S2000? + Car Loan Questions

[R31Nismoid]

My point was still the same though, time frames will however be reduced (which is a good thing).

IMO it's just not worth getting a "nice" car for P's anymore. Too much hassle, they are all N/A and really not performance monsters etc.

Not like when i had over 200rwkw of turbo on P's cause it was ok. So save for a couple years and then get a better car - ie whatever you can afford then.

Also insurance is through the roof these days. Better to full comp a crappy car for a while and then once you are older enjoy the reduced premium. the difference can be easily $1000/yr just by going from 24yo to 25yo, which is bullshit, but thats how it is

[kawasakirider]

Also, HAHAHA.

Who told you this? They're a merchant of lies. The prefer to be run on premium and I think I got about 12L/100km without punching it much.

at 70km/h on flat ground you're still doing 2500rpm in 6th. Just sayin'.

Everything I've read indicates 8.8L/100 Km. I put premium in my falcon anyway, it gets better mileage.

[Truffles]

Everything I've read indicates 8.8L/100 Km. I put premium in my falcon anyway, it gets better mileage.

I owned one for a year and I can tell you 8.8L/100km is very, very generous.

[kawasakirider]

My point was still the same though, time frames will however be reduced (which is a good thing).

IMO it's just not worth getting a "nice" car for P's anymore. Too much hassle, they are all N/A and really not performance monsters etc.

Not like when i had over 200rwkw of turbo on P's cause it was ok. So save for a couple years and then get a better car - ie whatever you can afford then.

Also insurance is through the roof these days. Better to full comp a crappy car for a while and then once you are older enjoy the reduced premium. the difference can be easily $1000/yr just by going from 24yo to 25yo, which is bullshit, but thats how it is

Reading the truth breaks my heart, lol.

[kawasakirider]

I owned one for a year and I can tell you 8.8L/100km is very, very generous.

Fair enough, got an accurate figure? Costs me around $110 to fill my car up and I get about 500km.

[Truffles]

Also insurance is through the roof these days. Better to full comp a crappy car for a while and then once you are older enjoy the reduced premium. the difference can be easily $1000/yr just by going from 24yo to 25yo, which is bullshit, but thats how it is

This. Refer to my post on page one.

They don't have a trip computer that measures fuel ecconomy (well mine didn't. 2001 model) but at a guess, I averaged 12L/100km.

Edited May 27, 2011 by Truffles

[kawasakirider]

How did it handle and drive? Was it fun?

[Truffles]

How did it handle and drive? Was it fun?

I wrote you a big reply on page one. Haha.

It did. Very easy to drive, feels amazing on the road, usable torque for what it is. When you put your foot down it goes pretty well. My R32 makes 200rwkw and I'd say the S2000 would nearly be as quick, given it's lighter.

It does get a bit tail happy if you put your foot down mid corner.

Size can be a problem, if you need storage space or you're a bigger guy. I'm only 5'7 and 80kgs, so it was a nice snug fit for me. I liked it. If you're bigger, you might not. Small boot, no glovebox. You only have a webbed pocket in the passenger footwell, a webbed pocket behind each seat and a little storage box between the two seat backs.

What state are you in? there's not many going around. Only about 1800 sold new over 10 years.

Edited May 27, 2011 by Truffles

[kawasakirider]

Sorry mate, I read that reply but I thought you were a different user. I'm in Qld, there's a few about. I'm like 5' 7" and 60 kg lol. I'd fit for sure. Boot space would be an issue but I'd have my falcon.

[Birds]

S2000 are great little cars. I'm 6'3" and found it reasonably comfortable to drive. Not the easiest cars to get in and out of. It's a small car, but that's just what it is...a big go kart. Handles like one too, and as Truffle said it's a very snug feeling car. Very much like you're piloting something (without the COCKpit Supra interior).

IMO just buy a shitbox and save for 6 months and put the cash in the bank, then buy the car and borrow whatever you need then. Much smarter to do it that wat.

If you want a credit rating, just get a credit card.

This right here. Avoid finance on cars if you can afford them otherwise. If you're chasing a rating to get loan approval down the track, small purchases with timely payment on a credit card are the way to go. Bank statements showing periods of large savings also help your cause. IMO with that kind of money, living a little thrifty you could be putting away a shitload of cash and making some great interest...as opposed to paying interest for your car. Save for an S2000 if you have to, but don't get a loan. The 25k car will be worth 20k in 2-3 years and by then you'll have paid 28k for it...unless you throw money at the finance and get an early exit.

[kawasakirider]

If I was gunna save for one, I'd buy a 34 instead. By the time I had the cash I'd be off my p's.

[Birds]

Once upon a time I was living at home and earning $670 a week after tax. I was paying my share of utilities, my petrol, food, social outings, rego, insurance, phone bill...and I was averaging 2k a month in savings...i.e. a Honda S2000 fully paid for in 12 months. There are ways to budget and make it work. If you can't save for an S2000 (let alone an R34) in a year on $1300 a week after tax, there is something wrong with your lifestyle (or mine)!

[Truffles]

Sorry mate, I read that reply but I thought you were a different user. I'm in Qld, there's a few about. I'm like 5' 7" and 60 kg lol. I'd fit for sure. Boot space would be an issue but I'd have my falcon.

I'm from QLD too and I can tell you that if you look on carsales, you'll only find 13-14 at any one time. More importantly, they're either clapped out '99 models with 150,000km on them or a cleaner model with less km but the seller wants far too much (eg 28-30k for a '99 model). If you had a choice between the two, given you could drive the and it was the R34 then get that. By the time you find an excellent condition S2000 (which you expect for your money) at a reasonable price, you'd nearly be on your opens anyway.\

I looked for 6 months for mine. It was an '01 model, genuine 65,000km, all serviced at Austral honda in Brisbane from new, had a complete history, aftermarket stereo and a full stainless HKS exhaust but also had the original parts. Perfect condition, maybe a stone chip or two which I didn't notice until I polished it. Black with red leather interior. I paid $25000 in 2009 and I knew I got one of the better ones.

in summary; great car, but if you'd honestly prefer the R34 to it then that's where you should look. You'll easily have enough to buy a R34 GT-T of your choosing by the time you receive an open license.

[Truffles]

Doublt post.

Edited May 27, 2011 by Truffles

[kawasakirider]

Once upon a time I was living at home and earning $670 a week after tax. I was paying my share of utilities, my petrol, food, social outings, rego, insurance, phone bill...and I was averaging 2k a month in savings...i.e. a Honda S2000 fully paid for in 12 months. There are ways to budget and make it work. If you can't save for an S2000 (let alone an R34) in a year on $1300 a week after tax, there is something wrong with your lifestyle (or mine)!

It's just that I don't want to be busting my ass if I have nothing to look forward to on the weekends. I want something that I can jump in and go have fun at the track, that's all. I don't want to have 12 months of nothing except work and mundane weekends, I'd save a few grand that way, but I wouldn't be enjoying my life. I know what I'm like, too. If I had an obligation like a car loan, I'd get my ass to work and do the job right. If I felt it was for nothing I'd probably lose motivation.

[Birds]

Your loan will restrict you for much longer than if you were to save

My weekends were hardly restricted, I went out nearly everynight. I mean I didn't go out and spend $200 a week on alcohol...maybe once a month. But I went cruising, out to clubs, played music, attended BBQ and gaming nights with mates. Just have to find cheap hobbies and you can make the most of your income. It's not about restricting your lifestyle or being a tight ass (anyone who received a birthday present from me knew that), just finding loose financial ends in your lifestyle that you can clean up and living smart. Food is the biggest killer in any budget - people over indulge badly with food. They buy food everyday at work instead of making their own = $50 a week just for lunch. You get into good habits with saving and you'll be saving well for the rest of your life, even after you buy your car. But yeah, you are right, being able to have something up front can be good fun as long as you don't mind paying more for it in the end.

[warps]

It's just that I don't want to be busting my ass if I have nothing to look forward to on the weekends. I want something that I can jump in and go have fun at the track, that's all. I don't want to have 12 months of nothing except work and mundane weekends, I'd save a few grand that way, but I wouldn't be enjoying my life. I know what I'm like, too. If I had an obligation like a car loan, I'd get my ass to work and do the job right. If I felt it was for nothing I'd probably lose motivation.

You can have just as much fun at the track in a $5-10k Silvia or Skyline, or even Civic, MX5, early rotary, etc as you will in a $25k S2000 (ignoring your unsubstantiated bias against FWD for a minute)

To be honest, your arguments sound to me just like you're justifying your wishes to have an S2000. Owning one will not make you want to save harder for a house. Yes, it will motivate you to pay off the loan more quickly, but nothing more. You need a tangible goal to make you want to save for the house deposit, and owning an S2000 isn't it.

By all means, if you really desperately want an S2000, then go for it. Just be honest to yourself though - it won't help you save for a house, regardless of what you might think.

[kawasakirider]

You can have just as much fun at the track in a $5-10k Silvia or Skyline, or even Civic, MX5, early rotary, etc as you will in a $25k S2000 (ignoring your unsubstantiated bias against FWD for a minute)

To be honest, your arguments sound to me just like you're justifying your wishes to have an S2000. Owning one will not make you want to save harder for a house. Yes, it will motivate you to pay off the loan more quickly, but nothing more. You need a tangible goal to make you want to save for the house deposit, and owning an S2000 isn't it.

By all means, if you really desperately want an S2000, then go for it. Just be honest to yourself though - it won't help you save for a house, regardless of what you might think.

I never said it would motivate me to pay off a house, it would motivate me to do my best at work, because if I lost the job I'd have a car loan on my hands that I couldn't pay. If I get to the point that I have a house loan, I'd have the same motivation, because if I was out of work, I'd be screwed.

a 5 or 10 k silvia or skyline, I don't want an N/A skyline, they go like crap, and I can't drive a turbo one. I really don't want a FWD, no matter how unsubstantiated you think that may be, I just don't like them. You can't have as much fun in them (this is my opinion, obviously others like FWD's, that's up to them). I desperately want something fast now (yeah, I'm one of the "now" generation people, but I'm willing to work for it) and all I'm saying is, if I had the car, I'd be motivated to work my ring out so I would always be able to pay the bills.

[Birds]

If you want to go fast on your Ps, buy a motorbike. 5k will get you more thrills than you could ever hope for, even with a turbo car on your full licence. Little to no depreciation. This is what I'm talking about when I say altering your lifestyle. Girls dig bikes too

Baby steps young one, baby steps.

EDIT: probably should have read your username.

[kawasakirider]

Check my username mate, lol

Lol, I didn't read your "edit"