[silverlegacy]

To the OP... only you can answer this question. Only you know if you can comfortably afford the car.

I'm normally a lurker on most forums that I visit, but one thing I have always noticed and is constant through it all is that people on forums get way too self-righteous. They come off and say don't buy the car unless you can buy it in cash... never take out a loan on a car... get a better job... pay off your current debt first... save for retirement... etc. Those are all personal choices, they don't fit everyone's beliefs.

Myself, I am in a fairly similar situation (make more money, have student loans that are unpaid and more expensive rent). I'm on the fence as well and have been for a few months. My personal choice has been to wait, even though I could easily afford it month-to-month. That could change at any moment, I could buy a new car tomorrow or it could be 2 years.

The only real advice that I can really give you is that if you can get a good rate (under 2.5%) don't pay it off early. The time value of money and inflation over time actually means you will be paying less in today's dollars in 4-5 years. Significantly so actually. People have misconceptions about debt and think all debt is bad. If used properly you can save a bunch of money in the long run. Debt is only bad when you are given terrible rates (IMO anything over 3-3.5%) or you overextend yourself.