Quote:
Originally Posted by central limit
In case the O.P. is still deciding: during the recent fire sale, lowest prices for basic V6 and V8 models were in the $20k and $30k range, respectively. That's a wide spread for 90% of the population, and can have personal repercussions for years if not decades. The sting of excess debt lasts far beyond the thrill of new ownership. Then again, if one has already built the capital to "buy in" without straining the budget against life's essentials--and the wise have a very long list of essentials--well then, YOLO.
In term of my academic pursuit, I drafted these decision trees. I hope to one day earn my real-car-guy membership card.  |
^This. If I had plenty of $ and this wasn't my daily, then I'd have gotten an SS, hands down. But... I know me. And I will always have things I want to add/mod. If I'm spending more on a car payment, I don't get to tinker, and tinkering keeps me happy. All in all, a great value either way IMO, but I couldn't justify the extra $12k right now. Do I know that resale value is gonna drop like a stone (so will the SS, but not as bad)? Sure, but I don't base any car decision I make on residuals. That's usually a losing game. Particularly when the Manufacturer is discounting 20%+, that's the new value of the car.
Nothing sounds like an American V8. The butt dyno gets happy with it as well. If it fits your price and your goals, by all means, go for it. To some people, that is a reasonable daily (or toy... in my case, this is a daily). To others, it's not justifiable for whatever reason, be it payment, car insurance premiums, confidence level, etc. IMO cars are a very personal thing, so are the decisions, no one can tell anyone else what they should do, only their opinions or why they did what they did.
But that flow chart.
