Yea .. I know having a 350z in college will be pretty cool and comes with some benefits

but if I were to get a older 350z I think I'd just rather keep mine and deal with the payments .. cant see going from a brand new 07 HR Z to a older one .. may just be me but I dont like how the older ones look at all compared to mine

anyways .. Guess I got some thinking to do and I need to go one weekend and test drive a s2000 .. might find that I don't like them at all or find out I cant get what I want for my Z and just end up keeping it

making my payments aren't a big deal .. was just an idea that came up one day .. plus I just got my lowering springs and they are waiting for me to make this decision before I install them .. so hmm

 

You will cry if you trade the Z for an S2k.... I got my Z after my S2k and I would never go back.... also mine is an 05... so I have the crap DE motor and its still leagues better than the S2k.... Just my .02

 

sell the Z and get ya a ricer civic thatll pull the chicks in college then when you get out get another Z

 

I kinda saw something like that coming ..

only thing I don't like about the s2000 is the 4 banger .. but it does make a heck of a lot for being n/a ..

I used to have a turbo Mr2 before the Z and it had almost the same hp / weight as the s2k and it was a huge blast to drive as long as the turbo or something didn't take a dump and rape your wallet .. if Toyota had some brains and made the new Mr2 anything similar to the 2nd gen turbo I'd buy one in a heartbeat


after all this thinking I might put my lowering springs on, get an alignment, and a shift kit (A/T) and call it a day ... haha

 

...

 

^ +1

As for the S2000. They are great cars. They handle better than the Z (imo) have much less room for a tall guy like me, and are a rag top. They also don't have anywhere near the low end torque that I like so much with the Z. However, when the rpms get higher and the VTEC kicks in, it is really fun to drive.

I drove both, settled on the Z Coupe.

 

hey if u sell the z for something older i can hook ya up with a secnd gen 91 mr2 lol its not a turbo but it pulls 28 to 30 mpg askin 4500

/end shameless plug

 

+ 1 im on the same boat as these 2 guys.

 

you're one of 2 people i ever heard use the word whilst instead of while every time.

 

if you work at a large dealership then whats the problem..around here a good painter pulls in close to 90k....you getting an education to be doctor? ha..i really dont believe at 19 your at the top of the pay list at the dealer..their robbing you get a job at smaller shop and watch the pay raise...

 

I wasn't too smart and bought my Z when I was in college. Granted, I got a good deal on it and I paid $17k at the time, put $3500 down and my payments were a little over $325 on a 4 year note. I had to work my *** off to pay for it (full coverage insurance) and I worked two jobs and took 19 credit hours. It was pretty sweet driving a Z while in college, but looking back I wish I would have enjoyed the college experience more, drove a beater and quit one of the jobs I had to pay for the car/college expenses. Get an old Lexus SC300 or something and call it a day. Sell the Z, and your two beaters, pay cash and you'll be all set.

Luckily I was smart with my money and never missed or was late on a payment, and now I own the car free and clear. It sure is nice to not have a car payment!

 

Large dealership - YES

Nice body shop with tons of DRP programs - Hell to the NO

the body shop for the biggest dodge dealer in georgia is the run down old dealership from the 70's with a ghetto paint booth that decides to work when it wants too

as for the pay .. yes I know of painters that make over 150K but you have to be moving your butt pretty darn quickly to pull that much $$$ and have plenty of work

right now even shops that have DRP's from insurance company's are getting taken off of programs b/c theres no cars to fix

when I started working in FEB. of this year I got hired to spray Rhino Liners (figured its atleast a job since I was out of school and never had a "job" to stick on my resume) .. within a couple weeks I was made the second painter since I could paint just as good as the painter that has been doing it over 20 years and I make 1/3 of what comes through the paint shop (******** but something to do with I'm young and he's been doing it longer ... whatever) .. when were a little busy i've seen 80 hour weeks in 40 hours which is a nice paycheck

right now I'm lucky to scrape 20 hours its so darn slow

but anyways .. I've done this for 7 months and to be honest I'm tired of it .. it requires very little to no thinking / brains and its very physically demanding .. I get home and want to sit around and not do anything b/c I'm exhausted .. sorta killing myself for nothing

ive had everyone from my teachers in tech school to my current manager to paint reps tell me to get out of the field and do something in a office with your brain instead of your hands ...


I could go on all day .. but its just time for something new / better


might end up keeping my Z .. its brand new and 400 / month is nothing I can't handle .. I painted a boom lift as a side job in two hours tonight after getting off work and made the same as a made all week at "work"

 

N/A New MR will outperform many turbos out there. S14's, subbies etc. Put the 2 or 2.2 (?) cant remember celica motor in, built, etc and itll run.

 

yea .. theres swaps .. but the new MR-S or MR2 .. whatever they named it is a goofy looking thing

I love my Mk1 supercharged Mr2 even though its sort of a track car / restoration project thats almost done .. and I really loved my Mk2 Turbo Mr2 since after I did a good tune up on (timing belt, hoses, water pump, distributor, wires, new turbo, etc) it never let me down for over a year and was damn fast

Mk3 MR-S = FAIL in my book (compared to the other two)

 

weight out ur options:

option a keep the z with higher payments

option b trade it in for a s2k or another car with lower payments

option c finish your education try to keep the car and pay it off

option d sell your car, get what you can ouuta of it, find you a daily driver go to school and get u an education while you can. once you have a STEADY AND REASURRING job than get a Z or a car that meets you needs. your education should come first!!! if all else fail get a sexond job if possible to avoid you the worries. nothing spells relief like an extra paycheck

 

I just traded my 03 S2K for my 03 Z and couldn't be happier. I agree that the S2K handles better but is definitely lacking in the bottom end. If it were me I would trade for an older Z but you can't go wrong with either. It just depends on what your looking for

 

get the S2000............... its a better car.

 

If the S2000 only costs $10k then I am guessing it is pretty old. You mentioned getting a 6 year loan like on your '07 Z. Have you lined up a lender that will go 6 years on a S2000 that is that old? I ask because most lenders won't want to go longer than 2-3 years. Even most credit unions will only go 5 years on a car that is up to 5 years old.

A short term loan on $10k could have you close to that $400 you are paying now.

 

Sell the z and go to school and get a 1992 to 1993 sentra ser for now.

 

I upgraded to the Z from the S2000 lol BIG upgrade IMO