Young buyer needs assistance!

pjh06033 · 07-02-2010, 12:46 PM

hey guys,
im going into my junior year of college in rochester NY and I really need a reliable car. I know many people say just buy a used one, but I personally HATE used cars because you dont know what type of drivers owned it before (certified or not). Having a fresh new car that will guarantee not to have any issues is exactly what I'm looking for. I've been driving my mom's '99 Saturn for the past 4 years (go ahead and laugh haha), but seriously. I live in Buffalo, but need a car for school. Im going to be a bartender for the next couple of months in my home town, but then hopefully will find a descent bartending gig in rochester for school. I'm a sport management major and there's a lot of either paid or volunteer opportunities that will really help me excel in the sport management business, but also on my resume. I'm also going to be doing my practicum (200 hrs service time) for a business in the sprig semester and will need a car for that. On top of that, I will be doing my internship (possibly in Massachusettes) my senior year and will obviously need a car for that. My parents said they'll buy me a new car when I graduate, but I honestly need one right now and they're not helping.. which sucks. One huge problem (or maybe not) I have, is that I don't have any credit at all. I have a debit card and have never took out more money than was in my account or anything that would be bad with my bank. I barely have any money in my account now (since I just paid for bartending classes), but hopefully the next couple of months I'll be able to raise between a $1,000-1,500. I dont think I'll be able to afford to put any money down, since I'd rather pay for 72 months and know I have money to afford for a couple months (if i dont get a job right away).

What I'm getting to is that fact that I wont have a TON of money in my account and I dont know how much APR they're gunna try to hit me with since I have No credit. I'm guessing that No credit is better than bad credit at the age of 20 haha. But over the coarse of the next 2 months I'll hopefully get a bartending gig ASAP, but then I work at the mall for min wage (7.25) and get about 12-15 hrs there a week. Another thing I was considering was to take out like a 10k loan just for the down-payment.

Please suggest anything that will be helpful (student auto loans, auto loans, down payment, any suggestions). I know I'm going to have to make about 1k a month (which hopefully wont be too hard to do) with bartending and all, but I would love to have this car for the next 10 yrs.

Thank you for reading and helping me

m4a1mustang · 07-02-2010, 12:51 PM

Honestly a new 370Z sounds like a horrible idea for you. If you can even get financed a 72 month loan is still going to be a pretty rough monthly payment, not to mention all the money you will piss away in interest.

Your best bet is to either stick with the Saturn, or if you must get a car for yourself, look for something used, reliable, and cheap to get you through your final years of school. Get a Z when you are finished with school, have a job, and know you can afford it.

Dig yourself a financial hole stretching to get into a 370Z and you're going to doom yourself in the future. Horrible idea... don't do it.

shadoquad · 07-02-2010, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

Honestly a new 370Z sounds like a horrible idea for you. If you can even get financed a 72 month loan is still going to be a pretty rough monthly payment, not to mention all the money you will piss away in interest.

Your best bet is to either stick with the Saturn, or if you must get a car for yourself, look for something used, reliable, and cheap to get you through your final years of school. Get a Z when you are finished with school, have a job, and know you can afford it.

Dig yourself a financial hole stretching to get into a 370Z and you're going to doom yourself in the future. Horrible idea... don't do it.

You'll make better cheddar when you get out of school. Strapping yourself into a long-term loan at this point will probably hurt more than it will help.

toxik · 07-02-2010, 12:57 PM

^^ what they said. Plus if you're in Buffalo, from what I understand you guys have like 10+ inches of snow all winter long. Why would you wanna get a RWD sports car for those driving conditions. Lease an AWD G37 coupe if you want something reasonably close to a 370. Lease prices on G's are also very low.

Jeffblue · 07-02-2010, 01:02 PM

stick with the saturn. Figure out the monthly payment you would likely wind up with. Take that amount of money and put it away in the bank every month for a few months and forget about it. See how your life is and act as though that money isn't there. If you feel like ALL of your money is going into this imaginary car payment, then maybe its not the best idea to get the Z right now. and if it is all good, take that money and use it for a down payment.

pjh06033 · 07-02-2010, 02:18 PM

I really appreciate the honesty, and that was kind of the last resort to the problem (to stick to the saturn I have right now). but the thing about that is my mom's in london right now, then when she returns it'll be her's again (she returns when i go back to school, beginning SEPT)... which means i have no car for school. I understand that Z's arent meant for the snow (and yes buffalo/rochester gets an unbelievable amount), but with a couple sand bags i hear it's okay... as long as you know how to drive in the snow (which i obv do). I like the idea of holding off on the payments and just putting stuff in the bank and forgetting about it, but if i do that long enough and it works out to be something I would like to continue pursuing, should I just wait for the 2011 to come out and see how that pairs up to the 2010?? I understand that it's mainly a personal decision, but we dont know how much that'll cost; and will the cost of the 2010 go down that much once the 2011 come out??

thanks again guys!

m4a1mustang · 07-02-2010, 02:22 PM

Bottom line is the Z is a horrible idea for you right now. Even if you could afford the monthly payments, you really can't afford the car. Not to mention it will be virtually impossible for you to get credit at a decent rate. If you can get financed, I'd be willing to bet it's at a rate higher than 13%.

Since you will need a car of your own I'd go on Autotrader and do a local search... see what's selling for under $5k and you'll find plenty of reliable, practical rides that will get you through college.

Like I said, once you're out of school and working with a stable and predictible income, then you can evaluate your finances and decide if you're ready to spend $30k or more on a car. You're not doing yourself any favors trying to get into a Z right now... you just aren't in the right financial position.

Jeffblue · 07-02-2010, 02:44 PM

If your parents are willing to help you get a new car when you graduate. wait until then to get a new car. buy a decent used car that will last you until then and then get the z or whatever you want then. The Z is a really bad car for college. i had an altima when i was in school and i sold it for the Z about a month before i graduated. I went to New Paltz, and i can honestly say there is no way i could have really gotten by with the amount of space the Z has. the Z has plenty of room for bringing things to and from work/grocery shopping, but i know that in school you are constantly moving from place to place etc and its really impractical. plus then you don't exactly have the best places to park it on those crappy school lots with all the idiots. you wouldn't be able to keep the car in the condition that you'd want to if its your college car. after two years the interior would be pretty beat up, the under carriage would be corroded from all the salt, and the paint/body would be dented and scratched from other cars parking and snow plows.

trust me. put the money away, pretend they are car payments, b/c thats what they are! you just dont have the car yet. Then you get out of school and you all of a sudden have 2 years of car payments to use as a down payment and you save a lot of money on interest. getting a sick car like this even if you have to wait till you graduate school (which may seem like forever) is still very young. its not like you'll be sitting there being like 'GOD DAMN i had to wait till i was 22 to get that car, that was like forever!'

fullmonty · 07-02-2010, 02:53 PM

Ya my friend, this isn't the right time for you to get a Z. The Z is reliable, but its terrible in snow. Plus you'll be really really tight trying to make your payments.

shadoquad · 07-02-2010, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fullmonty

Ya my friend, this isn't the right time for you to get a Z. The Z is reliable, but its terrible in snow. Plus you'll be really really tight trying to make your payments.

Not just car payments, either. Insurance will be high. Also, this thing slurps premium gas. And on top of that, you cannot rotate the tires on it, so you'll be replacing those every few years.

Just some things to consider.

Cmike2780 · 07-02-2010, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjh06033

I really appreciate the honesty, and that was kind of the last resort to the problem (to stick to the saturn I have right now). but the thing about that is my mom's in london right now, then when she returns it'll be her's again (she returns when i go back to school, beginning SEPT)... which means i have no car for school. I understand that Z's arent meant for the snow (and yes buffalo/rochester gets an unbelievable amount), but with a couple sand bags i hear it's okay... as long as you know how to drive in the snow (which i obv do). I like the idea of holding off on the payments and just putting stuff in the bank and forgetting about it, but if i do that long enough and it works out to be something I would like to continue pursuing, should I just wait for the 2011 to come out and see how that pairs up to the 2010?? I understand that it's mainly a personal decision, but we dont know how much that'll cost; and will the cost of the 2010 go down that much once the 2011 come out??

thanks again guys!

Sorry man, as much as you want to buy this car, its simply out of reach for you right now. I would love to be driving a GT-R right now, but its beyond my means. There's nothing wrong with that. The insurance & maintenace alone will empty your pockets quicker than you think. $1k a month is a low figure for someone in your situation.

I lived in Buffalo for a few years, went to UB, and you know as well as I do that the snow up there is no joke. A set of winter wheels/tires will set you back about $2k-$3k on the Z and even then its like driving with bowling balls for tires. I had an RX-8 while I was up there with a set of all-seasons and it was useless with anything over half an inch of snow. With the car so low to the ground, you'll get stuck/plow into the snow before the tires ever makes contact. Having a rear wheel drive car as your only mode of transportation in an area like Buffalo is just plain stupid, I know from experience. During a bad week where it snowed non-stop, I had to go to Enterprise and rent a front wheel drive Suzuki compact car POS because I could not make it out of the parking lot (with 4 sandbag & spare tire in the trunk).

I would suggest you stick with the Saturn while you can and save your money for school. If you must buy a new car, go for a front wheel drive or all wheel drive anything. You will be limited to under $16K price range if you want to live reasonably & about $24k if you don't mind starving. Don't forget about taxes, interest and other expenses when buying a car. A $32k price tag can easily turn into $40k loan after all is said and done.

New car suggestions

FWD/AWD:
Ford Fiesta
Mazda 2,3 or 6
Scion Tc
Civic
Altima Coupe
Mini Cooper
Lancer
Impreza

New car RWD: (would not recommend, but within your buget)
Mustang V6
Camaro V6
Genesis Coupe 2.0T
Challenger V6

Good luck!

Jordo! · 07-02-2010, 03:20 PM

You want a car that is inexpensive, cheap to insure, highly reliable and fuel efficient. Not a sports or pony car -- not right now.

Buy a newish Honda (e.g., Fit, Civic), or Toyota/Scion (e.g., Corolla, tC) -- these are very inexpensive, highly reliable and fuel efficient cars.

Other options include the Mazda 3 (there's also a 2 coming out that will be comparable to the Fit) or perhaps a Ford Fiesta (or whatever the econobox Ford is called).

Wait for later to buy a sports or pony car...

Push370zzz · 07-02-2010, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjh06033

hey guys,
im going into my junior year of college in rochester NY and I really need a reliable car. I know many people say just buy a used one, but I personally HATE used cars because you dont know what type of drivers owned it before (certified or not). Having a fresh new car that will guarantee not to have any issues is exactly what I'm looking for. I've been driving my mom's '99 Saturn for the past 4 years (go ahead and laugh haha), but seriously. I live in Buffalo, but need a car for school. Im going to be a bartender for the next couple of months in my home town, but then hopefully will find a descent bartending gig in rochester for school. I'm a sport management major and there's a lot of either paid or volunteer opportunities that will really help me excel in the sport management business, but also on my resume. I'm also going to be doing my practicum (200 hrs service time) for a business in the sprig semester and will need a car for that. On top of that, I will be doing my internship (possibly in Massachusettes) my senior year and will obviously need a car for that. My parents said they'll buy me a new car when I graduate, but I honestly need one right now and they're not helping.. which sucks. One huge problem (or maybe not) I have, is that I don't have any credit at all. I have a debit card and have never took out more money than was in my account or anything that would be bad with my bank. I barely have any money in my account now (since I just paid for bartending classes), but hopefully the next couple of months I'll be able to raise between a $1,000-1,500. I dont think I'll be able to afford to put any money down, since I'd rather pay for 72 months and know I have money to afford for a couple months (if i dont get a job right away).

What I'm getting to is that fact that I wont have a TON of money in my account and I dont know how much APR they're gunna try to hit me with since I have No credit. I'm guessing that No credit is better than bad credit at the age of 20 haha. But over the coarse of the next 2 months I'll hopefully get a bartending gig ASAP, but then I work at the mall for min wage (7.25) and get about 12-15 hrs there a week. Another thing I was considering was to take out like a 10k loan just for the down-payment.

Please suggest anything that will be helpful (student auto loans, auto loans, down payment, any suggestions). I know I'm going to have to make about 1k a month (which hopefully wont be too hard to do) with bartending and all, but I would love to have this car for the next 10 yrs.

Thank you for reading and helping me

You won't get a loan. I'm 19 and a junior in college as well. When I bought mine I just purchased it cash and wanted to take out a loan to build credit. Even though I had purchased it cash AND had a 785 credit score (thanks to a year of a credit card) I couldn't get a loan for any amount without a cosigner. After a lot of fighting and proving of funds I got it w/o a cosigner, but if you have no credit and no cash and no weight to throw around the bank...stick with the Saturn.

m4a1mustang · 07-02-2010, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadoquad

Not just car payments, either. Insurance will be high. Also, this thing slurps premium gas. And on top of that, you cannot rotate the tires on it, so you'll be replacing those every few years.

Just some things to consider.

+1. The 370Z (with the Sport package, anyways) is not a cheap daily driver to maintain. Rotors, tires, brake pads... all expensive.

Waiz · 07-02-2010, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

Honestly a new 370Z sounds like a horrible idea for you. If you can even get financed a 72 month loan is still going to be a pretty rough monthly payment, not to mention all the money you will piss away in interest.

Your best bet is to either stick with the Saturn, or if you must get a car for yourself, look for something used, reliable, and cheap to get you through your final years of school. Get a Z when you are finished with school, have a job, and know you can afford it.

Dig yourself a financial hole stretching to get into a 370Z and you're going to doom yourself in the future. Horrible idea... don't do it.

Focus on finishing school man, that should be your only worry.

07-02-2010, 12:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
pjh06033 Base Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Buffalo Ny Posts: 2 Drives: '99 Saturn Rep Power: 15	Young buyer needs assistance! hey guys, im going into my junior year of college in rochester NY and I really need a reliable car. I know many people say just buy a used one, but I personally HATE used cars because you dont know what type of drivers owned it before (certified or not). Having a fresh new car that will guarantee not to have any issues is exactly what I'm looking for. I've been driving my mom's '99 Saturn for the past 4 years (go ahead and laugh haha), but seriously. I live in Buffalo, but need a car for school. Im going to be a bartender for the next couple of months in my home town, but then hopefully will find a descent bartending gig in rochester for school. I'm a sport management major and there's a lot of either paid or volunteer opportunities that will really help me excel in the sport management business, but also on my resume. I'm also going to be doing my practicum (200 hrs service time) for a business in the sprig semester and will need a car for that. On top of that, I will be doing my internship (possibly in Massachusettes) my senior year and will obviously need a car for that. My parents said they'll buy me a new car when I graduate, but I honestly need one right now and they're not helping.. which sucks. One huge problem (or maybe not) I have, is that I don't have any credit at all. I have a debit card and have never took out more money than was in my account or anything that would be bad with my bank. I barely have any money in my account now (since I just paid for bartending classes), but hopefully the next couple of months I'll be able to raise between a $1,000-1,500. I dont think I'll be able to afford to put any money down, since I'd rather pay for 72 months and know I have money to afford for a couple months (if i dont get a job right away). What I'm getting to is that fact that I wont have a TON of money in my account and I dont know how much APR they're gunna try to hit me with since I have No credit. I'm guessing that No credit is better than bad credit at the age of 20 haha. But over the coarse of the next 2 months I'll hopefully get a bartending gig ASAP, but then I work at the mall for min wage (7.25) and get about 12-15 hrs there a week. Another thing I was considering was to take out like a 10k loan just for the down-payment. Please suggest anything that will be helpful (student auto loans, auto loans, down payment, any suggestions). I know I'm going to have to make about 1k a month (which hopefully wont be too hard to do) with bartending and all, but I would love to have this car for the next 10 yrs. Thank you for reading and helping me

07-02-2010, 12:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
m4a1mustang A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 55,385 Drives: on two wheels Rep Power: 6962	Honestly a new 370Z sounds like a horrible idea for you. If you can even get financed a 72 month loan is still going to be a pretty rough monthly payment, not to mention all the money you will piss away in interest. Your best bet is to either stick with the Saturn, or if you must get a car for yourself, look for something used, reliable, and cheap to get you through your final years of school. Get a Z when you are finished with school, have a job, and know you can afford it. Dig yourself a financial hole stretching to get into a 370Z and you're going to doom yourself in the future. Horrible idea... don't do it. __________________ - Steve Zs & Coffee - Saturdays at 10AM in Fairfax, VA and Columbia, MD (Click the banner!) LIKE us on Facebook!

07-02-2010, 02:18 PM	#6 (permalink)
pjh06033 Base Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Buffalo Ny Posts: 2 Drives: '99 Saturn Rep Power: 15	thanks guys I really appreciate the honesty, and that was kind of the last resort to the problem (to stick to the saturn I have right now). but the thing about that is my mom's in london right now, then when she returns it'll be her's again (she returns when i go back to school, beginning SEPT)... which means i have no car for school. I understand that Z's arent meant for the snow (and yes buffalo/rochester gets an unbelievable amount), but with a couple sand bags i hear it's okay... as long as you know how to drive in the snow (which i obv do). I like the idea of holding off on the payments and just putting stuff in the bank and forgetting about it, but if i do that long enough and it works out to be something I would like to continue pursuing, should I just wait for the 2011 to come out and see how that pairs up to the 2010?? I understand that it's mainly a personal decision, but we dont know how much that'll cost; and will the cost of the 2010 go down that much once the 2011 come out?? thanks again guys!

07-02-2010, 02:22 PM	#7 (permalink)
m4a1mustang A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 55,385 Drives: on two wheels Rep Power: 6962	Bottom line is the Z is a horrible idea for you right now. Even if you could afford the monthly payments, you really can't afford the car. Not to mention it will be virtually impossible for you to get credit at a decent rate. If you can get financed, I'd be willing to bet it's at a rate higher than 13%. Since you will need a car of your own I'd go on Autotrader and do a local search... see what's selling for under $5k and you'll find plenty of reliable, practical rides that will get you through college. Like I said, once you're out of school and working with a stable and predictible income, then you can evaluate your finances and decide if you're ready to spend $30k or more on a car. You're not doing yourself any favors trying to get into a Z right now... you just aren't in the right financial position. __________________ - Steve Zs & Coffee - Saturdays at 10AM in Fairfax, VA and Columbia, MD (Click the banner!) LIKE us on Facebook!

07-02-2010, 02:53 PM	#9 (permalink)
fullmonty A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Dirty Jersey Posts: 7,762 Drives: 370 Touring/Sport Rep Power: 34	Ya my friend, this isn't the right time for you to get a Z. The Z is reliable, but its terrible in snow. Plus you'll be really really tight trying to make your payments. __________________

07-02-2010, 01:02 PM	#5 (permalink)
Jeffblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: NY Age: 36 Posts: 9,192 Drives: Z32TT & 335xi Coupe Rep Power: 38	stick with the saturn. Figure out the monthly payment you would likely wind up with. Take that amount of money and put it away in the bank every month for a few months and forget about it. See how your life is and act as though that money isn't there. If you feel like ALL of your money is going into this imaginary car payment, then maybe its not the best idea to get the Z right now. and if it is all good, take that money and use it for a down payment.

07-02-2010, 02:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
Jeffblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: NY Age: 36 Posts: 9,192 Drives: Z32TT & 335xi Coupe Rep Power: 38	If your parents are willing to help you get a new car when you graduate. wait until then to get a new car. buy a decent used car that will last you until then and then get the z or whatever you want then. The Z is a really bad car for college. i had an altima when i was in school and i sold it for the Z about a month before i graduated. I went to New Paltz, and i can honestly say there is no way i could have really gotten by with the amount of space the Z has. the Z has plenty of room for bringing things to and from work/grocery shopping, but i know that in school you are constantly moving from place to place etc and its really impractical. plus then you don't exactly have the best places to park it on those crappy school lots with all the idiots. you wouldn't be able to keep the car in the condition that you'd want to if its your college car. after two years the interior would be pretty beat up, the under carriage would be corroded from all the salt, and the paint/body would be dented and scratched from other cars parking and snow plows. trust me. put the money away, pretend they are car payments, b/c thats what they are! you just dont have the car yet. Then you get out of school and you all of a sudden have 2 years of car payments to use as a down payment and you save a lot of money on interest. getting a sick car like this even if you have to wait till you graduate school (which may seem like forever) is still very young. its not like you'll be sitting there being like 'GOD DAMN i had to wait till i was 22 to get that car, that was like forever!'

07-02-2010, 03:20 PM	#12 (permalink)
Jordo! A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: nirvana Posts: 6,394 Drives: 2023 NATM Rep Power: 418	You want a car that is inexpensive, cheap to insure, highly reliable and fuel efficient. Not a sports or pony car -- not right now. Buy a newish Honda (e.g., Fit, Civic), or Toyota/Scion (e.g., Corolla, tC) -- these are very inexpensive, highly reliable and fuel efficient cars. Other options include the Mazda 3 (there's also a 2 coming out that will be comparable to the Fit) or perhaps a Ford Fiesta (or whatever the econobox Ford is called). Wait for later to buy a sports or pony car... __________________ Enjoy it. Destroy it.

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