Second thoughts

I struggle with this periodically, as the wait drags on (and on, and on...). I have never bought a new car. My dad always hammered it into me that buying new was for suckers. That being said, I had convinced myself that the new GT was worth buying new, because I'd be keeping it for a long time. But as the summer approaches, so does temptation, in the form of the Mazda Miata. I've always loved Miatas, dating back to a girlfriend who owned a white '90. Great memories of both the car and the girl. :D Anyway, the rational side of me says that buying a Miata as a second car and holding onto the Forester for utility duty makes a lot more sense than buying the GT. Okay, the REALLY rational side says don't buy anything, but who wants to listen to that guy? So I have the following options, in order of rationality: 1. Do nothing. Save lots of money, invest, retire young, and buy a Lotus Elise or something. 2. Buy a cheap first generation Miata. Okay,cheap is relative - I still can't find even a '90 for less than $3000, which makes the next option more tempting. 3. Buy a late model Miata ('99-01). These can be had for around $10,000 or so. Probably the best bang for the buck, given the inflated prices of the earlier models. 4. Wait, and buy a Legacy GT. I'm looking at $32,000 out the door, which makes me gag even though I can afford it. Sorry for the long post everyone. Input?

You just bought a Forester XT, right? I would say that you need to keep that sucker or you're going to end up buying a new car every year as the bigger and better keeps coming out. Unfortunately, this is a bad time to be buying convertibles with the summer itch right here and now. I would look for a 94-97 Miata (1.8L, but 97 has the most power) and keep that as a second car/race toy. The nice thing about the older ones is the lower curb weight. Maybe later on you can trade in the XT for a Legacy STi. :D

Preston has a point. Did you get an FXT lately or is this another model? If it's an FXT, you could put a few bucks into handling mods and maybe an Accessport to make it more fun. You could get a miata, but the question is what are your uses, weekend racer, just for cruising? I can't fit in a Miata, so thats not an option for me. I'm not comfortable with using my head as the roll bar to protect the car. ;) If the GT really floats your boat and the plan sticks to keep it for a while, then go with it. I know I want a new model after my experience with my current one. SOA has done an excellent job in supporting and keeping my business, but I really wont be trusting other drivers with my primary ride any longer.

No, I own a '98 Forester S (that I bought used). Luckily I have no issues fitting into a Miata, I'm 5'6" - it fits me like a glove. I'd be using it for sunny day cruising, possibly commuting to work in the summer, and thinking seriously about Auto-X.

[quote name='kage']No, I own a '98 Forester S (that I bought used). Luckily I have no issues fitting into a Miata, I'm 5'6" - it fits me like a glove. I'd be using it for sunny day cruising, possibly commuting to work in the summer, and thinking seriously about Auto-X.[/quote] You can all do that in a 2.5GT Limited wagon with the dual moonroof. If you really plan on keeping the car for a long time (5 years+), I think it's worthwhile to get the legacy.

For that matter, then get the GT that you desire. :cool: Wait til dear ol dad says this is one heck of a nice car. Guess it was worth it. :lol:

I think once you drive the GT your debate will be resolved.

Forgot the slow Miata and get an S2000.

Sounds like the little devil on your shoulder has enough backers on this board so I'll take your pops' side. Do nothing now. Invest those sheckles and buy a new car when you've got so much passive income coming in that it's not really you paying for it but someone else. Go out right now and read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. -Ian

[quote name='goneskiian']Sounds like the little devil on your shoulder has enough backers on this board so I'll take your pops' side. Do nothing now. Invest those sheckles and buy a new car when you've got so much passive income coming in that it's not really you paying for it but someone else. Go out right now and read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. -Ian[/quote] Been there, done that. Passive income isn't so easy to come by these days. Investment property in my area is insanely priced right now. Every time I look at a property I run the numbers and come back with a crappy ROI. If I can't do better than 14% ROI, I'm not in. Why? Because I can (and have) invested in a REIT with about 9% return, and I need an extra 5% to take on the additional risk and work. So currently I have $500 a month going toward Annaly Mortgage Management until I find a property that's worth my money. My girlfriend and I are totally committed to getting out of the rat race. We even decided to have her quit her sales job with Xerox to get her real estate license. She just started this month, and we anticipate that the additional income, in addition to getting the inside scoop on properties should help our plan.

Another option is to wait a year or 2 and get a GT secondhand. The first 3 years is the biggest depreciation wise.

[quote]Been there, done that. Passive income isn't so easy to come by these days. Investment property in my area is insanely priced right now....[/quote] Good on ya' kage! I hear you on the real estate prices. I live in Bellevue of all places! :wink: Like I said, I was just voicing the other side as it seems like there are plenty of "Live now!" voices here and we are talking about one of the largest doodads (as Rich Dad would call them) in society today. Of course, I should listen to my own advice. As I've said in other threads. I've already got my IMBA letter and am just waiting for them to arrive so I can decide on manual or automatic. :oops: :wink: :lol: :lol: Cheers! -Ian

[quote name='kage'] 1. Do nothing. Save lots of money, invest, retire young, and buy a Lotus Elise or something. [/quote] The elise is a 2 year wait anyway, so that sounds like a perfect strategy. Go put your deposit down now.

Thanks for your input everyone. I noticed that the second generation Miata didn't get any love, so I put in my vote for it. Oh, and I bought one today while I was at it.

Good choice! BTW, can I interest you in a 230whp AVO turbokit for it? Mate's rates... ;) :D Cheers, Paul Hansen

:lol: Paul.

Good choice Kage! Guess you won't be gettin' that GT right away then, eh? Good, one less silver wagon around these parts. J/K :wink: Don't know how you're going to refuse Paul's generous offer. That sure would make one helluva quick Miata! :lol: :lol: :twisted: -Ian

[quote name='apexjapan']Good choice! BTW, can I interest you in a 230whp AVO turbokit for it? Mate's rates... ;) :D Cheers, Paul Hansen[/quote] Booyah! What does the kit include?

[quote name='goneskiian']Good choice Kage! Guess you won't be gettin' that GT right away then, eh? Good, one less silver wagon around these parts. J/K :wink: Don't know how you're going to refuse Paul's generous offer. That sure would make one helluva quick Miata! :lol: :lol: :twisted: -Ian[/quote] I was going to get red anyway, Ian. I still may, just not next year.

[quote]Booyah! What does the kit include?[/quote] It is pretty comprehensive, designed for bolt-in and go. Link computer, 320hp ball-bearing turbo, piping, bits and pieces, big front mount intercooler, basically the works. Could even opt for the exhaust system as well. Good for up to about 280hp. Cheers, Paul Hansen

This sounds like a scary-fast Miata! :O Better have an LSD and lots of sticky rubber in those wells.

[quote name='apexjapan'][quote]Booyah! What does the kit include?[/quote] It is pretty comprehensive, designed for bolt-in and go. Link computer, 320hp ball-bearing turbo, piping, bits and pieces, big front mount intercooler, basically the works. Could even opt for the exhaust system as well. Good for up to about 280hp. Cheers, Paul Hansen[/quote] :o Is this a kit you already have on hand, or were you talking about just getting me a deal? The kit sounds great; probably similar to the Flying Miata II. Eek, that's a lot of power. I don't want to sound like a weenie, but I'm not a street racer, and my track opportunities will be few and far between, so I don't know where I'd ever get to use that much power. I'd probably be just as happy with a well balanced 200bhp or so. In fact, I'm quite happy with the car just as it is. The feel of the steering and the fantastic gearbox are more than enough to keep a grin on my face right now. Besides that, I'm much more likely to deal with suspension and braking upgrades before I blow my wad on power. If you have it on hand then let's talk some more, but if you're talking about getting me a deal with the boys at AVO, then please let me take a rain check, or let me know if they have a lower end package that I can think about. Dammit Paul, I was hoping to at least be able to make ONE loan payment before I started thinking about mods. You just had to drag me down with you, didn't you? You come off all nice and civilized, but really you're [waterboy's mama] DE DEBBIL!!! [/waterboy's mama] :evil: Seriously, thanks for thinking of me. I'm very intrigued (damn you!). :)

I sense a mutli-personality illness? I think we call it 'to mod or not to mod'. :lol:

[quote]'to mod or not to mod'. [/quote] That is the question! Didn't Shakespeare start this discussion?!? :lol:

Nah, talking about getting it basically at cost through australia shipping it directly over. Should bring the price down to around $3200 (rough estimate). The power potential is up to 280, but of course you can start out much lower. 230hp felt quite nice, and it's very liveable, it is quite torquey and good to drive even in crowded Tokyo streets. And you've got that entire "spin rubber on demand through 3rd gear" thing going on top of that... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: Cheers, Paul Hansen