I agree. . . it's all about wealth, not income. Those who acquire a large amount of wealth by spending less than they earn, and place those assets in things that appreciate(real estate, business, stock, etc) rather than depreciate (cars) will in the future be able to afford things beyond their current financial means. However if you spend as much as you earn, you will never consume beyond your current level.

I chose to give up on used Lexuses, as pretty a deal as they may seem, until I can comfortable afford to own one. I'm going to be a billionaire one day, if it kills me.

I highly recommend the book "The Millionaire Next Door" for those who seek to become wealthy(and actually have wealth) instead of bling-blingidy-spend-what-you-don't-have-MC Hammer-style. It changed my life and really opened my eyes to what being "rich" really means; BEING A STINGY BASTARD!

 

please don't get a KIA.

definitely stick with Toyota or if you must jump the ship...go with Honda.

A friend of mine has a Corolla. She absolutely loves it!

i was going to suggest the Prius. My GF really wants one of those, but she got a Matrix XR instead. She likes her Matrix and as do I. It is a pretty decent car. lots of room, not too bad of gas milege. although it does not peform as well as my IS300, the Matrix is also $10,000 cheaper.

The demand for Prius is high not only for CA, many people want them all over the place. with the Prius price hikes, I expect that you still have to order and wait a few months to get it. Not sure though, this was the case when I checked back in June.

For me, for under $10K, i would probably go with a used Corolla or Civic. well, definitely a Toyota or Honda in the pre-owned category.

i simply do not trust other brands' used vehicles. you will probably end up paying more in maint. cost than you will be saving.

 

I have a few of those types of books. Millionaire next door, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Dummies Guide to finance. Etc. Some of the principles are a little extreme for my taste. I make good money with my business, but I spend alot too. (clothes, Restaurants, Electronics) I agree you should save up but DO enjoy your life. Life is not about having lots money, but more about experiences. I do spend a lot but I’m at a point in my life where I don’t have to think about it as much. But I am conservative when it comes to cars. I will probably never spend more than 60,000 on a car regardless of my wealth. It just loses too much value. I applaud you for sticking to the principles of those books. I don’t know how old you are, but after high school nobody really cares about "bling bling" past college and working field. If you have the need to want to show off to your ex high school mates/ people you hated in the past that you are some sort of "Baller"(of course you want to showoff who doesn’t?) go ahead and do so, but only do so without breaking those financial rules. You might put up an image that your a millionaire, but how do you go home and look at yourself in the mirror knowing you are fooling yourself? Don’t act like your filthy rich if your NOT filthy rich. REAL rich people do not flaunt there wealth, rather they make it grow and grow to the point where they retire at the age of 35 and live comfortably the rest of there lives. One more advice to you... Don’t buy German cars or date beautiful women... I made both of these mistakes when I was younger... They will eat your wallet like acid I am happy with my trouble free Lexus and my low maintenance cute wife. I am 27 years of age, I couldn’t be happier in my life. But its a tough road to get there, And I still have a good portion to go before I am set. Enough of my rambling. Good luck to you, You seem like someone who has there head screwed on straight and aren’t influenced by MTV Cribs and there disgusting spending habits.

Robert

 

You're living in the past...today a brand-new Kia is a respectable purchase...a Hyundai even more so. I know it is difficult for some of you to believe this...you have been conditioned by years of anti-Korean vehicle stuff. In most cases that was true up to about 5-6 years ago, but no longer. if you don't believe me, go see, inspect, and test-drive the cars yourself.
Granted, though a used Kia or Hyundai will probably not be quite as reliable as a used Toyota or Honda, this is balanced by the Kia / Hyundai 10 yr /100,000 drivetrain warranty and 5 / 60 bumper-to-bumper. In some cases this is transferrable to a second owner...in some cases not.

 

You can use them as a dragster, have a look at the movies on this page:

http://www.smartsrus.com/evil_twin_z-cars.htm

These Smarts are fitted with 1000cc or 1300cc suzuki bike engines (180 hp).

 

this:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...HITE&cardist=16

And this:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...HITE&cardist=19



2K DIFFFERENCE BTWN TYPE S AND CE??? man i love sunfoof, but why so much difference in price? (btw, the flares look nice too) (can i just get the add on flares from carson toyota ? )

 

You're talking about the Corolla S and CE, right?
The difference in the base prices between the two is just over $1000, not $2000. And it's more than just a sunroof, talgrl. The Corolla S has more expensive tires, standard fog lights, gauges, smoked headlight lenses, more body cladding parts, etc.....
You can check it out on www.toyota.com They give you all of the pricing and options.

 

For some reason I couldn't download those two files you posted.

 

ce

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...ITE&cardist=19



type s


http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...ITE&cardist=16




please tell me if it's a good deal mmarshall, & there should be room for more negotiation rite?

 

yup yup yup, KVA has been a really good mentor on coaching me with those ideas and principles. i'm not saying that he's a stingy b**** though. hehehe. check it out where he lives, totally cool. and seems to me he's enjoying his life as well

 

To be sure, the Corolla is a great car- I just can't get past the looks of it. It's too tall- like the Echo, I call it a "clown car:" I expect to see 27 clowns pop out of it at any second!

Seriously, the Corolla would be fine- especially at those prices. If you can spare the extra coin the Scion tC is definitely the car to get!!

 

more expensive tires makes me think of more safety, at least this is what i hope it'll be....

and would you let us know if the xrs is indeed a lot more sporty?
check out the strut bar

 

Scion Tc..


SCION SCION SCION SCION SCION SCION SCION


now the word looks funny

 

From the 2 posts here (though, obviously, I can't see the cars in person), not only do I think you would be happier with the $10995 Corolla S, but the price is more in line with a good used Corolla. Unlike the other ad, the mileage (10,000) is clearly stated. It is more difficult than before (but not impossible) on newer cars to roll back the odometer. If the seller is asking $10995 you could probably bargain him /her down a couple of hundered dollars and be close to the $10,000 figure you want.
I'd be a little leery of that CE model advertised there. First, the asking price....$7995.... looks a little low for that vintage Corolla CE...a car that sold for almost twice that much brand-new and is now less than 2 years old. The seller did not clearly state the car's mileage. it could have been in an accident, with sloppy repairs, or reposessed from a previous owner.
See if a CarFAX report is available on these...that will tell you a lot. Barring that, I'd say right offhand, based only on what I've seen here....the $10995 S is a less risky buy.

 

If you only have around 10-11k to spend, forget the XRS. Yes, it is sportier than the S model...with its 170 HP engine, six-speed, firmed-up chassis, larger tires, strut bars, and special steering gear, but it is clearly out of your price range. They start around 18K, and there are no used ones ( yet ) since it is a brand-new model that has just been introduced.