Guess I'm stuck in a debate with myself.


Scenario A:
Scenario B:Consider:

• Without dipping into savings I have about a $2500 trade and an easy $2500 down.
• I plan to only have the Z for a few years (bet the ole lady gets preggy soon.)
• Keeping this Z investment decently light on the pocketbook would be nice. I have other hobbies

Feel like I already know what I should do. Grab me a pretty cheap DE and enjoy the significant upgrade over my current pos. Enjoy the light tread on the pocket book and have fun with this Z as me and the lady plan for a family/wedding. Still not hard to yearn for the HR, I loved the test drive and upgrades on that edition substantially more than the DE I test drove.

Side note, if you want to feel pity...

1st car: Handmedown 83 280zx turbo (2000-2002)
2nd car: My 11 year tank, 1999 v6 mustang auto (2002-present)



Ah well, worked a lot, played real hard in college, time to get back on the Z wagon.

Thanks in advance for the thoughts.

 

all cars will depreciate.. there is no car youre going to stay afloat with aside from a collectors car.
Neither of the cars you are looking at cost 36 thousand dollars anymore like mine did .

thers no where left to go on depreciation on these cars... you can control how much you pay over market for one tho..

they will all require upkeep.
an 07 08 will require less but is still a fairly old vehicle, lets be honest.

an older one will be a guaranteed fixer starting soon, that being the case, id opt for a cheap car and plan on repairing things.

but again, there is no ROI on a 5-10 year old used car that wasnt that expensive in the first place.

 

This!

 

Hard for me to align with this line of thought no matter how truthful. Besides the basic brakes, fluids, tires... I haven't had to do anything to my mustang in a long long time. Doubt the Z will need much attention either at 100k miles...we have a family of Nissans that all act well.

Guess I figured I sneak 30k miles on a cherap DE and only hit a small loss. As opposed to a larger loss with insurance/HR's becoming $10k in a few years?

Thanks for your prompt opinion and response. I really need to get a plan and stick to it. I loved the test drive on the HR; would be hard to pay on something you didn't just love.

 

I would not get into debt for a used car.

But if it was a must, with the limited choices stated, I would go for lower mileage 05 DE. Keeping in mind that with a car of this age, one would almost certainly have to spend $$$ on shocks/struts, various bushings, brakes, tires, and whatever other issues the previous owner is passing along.

 

I would go for an 05 DE. You said it yourself, you won't have the Z for very long so why spend the extra cash for the HR?

I say get the DE Z and enjoy it. You have to mod it or you won't enjoy it (mod bug duh).

Once the baby's on the way, sell the car. You'll be happy you had a light investment.

My .2

 

Don't care too much for the depreciation if this is a car you enjoy and not solely for transportation. In the end, it's if you are happy with the car of your choice. If you plan on selling the car shortly after (3~ years), then yea take in consideration of depreciation. But personally, I'd go for the HR 07+.

 

10K vs 20K? The insurance difference is full vs just liability. Loans require full depending on the loan type. I'd still get full coverage on a Z even if the car was $1500 cash!

 

I am going to go against everyone here and say, don't get either. You seem like a level headed guy, but you aren't thinking ahead enough. You are planning on getting married and having a kid soon, so you know you won't be keeping the Z. Why not save that money for your family's future and get something a couple years down the road when you have more options. Don't be short sighted, think of your family first. If you can't afford to keep it after you get married and have a kid, then you shouldn't be buying one right now. Just my two sense.

 

If you only plan on keeping it temporarily, why buy it in the first place? You seem to have future plans already in place.....save the $$ for a 4-door. Its not worth it to buy a 2 seater car if you already know your going to unload it soon. Or spend some extra $$ and buy yourself a g35x.
If your set on buying a Z regardless, id go with an HR car. I felt the upgrades that the 07-08 cars have was worth the extra couple bucks I paid for the car.

 

If you know your going to get rid of it bc of kids Dont buy one

 

Even my soon-to-be wife said the same thing, "when we have kids you arent selling your Z"

 

Would you not be able to buy both? A couple years is plenty to buy a family car.

The only thing that sucks is on the days when you're driving the Z and she calls up saying she needs you to pick up the kid. You have to drive home and switch cars before you can do it.

Yes I have to do this, and yes its still worth it.

 

Make sure ur wifey won't make u get rid of the Z. That's your solution to your future problems. You could always make more $ and get a 2nd car too.

 

I'm so conflicted as to what advise to give. I love my HR, and don't think I would be satisfied with a stock DE. But financially, I cant tell someone to finance a depreciating asset. Have you thought about bike for this very short (2 years or so) term?

 

One kid and one on the way. The wife appreciates the Z almost kinda maybe a lot less than me but she knows what it means to me