Home financing about 500K - Can I afford it?

It only said to act as guarantors, I don’t want a cent from my parents, even if it would be unproblematic for them. 2 and 3 years.

Do you know what a guarantee means? If something goes wrong, the parents’ house is gone in the worst case.

But it’s all a matter of attitude. I stand on my own two feet and also pay my bills/projects myself. I keep the parents out of it. The time when I equated pocket money with a guarantee was about 25 years ago.

I find a guarantee even more intense than "cash." So I'd rather have money directly – and that can also be (interest-free) loan, advanced inheritance, or something else – than a guarantee.

It also just said to act as guarantors, I don’t want a cent from my parents, even if it would be unproblematic for them. 2 and 3 years.

Guarantors = they are fully liable for the loan. If you crash, they are basically in the passenger seat and experience the crash first-hand.

When was the last time you leased a car? It's different nowadays. The standard is mileage leasing. No down payment, no balloon payment. Often transfer costs (but these can be negotiated away), otherwise only a monthly rate plus insurance and tax (comprehensive insurance is of course a must). Sure, with extra kilometers or damages, there’s a final balancing payment, but only if it’s serious.

Honestly, not at all. But somehow the "definitely occurring costs" have to be summarized briefly. To be honest, I don’t want to take over the original poster’s thinking either. If someone writes here that the cars are paid off, then I assume no new vehicle is involved. And if a vehicle replacement is involved – it doesn’t matter whether used and paid in cash, leasing, financing, or consumer credit – then 300 for 2 cars is simply not enough! It should be enough that the original poster just thinks about his fictitious figure of €150/car because it’s inaccurate (as almost always). It’s the figure that is mostly glossed over. So much is missing from the calculation... vacations are no longer taken either... but I don’t see it as a problem because a couple of parents who occasionally give a financial boost are worth their weight in gold – and then many things are possible. One just has to be honest with oneself in one’s own calculations.

Exactly. And that's why:

instead of calculating with 2 unknowns, better make 2 reasonably reliable numbers out of it:

1. Set up a household budget retrospectively
2. Obtain realistic house/land prices.

That is correct, although we cannot really assess how far he goes with his "self-service." You can save quite a bit that way, and regular maintenance can also significantly extend the lifespan of a vehicle.

Before buying my construction vehicle, I was also a total leasing advocate because I was convinced that maintenance costs and wear and tear would catch up with you badly after 5 years at the latest.

Now I drive a 20-year-old vehicle (admittedly not for long yet) and am thinking about taking a mechanic course. The older such a vehicle gets without major damage, the more the calculation shifts back. If you can really do a lot yourself, 150 EUR/month is conceivable.

But I agree with you, one should be honest with oneself and rather assume maximums for every item.