car choice

sojirovskensi

After your financial status have become stable (bought house, no student loan, 1 kid) and making $150-200k a year, what would you do? Assuming that your wife loves car too.

15 years plan

1. Buy ONE of your dream cars (under $120k, in my case GT3), keep it 15 years and get a DD every 8 years (z/sti/evo.. under $35k)

2. Buy a new M3/Cayman R (~$75k) for DD and trade in every 5-6 years.

frost

2

__________________
370z OG

djpathfinder

1

__________________
2012 GT-R Black Edition Jet Black
2010 370Z 40th Anniversary // SOLD

Lemers

I'm sorry but I don't think someone making $150-200k can truly afford the GT3 with insurance and maintenance even if it's not a daily driver. Those kind of cars are for people who own their home out right.

__________________

2010 Black Cherry Touring/Sport/Nav Now - 2012 Travese LTZ until I leave for Turkey

sojirovskensi

my wife makes another 6 digits on top of mine...

optiontrader

If that launches you into the $250-300K a year crowd, you're pulling in $15k+ a month net (at the higher tax brackets)...

You've a house in Dallas, probably low mortgage rate if it's new. I'd lease an M3 for now as a DD, sock $5K a month into a conservative investment vehicle, and in three years buy your dream car outright. The then freed up $5k/mo cash flow can go to maintenance and insurance.

__________________

40th Anniversary Z - 3M Paint Protection Film, CA Legal Tint! (70/40)

PapoZalsa

__________________
2009 370Z MB Base w/Sport Package 6MT
Modshack's Custom Air Intakes /3M Clear Bra/ Illuminated Kick Plates / F. I CBE w/12" resonators / EVO-R Front Lip / Rear Hatch Wing / Tein S-Tech Springs /Ilegal Tint in the Rep. of VA/4x20mm Z1 Spacers/ Vinyl Roof/Liquid Carbon Designs

kenchan

and buy such cars cash...

FL 4Motion

I suppose #1 with the changes higlighted above. Would go with lightly used GTR to save 20K or so as well.

djpathfinder

You think someone would buy a GT-R and "lightly" use it? Never gun it?

__________________
2012 GT-R Black Edition Jet Black
2010 370Z 40th Anniversary // SOLD

frost

I wouldn't even make it out of the parking lot without beating the piss out of a gtr.

__________________
370z OG

onzedge

__________________

Koni|Swift|Michelin|Motordyne|Berk|RJM Performance|Gates|SPL|Motul|Technafit|Ate Super Blue|Hawk
Tommy Kaira|Momo|Optima|Hella|Hotchkis|Red Line|ZSpeed|Stillen|B&M|H&R

FL 4Motion

black box knows all, just have the tech download all the data, will tell you every time it was launched, if VDC was ever turned off etc. I could care less if it was tracked as long as the maintenance was on point, VDC was never turned off and it's in great shape.

Also, i'd get an extended warrantee to take me out to 100K miles in essence giving me a new car warrantee since I'll be keeping it stock.

dennis26

choice #2

bvl

I had a similar decision this year. DINKWADs that have worked hard for years. I keep cars a long time, so my DD is 2002 WRX and I had a very nicely modified classic miata.

My dream car is an NSX: I just like it. Not the fastest, not the best value, just something *I* really admire from an engineering and classic perspective.

However I couldn't justify spending more money on a used car vs. the 2010 ZR we picked up slightly used (also looked at Boxster's, Caymens).

Unless I owned my house outright, I personally cannot justify over 50K towards a car...its a bloody car, and its not a wise financial move.

100K ain't what it used to be thanks to our lovely tax system...but 50K out of pocket for a piece of metal with 4 tires is a lot of scratch.

So IMHO, I like option 3 which is to get a used fun car, share it with the wifey, and you each have a fun/practical DD for 10 years at a clip as cars
do last quite some time. So you are replacing a DD every 5 years lets say, and you put 5K/year away for that DD...25-30K should get you a very nice CPO car.

All the while, the 70K you didn't blow on that exotic pays down your mortgage, which is a real ROI you can count on (vs. the pathetic interest rates of today).

- b