Pondering over purchase...
 

I have been following this car and these forums for quite some time now and am getting close to the point of purchasing one. I have a problem of being impulsive when it comes to purchases but being only 18 I was not going to purchase until I could more than comfortably afford one. I was still a few months off laying down a deposit then my local dealer in Perth hit me with the prospect if I don't order one soon Toyota will be laying down a price hike sooner or later to the car which has sort of put the pressure on. Which leads me to the question if anyone can give me some sort of answer as to whether the dealer is correct with the price hike or trying to nab a quick sale.
Cheers.

its all conjecture at this point. it would make sense for toyota to up the price using basic economic methodology but nothing has been set in concrete.
and now that they are cutting costs with the tyre and everything they might not increase the price at all.

imo don't listen to your dealer and buy when you are comfortable. keep in mind the waiting times up to 2 years if u go for the gts manual

Have been told about a 9 month wait for a GT black manual which would be a little less torture like compared to the 2 year wait for a GTS..

2 years? since when did it go 2 years?

Got told 18 months at a minimum for any GTS model ordered today.

I was considering laying down a deposit on another dealer last night and called them up. they are open late on Wednesdays in perth as you know.

the guy came straight out and pretty much gave the whole 18 months wait generally depending on colour and config. he apparently had an inventory in front of him on the screen regarding the config i was chasing. i imagine he had a list of what his dealership had ordered and what was on its way.

i faded in to resolution before he said to me, if i would compromise on an auto white GT. not sure where or how he would get one so soon but i found iot strange they had a spare of that config ready for an owner.

as for OP i say buy when and where you can. the buzz and hype may subside as the year gets later. the flipside of that is the wait may just get longer. in a few months it will remain to be seen if its an 86 sellers market or otherwise.

as for the price rise, i have been trying to look for the article i read about toyota/FHI not hiking up the price any time soon. although i feel the spare tyre issue is perhaps maybe one of complaint rather than clawing some profit back.

GT Auto's are by far the least popular and worst value for money models, as you loose the LSD.

LSD is only a couple of grand, plus it would be a proper 2way or 1.5 so your still winning imo.

x2

your also losing out on paddle shifters.

You're 18. Dont do it. Buy a much cheaper car and learn the roads for a few more years, and have a stable income. Dont be in a position where the only hours you're doing at work goes straight to your car.

+1 Devie
buy one in a few years when you've got cash and after some other sucker takes the depreciation hit.

Obviously none of us have the full context and don't want to come across all preachy but regardless I reckon most of us older folk would say that buying this car at 18 is something you'd probably regret. Don't listen to salesmen using basic closing techniques. Maybe the price will go up, maybe it will go down (the world's economy is precariously balanced right now, despite what you might read in the mainstream press). My 2 cents...

Teach yourself about the most important thing they didn't teach you at school: metacognition. Your post alludes to some self-awareness on this, so that's a great start! But also read this article: The Key to Health, Wealth and Success: Self-Control

In the meantime, perhaps think about redirecting your deposit money into setting up a racing simulator, using a service like iRacing. The physics model in the top-of-the-line mainstream simulators is now getting pretty good and the skills you learn will be transferable to the real road/track, so you will end up having more and safer fun. You will also discover a community consisting of both amateur and professional racing drivers, so many of the folk actually know a lot about driving technique and car setup and are happy to pass on their knowledge.

Then, when the time comes to buying an 86, think about getting a second hand version where the previous owner, like me, has caught the steepest part of the depreciation curve and you'll also know more about what to look out for in terms of this version 1 model's issues, etc.

Good luck with your decision. :)

I agree. I know a few people who did the same very young and 10 years later are still hurting from it.

That said, I also know a guy that worked full time from 17yo and had a full modded 4 car garage by 21. If it's your love and you're serious about it you can pull it off, just be smart, pace yourself and don't get sucked into over financing.

My story. Ready?
In 2001/2002 I spent 6 months in Western Europe. I leased a Peugeot 206 diesel. 90 hp!! 68kW!! 200 Nm!! (actually that 200 Nm was impressive in such a small car). And I enjoyed flogging it's guts out. It turned into a lesson of not how fast I could go but how to conserve speed in the bends. Man i enjoyed driving that!! And that's the point. The driving part, not what I'm/you're driving. Along with others here I am suggesting getting something that you don't have to borrow for and enjoy driving what ever it is you buy. I appreciate that there are other factors to consider (price,fun factor, enjoyment,status ) but borrowing money for a depreciating asset is not good financial sense unless you are comfortable with the loss.

Story over. Will I get published?