So I've been holding off for the last 6 months to buy my DD replacement. Previously I was driving my 06WRX but after a Tacoma took it out I've been driving my Z's and rotating between my girlfriends 06 Vette and 2000 T/A. I've really been waiting for a good time to the 370z and I'm very close to pulling the trigger. Found a place that will order me one exactly the way I want it for a few hundred UNDER invoice. Well last night we went to the Chevy dealer as my girlfriend has been thinking of trading up to an 09 Vette or possibly getting a used Jeep SRT-8 that they had. While we were there I noticed they had an 06 Z06 black, with black outs on the tail lights and turn signals, and nice chrome wheels. It looks stunning. They let us drive it and it was fantastic. I thought her Vette was fast but this Z06 made her car feel like nothing. I guess another 105hp will do that. Anyway, they asking 55k for it but the saleman said he could probably get it down to 50k for me. Nice thing is that it has under 10k miles on it and interior/exterior looks brand new.

Of course I looked it up when I got home and saw that used this car should sell for 52-55k depending on what website you looked at. So which car would you go for? I'm still leaning toward the Z simply because it's 15k cheaper. It's not that I can't afford the Vette, but rather I don't want that high of a car payment. As some of you may know I finished med school last year so obviously I have a good amount of student loans I need to pay back, and will have to cont to pay back over the next 10 years. I'm trying to be smart and go for the cheaper car that will still make be very happy but that Z06 was just mean. I can't help but be drawn to it for the price. Lastly, and this doesn't matter too much, but I'm not sure rolling into work in the Z06 would be the best idea since it would be far superior to my bosses car. Won't look good when I try to renegotiate my contract for more money next year, LOL.

let your girlfriend buy the vette and you buy the z. drive both of them.

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Currently Zless
Z's I've owned:

'71 240Z White
'73 240Z Orange
'05 350Z Chrome Silver Touring
[www.henryism.com]

Sell your girlfriend and buy both cars.

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1985 300ZX n/a

See my Z project

phxZ31 Wrote:
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> Sell your girlfriend and buy both cars.


lol! not too sure if she'd be down with that plan

For that price difference I'd get the 370z. If I was going to drop 50k on a Z06 I'd get one with low miles, some serious upgrades, and a fanatical enthusiast owner that just got divorced that just wants to get rid of it.

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The fastest growing Z Driver forum: ZDriver.net | ZParts.net | 300ZXBoard.com | chaseIDEAS | chaseHOSTING

1992 Slicktop TTZ Project | Past Z's: 92 TTZ, 93 Slicktop NA, 90 NA Parts Z

phxZ31 Wrote:
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> Sell your girlfriend and buy both cars.


Nah, she is worth more than both cars put together. She really is a great girl. I think I'm just going to go with the 370z. I managed to land a deal for 800 under invoice. Can't really beat that. Plus I get to order exactly the way I want. Waiting for this weekend to go in and put my deposit down.

Bad time to get into that kind of debt. Affording monthly payments is alot different than being able to afford the car.

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93 TT- N/A to TT, Auto to 5 speed, upgrade central. Stage ...Fast!

Quote:

280z/300zx
I managed to land a deal for 800 under invoice.

Nice deal. Did you have to work hard to get that deal or did the dealer offer that incredible price?

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I got it with the VPP program thats being offered. It stops at the end of this month but once you get your VPP number it's good for 90 days. A lot of people are just getting the number now but not use it for another month or so. I haven't worked too hard for this car. I called the dealer that let me test drive it and they wanted 41k for it, MSRP is ~39k, and Invoice is 35700. I called another dealer and they wanted 500 over invoice which I thought was pretty good. Then I got the VPP thing and got an offer for 800 under invoice. So really I've called 3 dealers and maybe spent a total of 30min on the phone so far. By far the easiest way is to get the VPP number as it's a no hassel price, guaranteed to be under invoice no matter what options you choose.

Z-addict Wrote:
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> Bad time to get into that kind of debt. Affording
> monthly payments is alot different than being able
> to afford the car.


I agree but I have to get a replacment DD. I have a secure job and make great money which is why I figured the Z would be a good choice over the Z06. The Z will be easy to afford where as the Z06 would be more of a strain. But trust me, if I still had my Suby I wouldn't be buying a new car right now. It wasn't the fastest car or most sporty but it was more than enough fun. Hell, if Subaru wouldn't have screwed up the design I would probably just get another WRX as it would be far cheaper than the Z. Sadly with with economy the way it is and car markers getting away from performance cars there just isn't much out there that I like. I mean pretty much the Z and EVO are the only cars under 40k that I like.

Just get an old school Rx3 like me....2g's.....lol

It's easy to make a lot of money and still be broke. Sounds like you're trying hard to stay broke with $50K cars. The only things you can actually afford are the things that you have the money to buy. You may think you have a lot of money, but check your bank account. How much is in there? If you owe all of your money to other people, you don't actually have any...broke.

Buy a $5k Civic with cash and start pocketing the car payments that you would have been making. In a couple of years, buy a 370Z with cash. You may not have the newest car for a while, but you'll have something else: MONEY.

I know this isn't a popular opinion, but you asked.

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-- I've had a few Zs --



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was 2009:06:28:09:59:10.

Good choice with the 370Z. I have driven a '06 ZO6 and a '08 Callaway C16 vette and they both were a little loose as far as steering. Not a conforting thought at high speed. For the money difference, it's hard to beat the Z, plus you will own it free and clear alot sooner.

96 300ZX

cmcniel Wrote:
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> Buy a $5k Civic with cash and start pocketing the car payments that you would
> have been making. In a couple of years, buy a 370Z with cash. You may not
> have the newest car for a while, but you'll have something else: MONEY.
>
> I know this isn't a popular opinion, but you asked.

I agree. I will never have another car payment as long as I live. I had to keep my "new" cars an extra 5 years, but those 5 years after my last payment were absolutely worth it. I used to be someone that needed a new car every 2 or 3 years. After the dot.bomb, I decided i could keep my current car a little longer than normal. Once you get used to it, you'll never go back.

I second the suggestion to get the cheap beater, save your money and have a great negotiating position when your contract is up next year!

P.S. I'm not a poor miser either. Although my daily driver is a 1999 Honda Civic with 160k miles on it, I own 8 Z's (2 race cars, 4 show cars and 2 "project" cars) and 3 other cars in addition to the Civic. I'm using the money I saved by not having any car payments to partially fund the purchase of a second house in the SF Bay Area on over 3/4 of an acre and I don't have to sell my current house to make it happen...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit was 2009:06:29:23:28:13.

Also agree. I will not ever buy a car unless I can purchase it outright.

I own both my Z31 and my Cherokee and have no payments. I may not drive the newest cars on the road, but my Jeep is pretty nice and a great daily driver... My Z is never running but when it does run, it still provides me with the biggest smiles ever when I drive it.

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1985 300ZX n/a

See my Z project

WW Wrote:
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> P.S. I'm not a poor miser either. Although my
> daily driver is a 1999 Honda Civic with 160k miles
> on it, I own 8 Z's (2 race cars, 4 show cars and 2
> "project" cars) and 3 other cars in addition to
> the Civic.

Oh my God!

Z obsessive much?

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Black Z32

Thought I'd see what's happening over here. If you're unwilling to pay cash, the car doesn't mean enough to you or you can't afford it. Get rid of the student loans 1st.

Well no point in cont. this thread. I got my 370z two weeks ago and love it. Got a great deal for 800 under invoice and put a sizable down on it. Also landed a good interest rate since my credit score was above 800. Probably not the smartest financial decision considering I have tons of student loans but also taking into account that it will take me 10+ years to pay them off I said screw it. I'm not going to live my life for the next 10 years leaving meagerly just so I can pay off my loans. Now I can still pay my loans and other bills, have 3 great Z's to enjoy, and still have enough left over every month to enjoy life comfortably while still saving money for the future.

280z/300zx Wrote:
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>I'm not going to live my life for the
> next 10 years leaving meagerly just so I can pay
> off my loans. Now I can still pay my loans and
> other bills, have 3 great Z's to enjoy, and still
> have enough left over every month to enjoy life
> comfortably while still saving money for the
> future.

********************************************

Are you sure about that? With Student loans means your young and probably unattached. But for how long? Then the bills really start coming. House, Kids, Mini Van etc. 10 years is a long long time<G>

Have a great life,

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Mspeasl
Decatur, Illinois - Forum member since 2/02

'Growing old may be mandatory, but growing up is optional'

2009 Solid Red Touring 6sp W/Sport Package '370Z' - Delivered 7 April 2009
2008 Radiant Red Toyota 'X-Runner' - Delivered 15 November 2007
2005 Satin Jade Green Chrysler 300C 'Hemi' - Delivered 1 June 2004

1957 Chevrolet Belair 2dr post - 'Gas Coupe Drag Car' owned since 1964
1947 Chevrolet Fleet Master sport coupe - 'Street Rod' owned since 1974



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was 2009:07:16:14:01:28.

>
> Are you sure about that? With Student loans means
> your young and probably unattached. But for how
> long? Then the bills really start coming. House,
> Kids, Mini Van etc. 10 years is a long long time
>
> Have a great live,


Yup, I'm sure. I'm already with a great girl who does the same job I do and makes the same money. Neither of us are planning on having kids anytime soon, maybe even never. The house thing will be coming in the next year but really it's not that much of an added expense and if we buy our monthly will be less than what we pay in rent currently (we decided to rent at the peak of the housing market). Trust me, when it comes to finances I'm very good with my money. Buying this car was probably the only stupid financial decision I've ever made and it's not even that bad of a choice. Lastly, I'll never drive a mini van, nor will my girlfriend. If we have a kid, and it would only be one (unless twins occured), we would at most go to a sport sedan. We are both far too into cars to drive mommy-mobiles. Besides, I bet I have my car paid off in two years and my student loans in 5-6 years. I'm already making tripple payments to my loans and my car will be getting near double payments.

Congrats I hope it all works out like you want....... I too planed out my life back in my day. But, Uncle Sam had other plans and sent me to Viet Nam (I didn't plan on that happening). Uncle Sam was nice enough to allow me to met my wife in Hawaii for R&R (Rest and Relaxation). Well I didn't get much relaxation or rest for that matter since it had been 10 months since I had seen her<G>. Anyway to make a long story short my daughter was born 9 months later. She wasn't supposed to happen for several years. So the moral to this story is, sometimes s#&t happens that we don't plan on. I hope everything works out for you.........

Again, Enjoy your life,

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Mspeasl
Decatur, Illinois - Forum member since 2/02

'Growing old may be mandatory, but growing up is optional'

2009 Solid Red Touring 6sp W/Sport Package '370Z' - Delivered 7 April 2009
2008 Radiant Red Toyota 'X-Runner' - Delivered 15 November 2007
2005 Satin Jade Green Chrysler 300C 'Hemi' - Delivered 1 June 2004

1957 Chevrolet Belair 2dr post - 'Gas Coupe Drag Car' owned since 1964
1947 Chevrolet Fleet Master sport coupe - 'Street Rod' owned since 1974