un5un9

Hey all.
I'm 17 and a senior in HS and I'm in Army DEP. I got a hefty enlistment bonus and decided I was going to buy a car with it. I always liked the Z cars as a lineage and thought why not a 350Z. aside from all of that my question was is it easy to upgrade a 350Z (i.e. twin-turbo kits or single-turbo; or even no forced induction maybe even go NA) I've had Japanese sports car envy since I saw my friend's TTSupra '96 425RWHP beat the crap out of C4,C5 and WS6 on the highway. I want the same kind of experience but down here no one has an upgraded 350Z and I thought it would be cool to be one of the firsts. So is 350Z going to be a good choice or more of a challenge?

Please respond

battles2a5

why not put the money towards college?

Seriously, you are going to away from home for a long time over your enlistment, throw that money in a mutual fund and invest in your future. Just my $.02. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Bubble

iTrader: (50)

Since when the Army pay out $30K+ for sign-up bonus? i just assume you will use it for down payment. Back to you question: You can upgrade every single part of the Z if you have money. So let rush out, get the Z and post us some picture.

Alonjar

Yeah, honestly, I'd assume you're going to be sent who knows where during your enlistment, I'd put the money into some investments while you're gone, that way you'll have more when you come back (as opposed to an older, undriven car which has lost a good bit of its value).

But do what you want, I dont know your exact circumstances . Andif you get one, take pics!

GWAPITO69

iTrader: (6)

yeah save your money or invest it. who knows they might send you overseas for a year ar two. just make sure to take advantage of the tuiton assistance while you're still in the army. good luck and stay safe.

kcobean

iTrader: (2)

Hey man, I'm an ex-Army Helicopter crew-chief and did 3 months of DEP before I went in. I really strongly suggest you wait until you get to your first duty assignment before you spend your EB on a car. If you get a short-tour in some place like Korea, or God-forbid the middle-east. Your car will sit and rot or be beat up by some caretaker while you are gone. With all of the turnover in the mid-east right now, I'd wait until you're quite sure you're not going to be deployed. It would be painful to buy a Z and then garage it for a year or longer. Best of luck in the Army, it truly is an adventure.

GTNPU Z

iTrader: (17)

+1

fresno350

you better wait at least until you graduate bootcamp before you make plans on spending the money. how much is your enlistment bonus going to be?

un5un9

My enlistment Bonus was $12,000.(yes down payment seems like the idea)
I do OSUT in Ft. Sill 19 weeks.
My first duty station will be in Ft. Hood with the 1st Cav
I am a 13F Fire Support Spec.
and i got a $42,000 scholarship (to any CON-AD school)
^^this is all in my enlistment contract
that and in the army as an NCO i don't have to pay for much of anything
Chances are I will be deployed to the next theatre of conflict. I understood this when I decided to join and even more so when I signed up for combat arms. Plus all my salary and unspent allowances are going into my Vanguard Mutual Fund account that I've already established with my father.

P.S. I really appreciate all of you guys responding but what about your opinion on the car? and to those who answered the question what is better in your opinion NA or forced induction?

Sly_Z

iTrader: (18)

Ft Hood First Cav,that's my old division! FIRST TEAM!!! get use to it , you'll be saying it alot. When you salute an officer in that division you have to say "First Team". I was in HHC 13th Signal Battalion. You will enjoy Ft Hood. Like Kelly said you should wait , but if you do get a Z Texas is a nice place to enjoy it. The roads a long a flat, especially cruising to Dallas or Austin for the weekend. So be careful.

Look out for those Texas Rangers because there's a stretch of road between Ft. Hood and Cooperas Cove where all they do is chase you down in Mustangs and write tickets. You won't see them until it's too late.


Be safe, FIRST TEAM!!!!!!

kpiskin

iTrader: (5)

I'm in the Navy, and have to agree with many of the other posters out there. Wait to get this vehicle. Most likely you'll go overseas and you may also get a discount (at least on taxes) like many of the other manufacturers offer military when overseas and save money there. Also, have you called up some insurance companies to see how much insurance is going to cost? I'm sure it's fairly expensive for an 18 year old to have such a vehicle. Additionally, like all cars the 350Z depreciates (starting at 10-20% as soon as you drive it off the lot). If I were you, a good compromise between saving all the money and buying a new Z would be to buy used, and invest the rest into mutual funds. I saved $11,000 by doing this and got a car with only 10,000 miles on it. Believe me, if you save wisely in a few years you'll be able to pay cash for two Zs then plus set yourself up for retirement in the out years.

Sly_Z

iTrader: (18)

Hey KC I didn't know you was a Helicopter Crew Cheif, were you also stationed at Ft Hood. I had a buddy that was in 4/6 Cav that's was the Apache unit. When I went in the Apaches were just being introduced and had a lot of bugs. Did you have any contact with the Apaches

kcobean

iTrader: (2)

With an MOS like 13F, and a first duty station with the CAV, it wouldn't suprise me if you don't get to unpack your bags from AIT before you head for the middle-east. I sincerely hope not, but I wouldn't doubt it. If I were in your shoes, I would hold on to my $$$ and see what the near future brings and go from there.

As for the car, in N/A form the Z is a great car. F/I brings some positives and some negatives to the table that you should be aware of, especially on an junior enlisted man's salary. (You're not technically an NCO until you hit the rank of either Corporal (E-4, which I don't think is around much anymore, or Sergeant, E-5).

F/I is hella fun. I've driven a few different F/I cars and it really is a blast. On the negative side, you get the upfront costs (in the multiple thousands of dollars), and a certain amount of unreliability. Failure of an engine due to F/I is not covered by warranty and will cost you thousands to recover from. If the car is your daily driver and you don't have the money in the bank, you'll be out of luck. I'm not trying to discourage you, I just want you to have all the angles on the big toys.

Best of luck to you.

un5un9

Cool
A used 350Z seems like the idea if i'm going to mod it and lose parts of the warranty or whatever.
my insurance will be anywhere form 1500 to 2400 dollars a year :P several site and my mom's statefarm agent says depending on what happens.
i'm just an E2 and ralized my mistake in just saying NCO but meant all ranks below butter bar. i just gotta pass my PFT and i get E3 before I ship.
"First Team" huh my father gave me a 1st cav bible that had that on it now i guess i know what it comes from. I wasn't given much insight into the 1st cav all of my recruiters are from the 4thID.

Sly_Z

iTrader: (18)

Here's a link: http://www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/


Wear that patch with pride.