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You tell me what you think, and I'll decide

3K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  King35 
#1 ·
As some of you may know, I'm only 19. I've been saving up for a G and was planning on getting one next month. I have been talking to my friends about it a lot lately, and some of them brought up very interesting points.

When you're 19, it doesn't really matter what car you drive. The 15,000 more dollars I'll be spending on G rather than an Accord or so isn't worth the "compliments" and "coolness" you get from getting a G. And no, I won't have my parents pay for the damn car. They would, but I don't want to be labeled as "spoiled" and "irresponsible". No offense to any 19 year olds whose parents bought them your cars (many of my friends in this case), but I want to do things on my own. I know I want this car very badly, but economically, it doesn't make much sense. Afterall, we all WANT things... but many of you guys already have steady jobs and worked hard to get this car. And I'm only 19... I still want the G very badly, but I want opinions from the older and the wiser.

Talk to me.
 
#2 ·
I can relate to your situation because I am close to your age(22 goin on 23 in Oct) and I am paying for my car(coupe 6mt) myself as well. The only stipulation I had was that I had to graduate college first, and have a job waiting for me in the fall( I am a teacher).

Just because you have a large wad of cash now(I did too), how are you going to keep making money to pay for it? How are you going to pay for it?(financing, parents loan, bank loan?) Remember interest can stack up over time, and your initial perspective can change. Those high monthy payments can also be a big nuisance, especially if you dont have a decent paying job. If you are paying your own, insurance be prepared to take a big hit there too, even if you are on your parents, it still will be pretty high.

Now that you have all that out out of the way, you want to think of how your lifestyle is outside of the car($$ wise). If you have a girlfriend in which you spend all your money on, or always going out with the guys(you know stuff that will eat away at your wallet); that might take a hit as well.

Another factor might be when you want to move out of your parents house, if you can stand the prents and live at home for awhile, go for it, but if you need an aprtment soon, well there is some more cash you will need.

If you are currently in school, then my advice would be to get that ot of the way first(it worked for me). Save up your $$, and get a 04, or 05 model(might have more options that we will be envious about since we have 03s). If you NEED a car right now then get a decent cheap used car and drive it till you have a good job lined up. IF YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED THE CAR, then it is your decision to make and only you can decide then, but if you can hold off then that might be a wiser decision.

BTW PROPS ON BUYING IT YOURSELF!!!![:D]
 
#3 ·
It's all about what makes more sense. For example, if you're heading off to college (or already in college), you may need the extra money for books and food. Or better yet, rent on a nice apartment. Although I'd recommend dorming it for the first year before heading out on your own. Seems like a pretty rational question to me, Maynard. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably not buy the car. Actually, I'd say the same for anyone who needs to stretch their budget just to get this car, no matter what their age is. No doubt, you will enjoy the car immensely. But as I stated before, there are probably a lot of other things you can use that extra money for. Trip to Europe? Computer? AV Equipment? Since you're still young, you've got plenty of time.

<font size="1">2003 G35C | 5AT | DG + Willow Leather | Nav | Premium | Performance</font id="size1">
 
#4 ·
Hey man,
I'm 19 and bought my car in full too. It is very nice having the comments and total coolness. Let me tell you this, the car is an experience to drive all around. I just can't stay out of mine. I have had a few incidents already which are really starting to vexx me and makes me wonder why i did lay the money down for it. I have thoughts all the time of whether i made the right choice. All you have to think is whether you really need and what your future plans are relating to your financial situation. Any way i love mine and it has only made me want to succeed in life even more. Good luck
 
#5 ·
Im am only 18 and I was in this very same situation you are in right now just a few days ago. My friend is a finance manager and found me a G35 coupe 6mt nav, fully loaded for only 35K after tax. I was so excited about it but there was just one problem. I was planning on purchasing the car on my own and was gonna have the money by December. Well this is alittle sooner than Devember so i didn't have all the money necessary for the down payment. I asked my dad for a little help but after lookin at the finance I just came up short for the money. So here were my options: 1 = Get the car but cause my family some sufferin cuz i would need about 7K from them[V]. 2 = My dad said well get the Acura CL Type S cause those sell for about 10K cheaper and I wouldn't have a problem with financing it. 3 = Wait till december and purchase a different G35. Number 3 sounded really good cuz one you gotta think about it this way if your in school and ur workin for the car you should never let ur school suffer cuz of the car. Hell yea I want this car but in the mean time from now till December i will prove to my self and my parents that i can work and pay for the car and get good grades all at the same time. Cuz once u put ur name in the finance so u earn credit you cant take it out and you could really screw ur life up if u missed a payment. There will always be more cars out there plus they will be cheaper in a couple of months, so if ur not sure just wait on it. Never feel forced into a comitment this big, you should feel very confident and since u are asking others opinions I dont think your ready just like me.

2003 G35C / 6mt / LR & Willow Leather / Nav / Premium / Aero / ETA 5 Months, Maybe 1.5 weeks?
 
#6 ·
Thanks for your inputs so far. It sounds like I should just wait on it, unless anyone has a reason why I should get the car. I've heard so much from this forum on how great of a car it is, so I KNOW I want this car very badly. But then again, I don't want to be a "dumbass" for getting a car just to satisfy my "wants" thus ignoring my "needs". Thanks again.
 
#7 ·
Good advice so far. My opinion:
don't buy the car. $15K can go a LONG way towards other things in your life right now. For example, use it to pay for college. If college is taken care of, use it to enrich your life there. A couple thou a year will really help in terms of quality of life. If you don't care about that, INVEST! With the stock market so depressed, you can funnel excess money into index funds. In 5 years, you'll have quite a large chunk there. Or you can put $3000/yr into an IRA, that's always good.

At this point in your life, there are better things to do with your money than buy a car. Of course, I just bought a car, and I'm not THAT much older, but I think college is the big difference here.

Oh, and congrats on just being able to afford it yourself! You must have worked your ass off, good job.

2003 Sedan 6MT | Sport/Aero/Premium | Desert Platinum/Willow | Fuzzy dice | Pictures
 
#8 ·
I've followed a rule of 20% or one year's income for my car purchases. If you limit yourself to a car that costs that much you should still have enough money left over to enjoy life with. One other thing to consider is that money is there to have fun with. I have friends who are habitual savers; won't ever buy anything because they think they need to save all their money. Certainly a more conservative approach, but more likely than not all they'll do is leave it all to their kids when they die.

Black 2003.5 6MT - Willow - Nav - Premium - Performance - Tint - Nose mask
 
#9 ·
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by jtb

I've followed a rule of 20% or one year's income for my car purchases.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Wait...did I read that correctly? $30K is 1/5 of your yearly income? What do you do for a living?? [bigeyes]

2003 Sedan 6MT | Sport/Aero/Premium | Desert Platinum/Willow | Fuzzy dice | Pictures
 
#10 ·
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Wait...did I read that correctly? $30K is 1/5 of your yearly income? What do you do for a living?? <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I think he meant the payments are 20% of your monthly income, though finance geeks I've read all prefer 15%.

Personally, I'd recommend buying a house if you have any intention of living in the same city in which you're attending college. This way, you'll already have a major expense out of the way when you graduate and you can go nuts a bit with your first real job. I doubt financing rates will stay this long indefinitely.
 
#12 ·
Let me get some things straight. I have no real expenses to worry about. My college, rent and stuff are paid for by my parents. So the question is... Do I get the G35 coupe or get an accord (or so) and save the rest of the money. And with the money saved, I plan on either investing in my business venture that I'm starting or putting them in stocks... for stocks are what I do for my hobby.
 
#13 ·
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Maynard

Let me get some things straight. I have no real expenses to worry about. My college, rent and stuff are paid for by my parents. So the question is... Do I get the G35 coupe or get an accord (or so) and save the rest of the money. And with the money saved, I plan on either investing in my business venture that I'm starting or putting them in stocks... for stocks are what I do for my hobby.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I would still say to get the cheaper car. Spend a little of the difference to make your life in college super-awesome or buy yourself toys once in a while, then save the rest. If stocks are your hobby, you can probably grow that $15K quite a bit over the next four years, then buy a 2008 G45x or something [:)]

2003 Sedan 6MT | Sport/Aero/Premium | Desert Platinum/Willow | Fuzzy dice | Pictures
 
#15 ·
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by jtb

If you can afford it buy the car; would you rather spend the extra $100 or so a month on a bad ass car or a few dvds and a date?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Actually, I'd ask the same question the other way [:)]
Go on a date, throw a party, go see a band. You don't want to end up tied down so early in life. If buying the G won't strain your budget and you'll still have money to engage in other hobbies or whatever you do for fun, then you should go for it. Otherwise, wait and see. During college and the year after, I acquired several expensive hobbies (home theater, being a musician, cooking, autocrossing, etc etc), so I would have regretted it if I spent that much money on something I liked freshman year. Your interests will change; if you save the money for when you're _really_ an adult[8D], you'll be glad you did.

2003 Sedan 6MT | Sport/Aero/Premium | Desert Platinum/Willow | Fuzzy dice | Pictures
 
#16 ·
As one of the elders (52) in the group, I can relate (been there done that).

When I was your age, I went through a lot of cars very quickly. Chances are you will too. We all have the car "bug" and right now the G35 is the bomb, but this too will pass.

If you think you can be satisfied with your G for the next 5 years or so and not get car envy for the next "hot" car, I'd go for it.

Assumption is you are comfortable parting with the $$$

Good luck!

[banghead]

'03 G35 Coupe / 5AT / Carrib Blue / Willow Leather / Sport Wheels
 
#17 ·
I'm glad you're not letting your parents pay for you car. Its much more fun to drive and more rewarding if you pay it off yourself. And you get much more respect.

One piece of advice though... get the car you want... don't get the car for props from your peers or because of the "coolness." You seem like a mature individual... so satisfy your own wants/needs and get it if you think it fits your personality and lifestlye. If you like it more than any other car and believe you will in the future, do it.

-no sig this time
 
#18 ·
Maynard,

I applaud you for choosing to pay for the car yourself. One thing you should consider is that since you'll be a freshman in college, will you have a safe place to park the car? It's a hefty investment and you don't want college kids messing with it. Also, will you be working a part time job? Might I suggest an internship?

I will buy the G35 Coupe, not because of my friends' opinions, but because it is a great deal. Granted it is in the upper 30's price range, I figure that having a nice car would be a nice graduation gift to myself. Another thing I considered was that I didn't want an extremely common car, like a Honda or Acura.

Good luck!
 
#19 ·
It doesn't really matter to me if your pay for the car yourself or not. I am 18, so I know your situation. I just moved to UF and am sorting our financials currently. I think that if you have to ask the question of whether you should spend the money on the car or save it then you really don't want the car. Personally, I am a true car enthusiast. I respect every car for its good qualities and am ready to criticize on the qualities that it is lacking. I wanted to have a nice new car that didn't cost "too much" after my former car, 3000 GT. I go to school on schlarship and my mother has always promised me "any car" I want if I recieved a full-ride to college. So that is what I got--the car I wanted happened to be the G35 Coupe (new M3s were way too expensive). Of course it would be nice to have $40,000 to spend over the next four years and just ride around on a $200 mountain bike and public transport... BUT, living like a "pimp" in college is not necessarily the best thing to do. I think it is good to place yourself into a role of responsibility (volunteer, internship, job, etc.) while in college. Not only does the workforce look at these things, but it builds character. If I spent the next 4 years spending $40,000 on alcohol, parties, women, and electronics that will be outdated 2 months after purchase, I would not have any "real world" experiences (having to work for a living, or having to be responsible for something). Of course with a $40,000 G35 Coupe I have to work some and be somewhat responsible, but it is not like I am in debt. And on top of that, I have something that is mine, and that I can appreciate and have reason to work for.

My mother has made it very clear to me that if I don't support myself or keep my scholarship that the car is gone. I think that you as a responsible "growing" adult will have to set goals for yourself, along with consequences for when those goals aren't met. If I were you I would get the car that I truly want (whether that be the Accord or G35) because nothing hurts more than knowing that you made a poor decision and could have avoided it. Also, if you do get the G35 and have to work because you don't have "extra funds" then you should use it as a motivational factor; and set consequences (such as selling the car) in case you become worthless and decide not to work, etc.

Like I said at the beginning though. If you have to second guess yourself on your decision after debating it for this long, then you obviously don't know what you want yet. I think that you should really consider your own personal situation. I commend you for paying for your own car. It is very respectable and you have obviously worked hard for the money to be able to do so. You are also very fortunate that your parents are paying for your higher education. Whatever you decision may be in the near future, just don't lose sight of the real future (life after college).
 
#20 ·
rlipps, I don't think you fully understand the depth of the situation. I want this car very badly. But a $ 40,000 purchase (not a gift from my mother) is a blow if that's basically all you have. As I've mentioned earlier: 1. Get the car and spend the money or 2. Put the money in the money market and grow it (get a head start). I have followed up on this car for a very long time and feel that I have enough information to decide whether I want this car or not. And I want it. I've wanted it. It is whether it would be a SMART thing to do to buy the car... just to satisfy my NEED over what might be a clever decision to get a head start on life.

I am currently leaning towards getting a USED G35 coupe later this year or earlier next year... That way, I could probably get one for under 30k? (hopefully) and I could save enough to invest some. Once again, thanks for all your inputs.

Cheers.
 
#21 ·
Investing the money would be a very wise thing to do, but if we are all going to live for 4 years from now instead of today, then I think that we all should have invested the 40Gs so we can watch it grow. My point was that if you have other goals that you would rather pursue, then you obviously don't want the car enough to drop those other goals. I think that with the current goals that you have set (opening a business after college), that you should invest a large sum of the 40k and buy a relatively cheap car 10-15k, or like you just mentioned, try to grab a used G and invest the rest. It is all what is important to you, and I was just stating that it is obvious that the G35 isn't the most important thing for your right now, which isn't a bad thing.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">rlipps, I don't think you fully understand the depth of the situation. I want this car very badly. But a $ 40,000 purchase (not a gift from my mother) is a blow if that's basically all you have.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

And by the way, if this was some sort of attack on the fact that I received the car as a gift... Maybe you should take into consideration the fact that my mother doesn't have to pay for my college at all due to the ~$90,000 scholarship that I recieved. You might also want to consider that I recieved over $600,000 in scholarships from 7 different schools. My car was a reward. My mother was never going to pay for my college (your parents are kind enough to do so). My mother never planned on paying for anything for me once I was 18, but she made me a promise (as incentive) that if I went to college on a full-ride she would buy me any car that I want. So if you were attacking the fact that I was given the car as a gift, "I don't think you fully understand the depth of the situation."
 
#22 ·
Just out of curiosity, what school do you go to?

And we're 18-19... not 30-50 like the other G35 coupe owners here. Of course we want nice cars... these older people (sorry, but older as opposed to 20 or so) DESERVE those cars for being able to afford them; whereas, for us... we're students that should be saving up for the real world... Get my point yet? Like you said, (aside from the fact that you got scholarships) your mother is buying the G for you. That's ALL i was saying... My friend had his dad buy him an M5 and yes he did get a full ride to Yale; but that does not say anything. He did not earn it.

Quite frankly, 9 out of 10 of my friends got full rides to their schools... (I did get a significant amount as well) That doesn't justify the fact that you got a car as a gift. No, I'm not telling you you should BUY it YOURSELF. And when it comes down to it, I'm not really attacking you. I honestly don't think that it's "wrong" in any way that you get a gift for doing well in school. It just branched off from my little point.

All crap aside, the point I was trying to make is that we are still young. We want a lot of things... Hell, I want a damn Ferrari. But is it a smart thing to buy a car with the money I can use to pull myself ahead of the gang? Many of the wiser seem to think that I should just get a crappy car and save up. BTW, if people like Meg Whitman, Warren Buffett, Sam Walton drive/drove cars that worth far less than G35 coupe, why should I? I dunno... I want this car so badly that I might just get the used one and save the rest... I've never wanted a car this badly :) You guys understand right?

Cheers.
 
#23 ·
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Maynard
All crap aside, the point I was trying to make is that we are still young. We want a lot of things... Hell, I want a damn Ferrari. But is it a smart thing to buy a car with the money I can use to pull myself ahead of the gang? <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
It seems like you already have a pretty good idea what to do. You want the car, sure, but you're second-guessing the wisdom of buying it, which is good. Buying a car like this is never a good investment--you buy it because you want it and accept the fact that you just "threw away" that money. So if you're even considering investing that money to get ahead, that's a good indication that you should. Then the facts that you want to start a business and investing is a hobby point even more to the Accord. I say go for it, an Accord is plenty of fun. Maybe you could even get a cheap old car for a year, then buy a used G (once the price drops quite a bit) and end up with several K after graduation.

Also, I don't mean that you should always plan your finances for four years ahead; sometimes you have to buy toys [:)]. But save that for after college...a lot can happen in 4 years, and if you lose your scholarships for some crazy reason, it'll be helpful to have the money. Then when you graduate and have a good job/income, spend the money on the car you really want.

2003 Sedan 6MT | Sport/Aero/Premium | Desert Platinum/Willow | Fuzzy dice | Pictures
 
#24 ·
Maynard, I was just trying to help you with your decision like the topic asked for. My overall point is that if you have to second guess whether you should get the G or not, then you obviously shouldn't. As you have stated, you have other goals, which is a very admirable thing. I think that you are second guessing whether you should follow your goals or your wants. My opinion is that if you have to second guess your want, then it isn't truly something you desire enough, and you should go with your goals instead. Personally, if you are serious about investing your money so you can open a business after college, I would buy a Mountain Bike and invest the rest of the money. I have not been to a single campus that you cannot travel around comfortably on bike. Besides, you will make friends with somebody who has a car if you ever need to go somewhere far, and there are bus services, etc. Good luck with your decision, whatever it may be. By the way, I attend the University of Florida.
 
#26 ·
<font face="Comic Sans MS"></font id="Comic Sans MS"> Also Maynard, remember that while they are not as well known as most car companies in this country, an infiniti will last well over 200,000 miles and still run well. As a matter of fact I know at least two people with G20's that are still holding together damn well for 186k miles. I'm young, dumb, and impulsive. I say go with the G and don't look back.

---"Watch out for that Mitsubishi Eclipse!!"------"Don't worry, the G35 can take 'em for all they're worth."---
 
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