Hello from Hollywood
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Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Los Angeles, CA
Hello from Hollywood
Hi all,
So I just graduated from UT and am starting graduate school at UCLA. Never owned a car (although I did have an EX500 for 6 months) but I've been borrowing my Dad's Accord (5spd man) for a couple weeks while I got settled in here. Been looking around at cars for the last 2 weeks, wanted something a little sporty but still reasonably affordable on a graduate stipend. Checked out the usual suspects (GTI, mazdaspeed3, WRX, Miata) but the only car I really fell in love with and felt closer to the road was the s2000. Reading all the posts on this forum about the great performance, solid reliability, as well as just the culture around an enthusiast car made me want one even more. Problem is that it's really hard to find a clean one in the LA area that isn't riddled with ricer parts, has questionable histories, or really high miles. Car salesmen are also not the nicest of people, and walking in as a 22yr old male without my parents there I felt like I was treated like a child with dealers telling me I should go for other cars or that I couldn't test drive their used s2000's without approved credit. One salesman even tried to put me in a new $48k G37 until I realized the reason the monthly payments were lower than the used s2000 was because it was a lease. Financing for a young first time buyer, even though I have good credit, is also a nightmare and some dealerships were offering me 26% APR even with $6k down saying it was a "good deal for a first car".
Short to say I was pretty put off by the whole s2000 search and thought I'd have to settle for something else until I drove down to the CarMax in Irvine and looked at an '04 they had on the lot. I know CarMax gets a lot of flak from people, but I have to say it was a much more relaxed experience and I felt the extra cost on the cars is worth the convenience and peace of mind (at least for first time buyers). The car was also the cleanest one I had seen in the area, pretty low miles, completely stock, and 1 owner. Save for some wear on the seat, it felt like a brand new car! The financing also worked out a lot better and the end result is I am now a very happy owner of my new (used) S2000!
So I just graduated from UT and am starting graduate school at UCLA. Never owned a car (although I did have an EX500 for 6 months) but I've been borrowing my Dad's Accord (5spd man) for a couple weeks while I got settled in here. Been looking around at cars for the last 2 weeks, wanted something a little sporty but still reasonably affordable on a graduate stipend. Checked out the usual suspects (GTI, mazdaspeed3, WRX, Miata) but the only car I really fell in love with and felt closer to the road was the s2000. Reading all the posts on this forum about the great performance, solid reliability, as well as just the culture around an enthusiast car made me want one even more. Problem is that it's really hard to find a clean one in the LA area that isn't riddled with ricer parts, has questionable histories, or really high miles. Car salesmen are also not the nicest of people, and walking in as a 22yr old male without my parents there I felt like I was treated like a child with dealers telling me I should go for other cars or that I couldn't test drive their used s2000's without approved credit. One salesman even tried to put me in a new $48k G37 until I realized the reason the monthly payments were lower than the used s2000 was because it was a lease. Financing for a young first time buyer, even though I have good credit, is also a nightmare and some dealerships were offering me 26% APR even with $6k down saying it was a "good deal for a first car".
Short to say I was pretty put off by the whole s2000 search and thought I'd have to settle for something else until I drove down to the CarMax in Irvine and looked at an '04 they had on the lot. I know CarMax gets a lot of flak from people, but I have to say it was a much more relaxed experience and I felt the extra cost on the cars is worth the convenience and peace of mind (at least for first time buyers). The car was also the cleanest one I had seen in the area, pretty low miles, completely stock, and 1 owner. Save for some wear on the seat, it felt like a brand new car! The financing also worked out a lot better and the end result is I am now a very happy owner of my new (used) S2000!
and welcome....
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 100
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles
Welcome to the fold, I literally just bought my car as well, it arrives this Monday! Carmax is a great place to get a car, I have many friends who have bought from there with no issues. And at least you know you won't be getting a lemon!
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