Don't get your hopes down. You never know what could happen in your life in a few years. Back in college, I had a friend who was always broke. Then one day he inherited a Rolls Royce from a Jewish uncle (no pun here) who passed. You can't imagine how cool it was to cruise to the bars/clubs in a pimp Rolls on the weekends. Seriously, thinking about it still gives me the chuckles. It was the dogs nuts!!!

:word:

When you don't need to finance, or you're stable enough in your financial situation that you're comfortable with a certain percentage of your monthly income going into a car payment.

I don't think anyone is saying never. We're just passing along the info that there will be other things you'll want to spend your money on in the coming years, and having every penny you earn tied up in a car can put a damper on experiencing other things in life.

+1

Life is more enjoyable and less stressful when a person doesn't have financial woes; furthermore, having more free time then my friends do because they have to work to pay their bills (ie. Car, student debt, etc), IMO is a better life.

Hey Guys, thanks for the advice. I totally understand that this is not a teenager car. But I'm in love with it. Haha.

If I was to indeed get this vehicle after saving up, what financial burden would I have other than Gas?
I don't plan on leasing/financing just cash.

But if you guys really think it's a bad idea, then my best bet is to take advice from you guys because you guys we're already my age and have the money to afford this car.

Thanks Guys.

Uhm... besides gas, probably insurance.

My mother will most likely add me onto her insurance policy.

You'll have basic routine maintenance things like oil changes(30 bucks a pop), new tires (5-800 dollars), new brakes (75 bucks or so if you do them yourself), air filters (15-30), spark plugs (50-100 do them yourself) , belts(15-30 a piece), batteries (100-150), alignment (100-150), the cost of your license every year (100-200).

Since you're planning on buying used you also wont be covered under warranty so you'll have repairs and stuff which can quickly add up when something goes wrong with the car (things will go wrong, and repairs will be expensive) Think new clutch (probably 3-500 bucks) water pump (4-600 bucks) fuel pump (3- 600 dollars) ac compressor or condenser ($500 - 1000 each) etc. etc.

Not trying to discourage you at all, just trying to help you be aware of the reality of owning a vehicle, it gets rather expensive. I try to plan for the worst and hope for the best. You surely wont have to replace and go through all the repairs I listed but they're a decent possibility and you COULD be looking at much more expensive repairs than that if you get unlucky.

Wow man that's alot!
Thanks for telling me this, I didn't expect it to be that expensive.
Will I really need to buy that stuff, if I could pickup a slightly used FRS.

And I thought Subaru's Boxer Engine was bulletproof.

I don't plan on adding any mods, 180 rwhp is enough.

Car maintenance is expensive when done right. Subaru's boxer engines are not bulletproof, see '07 STI blown ringlands, 2009 blown engines, and others. Beyond 400whp the EJ starts to struggle on the stock bottom end. The 2JZ is something I'd consider bulletproof. The 4G63 is closer to bulletproof than any boxer will be out of the box.

You don't really have any idea what the costs associated with car ownership are... I'm not trying to shoot you down, but a NEW or slightly used over $20,000 sports car is NOT in your price range now or even in a few years. Go to school and get good grades so that you can make enough money to afford a car like this in the future.

None of the things I listed even touch on if you had any problems with the engine itself the "COULD be looking at much more expensive repairs than that if you get unlucky" is in reference to any problems you might have with the engine or transmission.

You're not going to have to replace all those things immediately, stuff like the water pump doesn't need to be replaced until around 100k miles (if you're getting a 5 year old car maybe about 2.5 years of owning it) and your tires will last maybe (if you're very easy on them and get them rotated and keep them aligned $100-150 a year) 2-5 years

It's just a matter of perspective, I think it's great that you're willing to save up to get the car you want, I just think you're going to have to save up a little bit more so you can actually afford to own it instead of just buying it.
http://i.imgur.com/QU60R.jpg

People are saying you shouldn't throw all your money into a car, but honestly it's your life, you live once, do what you want as long as it's not harming yourself or anyone around you. The day I turned 18 I bought a used IS300, financed 20k. Looking back I don't regret a thing. I was making 2k a month from 16-18 and I paid the car off within a few years.

If cars are your love then why not buy things that you enjoy? This said don't risk your future for a car, but if you have the means to buy one go ahead and do it. Again, you love once, live a little. Just make sure to take insurance & other costs into account. Don't put yourself in a situation you know you will regret.

:word:
well said. If I end up buying a BRZ I will probably have to put off some things like buying a house and being able to afford the latest new gadgets or whatever, and from a financial perspective it's never good to buy a new car, but to me this car is worth it. Sometimes you have to do what your heart wants and ignore what your brain is telling you, that is what life is all about.

As far as the expenses of owning a car, I paid cash for my WRX 3 years ago and since then the only major expenses besides gas/insurance/oil/tires have been the 60, 105, and 120k mile service. It has never broken down or had anything break. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I had a 1996 Nissan Maxima with 230,000 miles on it that would need a major repair once a month.

Predicting pricing on used can be rather tricky. Predicting reliability is almost impossible.

Here are some realities that you must stick with (as Orbital, Alias & GT86Mods mentioned)

Every car will need preventative maintenance and when buying new, never ever believe that the dealer is always going to take care of you. They are a business providing people jobs and need to make money, so plan for it.

It is also wise to have a reserve of cash you can use at any point of time that you cannot, cannot spend on aftermarket parts. Think of it as a cash reserve and continue to pay every month about $100.

Always keep a balance of $1500. Whatever money you collect on top of that...take a vacation with your FR-S, you've earned it.