Comments on: Depreciating assets as works of art http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/07/22/depreciating-assets-as-works-of-art/ Helping readers to use bargains wisely since 2005 Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:24:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Gaming the Credit System http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/07/22/depreciating-assets-as-works-of-art/comment-page-1/#comment-77741 Gaming the Credit System Tue, 24 Jul 2007 05:09:47 +0000 http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2007/07/22/depreciating-assets-as-works-of-art/#comment-77741 Just because it's depreciable for your taxes doesn't mean that it's actually depreciating in value. I have a nice computer case (the only mod that I've done is swapping out the front-panel LEDs for different colored ones) that I bought over 5 years ago (at a good price), and it still has the same value to me. I go to Fry's and look at new $100 cases, and I just can't justify them when my trusty old Antec 1080 is just as good or even better in some ways. This case has lasted through 3 motherboard/CPU combos, and I bet it will see at least two more before I retire it. I bet that the woodworker guy could sell his case for a good chunk of change. That thing is beautiful! I do understand your point, though. I'm right there with you in the case of cars. It's pointless to spend a lot of time prettifying something that has to be taken outside in order to be used. Maybe if you are Jay Leno and you have a car museum, go ahead and paint the car up nice -- it does actually have value as art at that point. But something that's going to be crapped on by birds, chipped by rocks, scraped and dented by other cars in the parking lot.... it's not worth the headache. Cars are not only going to depreciate, they are going to gradually self-destruct as they are used. That's not the case with computer cases, which mostly sit indoors in the same place for months at a time, and experience practically no wear and tear from everyday use. Just because it’s depreciable for your taxes doesn’t mean that it’s actually depreciating in value. I have a nice computer case (the only mod that I’ve done is swapping out the front-panel LEDs for different colored ones) that I bought over 5 years ago (at a good price), and it still has the same value to me. I go to Fry’s and look at new $100 cases, and I just can’t justify them when my trusty old Antec 1080 is just as good or even better in some ways. This case has lasted through 3 motherboard/CPU combos, and I bet it will see at least two more before I retire it.

I bet that the woodworker guy could sell his case for a good chunk of change. That thing is beautiful!

I do understand your point, though. I’m right there with you in the case of cars. It’s pointless to spend a lot of time prettifying something that has to be taken outside in order to be used. Maybe if you are Jay Leno and you have a car museum, go ahead and paint the car up nice — it does actually have value as art at that point. But something that’s going to be crapped on by birds, chipped by rocks, scraped and dented by other cars in the parking lot…. it’s not worth the headache. Cars are not only going to depreciate, they are going to gradually self-destruct as they are used. That’s not the case with computer cases, which mostly sit indoors in the same place for months at a time, and experience practically no wear and tear from everyday use.

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