timer00

Started off with a 1986 Honda Prelude SI that I shared with my mom and sister at age 17.

Then at 18 got a hand me down 1988 Honda Accord H/B DX *bling* from my dad for going to college/work etc.

At 21 I upgraded to a 1993 Toyota Camry XLE V6 which I had for about 7 years til May 2007 which is when I decided to upgrade to at age 28 to...

My 1999 Lexus LS400 with 64k miles..! wohoo I have a son (4) and daughter (1.5) and one on the way, $1000 in credit card debt, and rent a big victorian house built pre 1900 from a weird *** landlord who lives in san diego and pay all the associated utility bills.

I for one know what its like to work for things I like since my parents didn't have the money to pay my way through school or anything like that. I treat my LS better than my wife (at times) lol.

Thanks for letting me share.

Akatsuki

twenty two

FiveOhNine

Props to the 50+ crowd. I hope I'm as cool as you are when I'm that age and still driving a fast, fun car.

Edit: Acura @ 22, BMW @ 24, Lexus @ 26.

Plan on keeping this one though!

EJC

I guess this is the string for old timers.
My first Lexus was an ES250 in 1991 and I was 40.
At the same time I was in the process of restoring a 1968 Volvo 1800S, which I still own and drive.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

This describes me perfectly as well. The Civic CVCC was a great car, a 750 motorcycle barely made 50 hp and ran in the 13's like the IS 350 does today.

xerxes717

The IS350 is my first decent car. I'm 26 and i had a beater before this (was saving for a bimmer but fell in love with the IS).

cjhurtado2

iTrader: (1)

Just got one 4 weeks ago for my 30th bday. My first non-honda automobile since 1995.

trant01

25 - bought myself (IS350)

Wish I did have rich parents to buy it for me though

fiveohfour

iTrader: (1)

21. Just bought my 01 IS300 in March. I still have another few semesters on my bachelor's degree. And another few years of payments.

IS250 4 Me

While I'm envious of the younger ones in this forum who received an IS from their parents, I'm quite happy that I didn't buy one until now (I'm 33 years old). I actually appreciate it much more than I would have some years ago. Plus the money that could have been plowed into the car was invested instead, and I laughed all the way to the bank.

I actually invested much of my parent's car money that was offered to me in high school, and it worked out quite well. The money was plowed into a little company's stock...Microsoft. This was in the early 1990's.

Oh yeah, I then sold that stock at the height of the tech boom some 9 years later. Stocks were overvalued at the time, and I decided to get out. I then decided to use some of the money to build my first home, which could have been paid off with the cash I made from selling the stock (low interest rates tempted me to finance the home instead).

In reality, not getting such a car at an early age was a blessing in disguise. I can now go out and buy anything I would want at any time. I ask this question to the younger ones: Why buy a Lexus at 18, when you can invest the money and probably buy a Bentley or Ferrari at age 30?

My next conquest is an LS460L, which I'm currently in the market for. The IS250 is just my daily beater. After that, I'm thinking of buying a boat.

Evitzee

It's good that you were in the right place at the right time. That usually happens once in a lifetime. But most people aren't able to invest wisely enough, and the market isn't hot enough, to be able to afford a Ferrari at 30, or pay cash for a house. However, slow and steady wins the race, and even investing in simple index funds over the course of 30-40 years will yield a wonderful sum of money towards retirement age. It is a bit troubling when people under the age of 25 sink $35k to $45k in a depreciating asset like an automobile, and do it time after time. They think nothing of having $600/mo car payments (buy or lease). If they would buy a car appropriate to their income and invest the difference in equities it would make a huge difference to their overall quality of life. Unfortunately that quality comes later in life. Right now it is always 'live for the moment'.

jdanon

Well if you make enough money then I guess it's ok to continually sink your money into a car. Gotta have some fun while you can, and it's not like you can take your money with you when you die.

IS250 4 Me

Yeah, I agree that the tech boom was a once in a lifetime event. I even used a little extra $ to invest in some stocks that seemed to double in a week or less. My life literally changed during that time, and trading stocks was not a hobby of mine, and certainly not my full time job. Things aren't like that today, but historical returns for the market are an average of 12%/year since the market was established.

Putting $45K in a moderate risk investment at age 18 (and monitoring it closely) may yield a sizeable sum of money years ahead. Even if the money doesn't grow as planned, you can still use the money to put a down payment on a home when graduating college.

Evitzee

Agree! But in the past that argument of 'you can't take it with you' was used by people in their 50's and 60's. Now it's used by 25 yo's.

But people can do whatever they want with their money. Lexus must be rubbing their hands together when 60% of IS owners are under age 27. That bodes well for developing long term relationships with their customers.

FiveOhNine

I would hope that @25 you bought it yourself. If someone else had bought it for you at that age you would be a sad sad individual.

My parents never gave me a dime for a car and I'm glad they didn't. There are a bunch of spoiled rich dopes that I went to high school with who had nice cars back then. Want to guess where they are now?