I have $13k cash and I'm a software engineer. I feel like I could find another job in a few months pretty reliably if I ever lost my current one (which I don't like very much)
There's a MK3 Supra near me with low miles for $8k, maybe I could haggle down to $6k and get that
I could pay of a $15k loan in 4-5 years pretty comfortably.
> are you also factoring in long-term financial situation
not sure what you mean by this. this is my first big financial decision of my life and I'm very nervous about it
Caleb Martinez
I'm a little bit conservative about loans, but I would suggest something you could pay off in 3 years. I did a $10k loan on a $14k car over 3 years when I was 21, and that was about right for my situation. IIRC I was making $55k/yr or so at the time, but living a frugal lifestyle.
What I mean about long-term planning is thinking about retirement, if you're going to want to buy a house, raise a family, or whatever else.
Nolan Sanders
Cheap 90s sports car then. Even if something major goes out, you should have enough set aside to pay for it. Like I say keep 5 grand minimum in a separate savings account
Luke Hill
Finance a reliable DD like the BRZ, and pick up a shitbox to mess with later if you have the means for it. 90s sports cars are approaching 30. 30 years is when you can't count on a car to always get you to work or whatever time sensitive demands you have when you need them to. That's not a bad thing if it's a second car.
David Rogers
the thing is, none of the modern cars really excite me. I mean for $15k I could get maybe a BRZ or a Mustang GT. maybe if I wanted 4 doors I could get a Mazda 3.
But the thought of owning something special like an old Supra or an old M3 seems really exciting. Am I dumb for considering this? I will need it to be at least somewhat reliable, as it will be my daily.
Adrian Wright
Can you do your own work to keep it running? You can save easily thousands of dollars that way, making an older car much more viable.
Anthony Thomas
I'm not sure, probably not. I'll be living in apartments for the next few years and most of them don't have garages, or the few that do have very small ones, or "shared" ones that you couldn't realistically do work in. Not to mention I've never worked on cars in my life. I feel like I could figure it out but I would fuck up some things in the process, if that makes sense.
Landon Roberts
Don't just think about the money.
Can you afford the 3-4 days downtime if that shit box breaks down? Is waiting for the AAA towing going to cost your job? Got someone you trust to fix your car or got a garage and 20hrs of free time to wrench on it? Got access to parts in walking distance?
Josiah Adams
Yeah, you'll definitely fuck things up in the process. Not only would you be looking at the capital to purchase tools, but you'll also probably have to deal with doing something dumb that costs a few hundred surprise bux to fix. That's the route I chose, and I don't regret it.
But I also started early, had a 20 year old car rather than a 30 year old car, and was able to get to work without it if need be. I mean, a 90s car is a great kind of thing to learn to wrench on for fun, but it's also a good way to learn that old cars are sometimes just one inconvenient problem after the next.
Liam Gray
i went for a new elantra sport with the 6mt. having some peace of mind with a killer warranty for a dd is the main driver for me. it's not a sports car by any measure, but the car is pretty decent to drive, has a independent rear suspension, and plenty of passing power. it does good on gas, approx 33 mpg average in shitty traffic, and has android auto for spotify, maps, and voice controls. it comes with nice heated leather seats and good visibility.
