OK, my 2 cents.

I will turn 19 on the 26th of this month and I am VERY seriously considering a s2000. I currently own a del sol vtec and really want one badly. I make a decent amount of money but Im pondering wheter or not I should purchase this vehicle. And if so should I lease or finance.

What do you guys think??

Im glad this post was made becasue I too am having trouble deciding wether or not to get one. As far as the topic is concerned, if you are responsible and you wont be killing yourself for this car then get it. If you will be spending everything on this car I suggest you dont get it but if the payments are reasonable then I would buy it.

 

thankx guys. RAY, my home is near school so i commute 8 miles one way through twisty Sunset blvd. the TL is done, bought and worth very little, but awesome. i was never going to trade her. i want to keep her forever.

here are pics:
http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.j...lid=36438268103

I'm amazed that you guys are so young and have accomplished so much. I want to complete the combo set. after driving a M5, i realized that there is no real merge between sport and sedan. the M3 was a closer hope, though. so the TL next to the s2000... Please keep talking to me, guys...

 

I am 23 and a recent graduate of UCLA. I purchased my S2000 as a "Happy Graduation To Me" gift. I worked 40-50 hours weeks while going to school. I paid my own way all the way and feel I've learned much from it. I could have bought a car while going to school, but I continued driving what I had because it was nice to not have payments looming over your head. As apealing as it was to have a nice car at UCLA, I had to resist because it didn't make financial sense. Why spend money on a car if mine was working just fine?

You don't want to work just to afford the insurance, payments, and gas on the car. Plus with all the evil group buys, you'll be buying parts before you know it.

Then there came a point where I knew that if I drove the car a year or so more, it was going to start having maintenance issues (had 117000 miles when I sold her). Graduation was coming up. I had saved a lot of money. I felt I needed to "treat myself". I was dead set on the Boxster S until I decided to check out the S2000. Boy did I fall in love. Next thing I knew, I was driving home in one with the top down, music on blast, and rowing through all six wonderful gears.

I guess my point is not to rush into it. Think it through and make sure it makes sense. A TL is a nice car. Don't forget, school should be the #1 priority. You can always buy the car later, but if you screw up school, you could be screwed for the rest of your life. From 20 to 23, I _know_ that I've matured a lot. I thought I knew everything when I was 20 and was mature enough to handle anything. Each year, I found out more and more that I wasn't. So don't rush. Plus, with how the market is today, I'm not sure you want to unnecessary debt right now... (Sorry for the long post; just wanted to share my experiences with a fellow Bruin!)

InsaniT

 

I bought my S2000 when I was 22, no regrets here!

Just don't lease, pay another $100 a month and do a 60 month loan.

Good luck!

 

Do like my daddy told me when I was 23, "GO FOR IT, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!" I promptly went out and bought a new Porsche and never looked back.

 

LIsten to F20C. DO NOT LEASE THIS CAR! You WILL drive this car hard, you WILL be held accountable for the wear, and you WILL be walking away from the dealer in 36 months with an empty checking account and a shiny new bus pass! Take the loan and OWN a collectors item in the making.
JM2C

 

Hey man...as a fellow *YOUNGIN*...take it from me...

I am only 19 yrs old...and I got myself a stook...(paying for it myself also thnx...)

If you can afford it...get it...it took me a year to talk myself into getting one...I had a 2000 Celica before...and I always wanted a 2seater roadster...if you can afford it with ease...then do it!!!!

Also...about the lease...
if this is gonna be ur only car...then dont do a lease...cuz the money you'll pay at the end for extra mileage will add up to the extra money for the payments...
if you have an extra car for a beater...then a lease is practical...but you'll still find yourself driving it every day...believe me!!!!

 

All of the above posts are very valid

Have you calculated what the insurance is going to be?

Someone mentioned they are paying 600 a month for insurance. That is alot of money. You do not get to see any of that back.

If you dont have any tickets for 3 years your insurance will drop big time. Maybe you have that. If you do, then insurace wont be a problem

Even though having a nice car is ideal, going to school and working full time isnt that fun. You already have a decent car. I would wait for a little after you graduated.

If you are saving money right now, think in 2-3 years after you graduate you will have alot more money saved up, then you can get an even nicer 50k-70k sports car.

dont forget about the long term

 

As a counterpoint, I think that I'm enjoying this car much more NOW at 43 years of age than I would have in my twenties. Good judgement often comes with age, and it IS important to have fun, but not at the expense of others. Also, now that I am more financially secure, I can enjoy the car without worrying about spending my last dollars on SO2s that wear out every 10k miles or so.

Should you get the car and enjoy it? If your heart says yes, then go for it, but remember that sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for.

 

Go for it, you sound much more responsible than I do.

also, you don't sound spoiled at all. You're paying for it yourself and you've figured out a plan on what's best for you.

Of course you'll have less time and more stress but that's what comes with the car. I know MANY people who were in your same situation and still bought the car they wanted. They were just sold on it. They just figured ways to pay it off and worked hard. One thing that's definite is that, you won't regret it. Who doesn't stress while in college?