. Have only one but life would be hard without it.
Yes, but guys like motoman are the "alcoholics" of debt. That's why they have to go cold turkey. Trouble is that they advise the same extremism to emotionally mature people with much better impluse control. I.e.turning down 200k points is pure idiocy unless you're an addict.
@@markdavis1505agreed. Just pay it off monthly. The unfortunate push is cash will not be king one day and to transact, one will need credit card. Also, financial institutions need to see people's credit scores.
Would only ever lease this end as I can take advantage of company car rates and EV leasing - buying an EV today would be insanity.
I'm late to the party, but this was a great conversation motoman! Thank you for doing these.
More of this content please! I enjoyed every second
Your are a fantastic combination and your conversation was very inspirational. I'll be certainly listen to this video more than just once as I can relate to so many topics that you dealt with, cars and, more important, raising children in today's world.
Excited for this content 😃
Really appreciate men just being honest and real.
I lean more towards Mark when it comes to buying cars. I'm now making a decent amount of money outside of college so I decide to splurge a little within reason. If you're a car enthusiast, there's nothing wrong with treating yourself to a nice vehicle so long as you're doing everything else right. IE saving for retirement, having an emergency fund, little to no debt. When it comes down to it I rather drive a fun vehicle now than wait until I can barely get out of one. I watched my uncle live like a monk for his entire life so he could just stare at a C8, it's all a balance.
Well said. There is a balance, don’t go and overextend yourself but don’t wait all your life (which isn’t guaranteed) to buy something that is within your means and makes you happy. You have to balance your life, just don’t go beyond your means.
Of all your videos, I think this was my favorite.
I have always been a big savagegeese fan. I'm pretty sure it was the first channel I subscribed and followed. The major appeal was that it was honest and PRACTICAL. My favorite reviews were AVERAGE and PRACTICAL cars (sub 50k 4+ doors) and savagegeese delivered. I like the special reviews and sports cars as well, but I watch and follow because its a source I can trust. THANKS GUYS!
The 2 best car KZheadrs. Legends
Love these discussion videos
really loved listening to Mark opening up. thank you dude. It, this. what you're doing does genuinely ground me. Appreciate you for doing this. and to follow up with answering the final question... i drive toyotas, i am passionate about them because of toyotas own commitment to quality. i do finance because i genuinely feel confident that these vehicles, while always a depreciating asset, will actually go the distance. only thing im combating constantly is rust, but ive learned how to rust proof, found good products like POR15, and a chemical guys to keep up with cleaning them, from a hobbiest standpoint, things i can do myself (im no Chicago Auto Pro over here lol) but things i can do myself to maintain and keep what i see are perosnal life investments in the bast shape that i can. i daily drive a Toyota Corolla Cross AWD, but, you know what my fun vehicle is? and it isnt some esoteric sports car, its a 6 speed manual Toyota Tacoma. because, thankfully i was put into a position earlier in life where i was running a performance shop, and i had a subaru WRX and i was fortunate enough to have track time and track days fully paid for by my employer, as well as complementary fluid changes etc. so i only had to lay out for tires and a helmet and brakes (all at a discount) and at that point, i was able to afford it, but if i were to ever get back in that space again as just a normal individual, i couldn't ever hack it without outside assistance. so, as an enthusiast and a hobbiest, i love being able to row gears in my tacoma, knowing that its a vehicle that will last me and is still enjoyable to be in on the street, with good residual value if things ever got bad to where i needed to sell it. but i finance and buy these vehicles from toyota because i am genuinely passionate about the brand from a historical standpoint as well as where theyre going in the future, and i feel comfortable buying into that from financing their products. its on a much deeper level for me. im a 32 year old dude at this point if that matters, but, maybe for some perspective. idk. love what you do Mark.
Great video. I'm sharing it with several friends. I wish I could add more emphasis here on the relationship of cars and money. You covered this really well.
super enjoyable listen!
Best vid I have seen in a long time. Philosophical discussions where cars are really a subset of what goes into future planning. Yes, listening to others peoples situations does influence how we view the world and our personal situation.
One of the most fortuitous trip-ups ever! Such a kind and thoughtful conversation. Will share it with my whole "next" generation. Thanks.
Would greatly appreciate that!
You guys HAVE to get together and have another long-form conversation like this again. This was fantastic and 44 minutes flew by. Such a great interview/conversation.
Great conversation gentleman. I’m an older guy now, but as always, still a car guy. People that know me often ask me to help them pick a new car that will be closer to what they want than the mistake vehicles they bought previously. Other than buy the best car you can afford, I have learned to revisit all of the attributes I didn’t like on previous cars I owned. I consider only new cars that have the least of those negative attributes that made me get rid of the previous cars in the first place. Usually Noise, Vibration, Harshness and lack of refinement.
Im 63 now and i watch all the Savagegeese videoes. Retired master Tech. I just buy 12 year old one owner cars now from friends for $4k under KBB fix them up drive them then sell them for a small profit😁
Thanks for doing this, I've always been curious about Marks personal journey.
This was worth the time to view at least for me and I’m guessing everyone else. So nice to hear these two conversing. I’m a fan of both and love their content, and this interview just cements why they are both able to attract and keep viewers. They relate to us on a human level and make us feel like we are part of the conversation. They mange to do this all while entertaining and making us laugh out loud. Love you ❤
Greatly appreciate you watching and the solid vote of confidence!
Credit cards are amazing financial tools if you pay them off every month. The liability protection ALONE is incredibly valuable. No credit card, but wasting money on alcohol….incredible.
Outstanding episode.
Such a mature conversation…..absolutely love your content. I wish to meet you in person one day. Love from Canada ❤️🙏🏻
Mark’s insights is Wisdom
Looking forward to this
My two favorite channels talking about my favorite things! Ps 100% agreed with all you two said, I’ve been there done that!
Great interview
I bought '22 g80 and '14 981 in a span of a year, w/o debt because being from eastern Europe I can't comprehend going into debt for such things. I'll rather wait year and save to buy it cash and own, instead of getting into debt, not owning the thing and having to pay more because you dont have the money. But I had a setback that made me change my views on couple things. G80 got hit bt hail badly while being at the dealer for warranty repair. I had no comprehensive (because it's my car, paid off) and Hyundai obviously provided no support at all. So I ended up with an effectively totalled car, losing about 30k in a night. I did repair it, but it didnt make it worth more than what was spent. So first and foremost - I'll never buy a new car again. You overpay for warranty, which could (but not always) save you from some costs having to deal with factory defects, but not the headache of having to deal with dealers & driving loaners. If the car is not reliable it will depreciate like a stone. If the car is reliable - then why do you need the warranty? Being the first owner is absolutely not worth it. Say new ES350 is 57k, while a single owner 10-15k miles is 47-50... So what are you paying for? Secondly, warranty is a scam - again, get a reliable car that you can work on yourself or take to trusted mechanic. Lastly - experience matters. I was making all the excuses for Genesis putting the car first, yet I had nothing but the problems each and every time I had to deal with the dealer. The hail case was the last straw. I won't buy any Korean car ever again. All dealers are a forced scam, but at least find one that gives you a proper experience. Do not compromise, especially if that's something you would have to deal with. TL/DR: never go into debt, don't buy new cars - you'll lose money.
Food & Beverage Chairman, nice casino reference.
They’re honestly looking like brothers to me at least 😄😄 I’ve always loved Mark and Jack of SavageGeese since they are very informative but also very honest, more than most enthusiasts, and I think that’s great. These guys give a perspective for the average person to see if it is worth getting a vehicle they are reviewing or not.
Mark is a great guy. I'm only 20, but his perspectives on the world and especially the automative industry mirror exactly what I've always thought.
This was a very Unexpected but enjoyable video. Thanks.
Great content. Ditto on all fronts. We flipped our situation using Dave Ramsey and I grew up fixing cars/excited about cars. That value to joy to drive attitude. Season of life now is small kids but still keeping the love of cars/design/engineering while building wealth. We feel the same way at home about cars today. Designed obsolescence and built to lease. It’s almost like the old are built to last vs the new. That’s are shopping now with two 2004 vehicles.
This was the best video at the right time.
Great interview.
The most meaningful SG video yet and I’ve watched them all. Also love the RR backdrop
Wow🎉🎉 Congratulations
Great episode!
Great outlook and interview Mark
Love reading thru the comments on this video but have to say I can relate to and appreciate the real-life conversation about what reality is when you make money mistakes and how you have to apply the hard lessons learned. Refreshing video from a couple of guys I’ve watched for years.