After 2 years, saying bye to the forum and BRZ
 

I got the Subaru BRZ in 2013. I've been a member here since August 12, 2013. It was a 6 speed manual and a very fun car, not fast, but fun in my opinion. Being where I live, I have only seen 2 other cars since it's not a popular car here. It just got to the point since I finished college with my associates this summer I wanted to get out of car payments and I needed something that would be better for my move I am planning.

My mods have been limited to my car. I did coilovers, shift knob, and plasti dipped the entire interior which I removed before trading in. It was a 2013 BRZ Limited with 12,325 miles. I was pretty satisfied with the money they gave for trade in. I did downgrade to a Jeep Grand Cherokee. 2004 with 70k miles and it was one owner and they were older so I know it was well taken care of. I ended up getting out of car payments since I got the Jeep paid off at the time of the trade in.

I was hesitant to make this thread, I know most people trade and go to something faster or newer. I'm 24 and getting to the point where I already hate car payments and I don't care if I have a new car.

With this being said, I just wanted to thank everyone for being helpful to not only myself and to others I've witnessed on the forum. It's been a great time here and hate saying bye, haha. I will still pop on the forum here and there as I have one item in the classifieds though.

Thanks again y'all, Danny.

Wish you the best with your future endeavors. Good luck with everything.

Thanks for the write up and showing that at least some here can be realists. There is no need to trade up, or faster, or newer but to trade/buy what fits your wants and needs at this point in time. If an older Jeep does that then that is the better way to go.
Now for the 1,000 people that are going to tell you that you should have went with an old WRX, S2000, Miata, etc, etc!

Right? because there is nothing better than having an old sports car that was beat to hell and back by 4-5 different owners and then returned to stock! Will the car make it to work today? What about tomorrow? It's like playing Russian Roulette every time you drive the thing!

But brooooo the feels and it was my favorite car in that movie/videogame/race car anime.

Thank you

Thanks, and I agree. I didn't want to trade the car in, but it wasn't practical to keep anymore. I think I miss having a manual more haha. I'm sure in the future I'll get another sports car when my life is in better order. My neighbor has had his Jeep for 200k miles so it should last a while. There will always be people that disagree and say I should've went with some other car, but they're not the one in my current situations and I know for me this is a good option.

If you are happy, we are happy. Good Luck to you in all your future endeavors.

You made a smart financial decision. Getting out of the car consumer debt trap as early in life as you have will save you hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime. I wish I could get over myself and just be able to be ok with a slightly used honda accord for the rest of my life. I'd be able to retire a decade earlier.

Thanks, it's a bit of a mental thing to get in an older vehicle although 2004 isn't really that old. Had I not talked to the previous owner of the Jeep before trading for it, I may not have done it. Inside is flawless, not a single scratch or tear and no engine problems that a mechanic can find. The dealer even put brand new tires on it. It's one of the better used vehicles I can buy.

I'm curious more about what the dealer is going to sell my car for haha. I know dealers typically mark up $4000 for selling, meaning they'd sell it for around $23,500.

Ironically, I'm actually about to switch from my (completely paid) used 95 Accord EX to a 2016 BRZ. Oops.

Smart move OP. I see a lot of people get over their head and commit unrealistic amounts of their pay to a car, especially our age (I also am 24). Best to do what fits your lifestyle. Best of luck in all things :cheers:

Thank you and I agree. I've had payments on cars since I was 16 and I dump so much money to car payments. My dad taught me more growing up about saving money and such and I've made bad decisions that weren't car related, but I always recovered from them. There's a lot of vehicles I want, I'd love to have another lifted truck. It's just not smart to do and I always have that in my mind more than anything.

I did the opposite.

I drove a really old Honda Civic and paid it off in two years. I drove the Civic for a total of five years, running it to the ground. Then suddenly something happened the insurance company gave me a check for what the car was worth, which was a substantial percentage of what I paid for it.

Having lived austerely for several years, I figured I'd let my hair down with a 2015 BRZ Limited.

at 24, you're making a good move. other young people might call you dumb or tease but you'll laugh in future. I dont care my friends drive Mercedes or BMW or other luxury cars. i follow my own rule. you can get another car when you're ready and GL with future

Thanks and exactly. It's not some fancy vehicle, but it's perfect for me right now. I've learned enough to not want to be in debt or worry about making payments each month. I make money, but I can put the $400 into a savings account in case something happens in the future I can't predict. I've been thinking about doing this for a couple months and I found this vehicle. I'll be honest I am surprised by the response I've gotten on here. I figured more people would be calling me dumb and it's seemed all positive so far haha.

That's because you did something smart and not wanting to spend more money on car-related things while thinking about your future.

I'm only a year younger than you and in the same mindset. If things are going as they currently are, I can pay the car off by the end of Spring to late summer (1 year of ownership by then.) Why so early? So interest can stop eating into my wallet! Planning to put down a gigantic down payment on a house in a few years...

Best of luck to you!

Exactly, I hate seeing that car sit on the lot since I drive by it everyday haha, but I know it'll be better in the long run. I couldn't get mine paid off as fast as you are. Even though my GI Bill helped with college, it didn't help much with books and my out of state cost since I went to Florida which is about 40 minutes from me. I'm sure the house payment will come soon enough, but right now I just want to move to where my girlfriend is and formally propose with a ring and all instead of over skype like our long distant relationship consists of. With her car paid off and mine paid off, that would save both of us a ton each month.

Not going to lie though, the BRZ kept trying to burn a hole in my pocket despite me putting out the flame a lot :p there was so much I wanted to do to it, but I know it wouldn't be smart to put that much money into it.

Very good decision, car payments sucks and you can always get something nicer when you are more established.

But then you get to laugh at them when they drive by the house you own on their way to their shitty apartment with their shiny car.:lol:

wait for the 2017 with the prius bumper!

Wow - smart financial decision making! Most people drive beaters in college then get their first real job and run out and buy/lease a BMW (ahem, not that I'd know anything about that... :D ).

Yes - car payments suck - especially when there's interest involved. But heck even those 0% loans are still a loan balance hanging over you.

I've gotten to a point in life where I've been able to pay my car loans off early. I think I had a loan on my BRZ for about a year. We talk about buying a new car - but as a "cash buyer" everything looks/feels SO expensive! $5-600/mo is one thing but $35-45k lump sum? Scary!

i think a lot of finance savvy folks bought this car actually :) a lot of people that have a BRZ that i know could`ve bought something like a used M3 or a cayman. I for one, could have done it, but i wanted to actually drive the damn thing (track days, etc) and not worry about breaking things so much.

the only problem i didnt foresee is just how much money I am spending on mods lol. :confused0068:

Not a bad move at all.

I've really been considering doing the same thing actually. Have had car payments for years now and I'm getting tired of that along with the feeling that it's not really my car yet. But at the same time, I'm 1/3 of the way to paid off after a year and a half of owning this thing. It's tempting to just keep working at finishing it off early, but I know the money should probably be going towards something else.

me exactly lol. Didn't want to spend 400+ a month on car payments, but might as well vs the things i've bought for the car hahaha.

Agreed, car payments suck, just make sure you don't go blowing all that extra money on something else.

I was lucky, able to pay my car off at 24 and own it free and clear now, I plan on keeping it for a long time, it has a lot to teach me. For someone who feels 'done' with the car it makes sense to me to get out earlier rather than later.

Very true, I was spoiled with jobs growing up so I started with a2 004 Nissan Maxima, traded it for a 2010 Silverado and puta 7" lift on it. Went to a 2013 BRZ. I never struggled with $400 a month, but I just hated writing a check for it when I know I can save it.

This 100% haha. I wanted to spend so much for mods. Where it got to $15k in mods I wanted, but I had to keep telling myself no, it wouldn't be smart for me to do. I originally looked at an M3, but didn't like it after driving one. I did have a 1998 corvette though as a fun car and sold that a few months back.

It's amazing. Granted it's only been 4 days, but knowing I won't get a bill from Subaru to pay each month is a relief. I wanted mine to be paid off, but still wouldn't help me with moving. I'd put my dog (Labrador/Bulldog mix) in the back and that'd be pretty much it in the backseat haha. It was fun, but not practical. It was a great car driving an hour to school and back each day though.

Thanks and I am saving it all :) I spend enough for food each week and bills and the rest is being saved. I don't go out and blow money for "fun with friends" since locally most people just want to party and that isn't me. Plus since I quit smoking 2 packs a day and 3 cans of dip a day by vaping I am saving a significant amount.

Yes sir....I think it gets the best of us. This platform has too many aftermarket mods available for it ha ha. I truly is a "blank canvas" so to speak.

I got DanBRZ to do that in my place :word:

I'm fairly certain I'll be happy with my 2016 and the added year of memories driving it :P

Besides, couldn't I just swap the front bumper later?

yes most likely assuming they don't alter the headlights in shape. Although I'm not certain it would be worth it from the looks of it ha ha

While I agree in essence with what you said, car payments and debt are not necessarily a negative thing.

Every persons situation is different. The key is to do what makes you happy.

Is a good thing. Fun car is fun. I just went from a fully paid off 2007 Yaris to a barely used 2015 series.blue. Is so totally worth it.

Or a brand new fully loaded STi. If you think our mods are expensive imagine what STi, EVO and Golf R folks pay to make those cars "fun." There seem to be far too many of each variety with 500 +hp. After that $5400 or so for a supercharger seems frugal.

At least you traded in for your financial sake and not for a woman who tell you to do so

I made a similar move (sporty car to larger 4-door SUV) at that point in my life (early 20s). After driving a 1994 Z28 for a number of years, I sold it and purchased a new 2001 4x4 Nissan Xterra, as I felt I needed a larger, more versatile vehicle.

Honestly, as much as I've enjoyed the Xterra (and still enjoy it, as I still own it 15 years later, and it's been crazy reliable and has done all I've asked of it willingly), I always regretted the absence of a sporty car in my life, almost from day one.

I'm guessing the OP will feel the same hole in his life pretty soon. I didn't fill that hole until I got my 2013 FR-S earlier this year.

Why cuz you haven't watched Money As Debt on YouTube? :bellyroll:

Not sure I'd go through that regret. I don't miss the car as much as I miss having a manual. I prefer bigger vehicles than little sport cars. I always have. I would pick a 4 door truck before another sports car honestly.

no clue what that is.

Not sure if you know this, but you cannot do jack in this world without a credit score. A car loan with the dirt cheap apr's you can find out there now is an easy way to build great credit on the cheap.

There are so many people out there that are lured by this no/debt cash only mantra only to be bitch slapped by reality when they try to rent an apartment, buy a house, rent a car or do other things normal people actually want to do.

This is because the current worldwide monetary system would no longer function properly without credit / the creation of fiat money out of thin air fueling the system. The banking cartel counts on "things normal people actually want to do" to stay in business.

The only way to win is not to play (unfortunately impossible in this era for most of the working class like you pointed out).

Nevertheless I think the OP made a very sound financial decision. :thumbsup:

i agree with that.

There are good things and bad things that go along with the current fiat banking scheme.

You should really watch Mr. Robot, you summed up what happens in the first season.