Quote :

"If you aren't financing thru the dealership, they see it as "cash." The median of that payment does not matter."

that's what i was looking for

12/16/2008 12:39:38 PM

medium, not median

12/16/2008 2:32:17 PM

haha i never noticed that

12/16/2008 2:36:55 PM

My advice is that, if you're going to take out a loan (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, yes vehicles depreciate but many of us don't want to start with an old POS and wait for our money to grow while dealing with repair bills, unreliable transportation, and envy for those with nicer vehicles...) just be very careful with your loan planning. If you've decided to consider a 5 year loan, DON'T. I know--I was stupid and went with a 6 year--2 years in and I'm still upside down, and it wasn't even a new car so I didn't have the instant depreciation hit. Max 4, if you need to adjust what you can afford, do so accordingly. Also, if you've settled on a monthly payment you like and that seems "safe", dial it back by $50-$100, and again adjust what you can afford accordingly. I can "afford" my $320/mo payment, I don't miss payments or pay late, and it's not really hurting me--but I would be much, much happier with less.

You've got a good idea with waiting 6 months and growing a down payment. That's a great idea. Just once you get there, I'd think twice about buying new, or spending anything close to what you think you can afford.

And to address the original question, I like the suggestions of a ~5 year old WRX wagon, if you can find one that hasn't been abused. Alternately, you could consider something like an A4 Avant 2.0Tq, a few years old, or maybe a VW GTI? For an off-the-wall suggestion, if power is more your thing than handling, what about a Dodge Magnum R/T? It's too big to handle really well, and won't do you any favors at the pump, but it's got plenty of power, plenty of room, and personally I like the look.

12/16/2008 6:37:09 PM

Quote :

"Btw, you walk into anywhere with $30k in cash, I'm sure you'd raise eyebrows."

They don't care if its 100's or a certified check from a bank. Hell if you're buying used they probably prefer you take their shitty loan rates.


And yeah if you can get an sti for 18k I'll take one last week in any color available.

12/16/2008 9:35:18 PM

Quote :

"medium, not median"

d'oh! Sorry, you're right... lol.

12/17/2008 12:06:43 AM

I was trying to grow a nice down payment before I bought my car. But every month something was going wrong on my old car necessitating me to spend the saved money for a down payment on vehicle repairs. So I said to hell with it and bought a new (used) car with an unfortunately small down payment

12/17/2008 11:02:49 AM