Need more car advice

[matt6669 71]

Ok so this is probably going to be long so I apologize in advance but I need some more advice.

 

Backstory:

 

I currently owe my parents about 9000 dollars. The deal was when I sold the WRX I would pay them back.

 

Now my so called assest are my:

 

2002 Subaru Impreza WRX which I want to sell between 6500-7500 dollars

 

1998 Jeep Cherokee which I want between 5500-6500 dollars.

 

Now my first option to buy was a 05-06 Jetta TDI. I was looking to spend between 14-16k. We'll get back to that in a minute.

 

My buddy just bought a truck and is looking to get rid of his 05 Subaru Legacy 2.5i. Its got 67,100 on the clock and its a manual.

 

Just had the:

Timing belt etc replaced

New Battery

New Alternator

New Cat replaced by subaru warranty

 

It's a manual, I drove manual for 5 years, havn't drove it for about 6 months and I havn't missed it at all. I drive a lot in traffic and I do enjoy my auto cars but I can take it or leave it not a big deal breaker.

 

The bad to me

 

The radio is a little weird, for some reason it doesn't get great reception in west milford area.

I despise the gear box, anything over 40mph makes 4th gear useless so its around town gear is 5th. Because of this anything over 60 in 5th rev's the crap outta the motor.

The ergonomics of the car are definitely off which is weird b/c the ergonomics of my WRX are spot on. So I was kinda disappointed about that but I guess I could live with it.

Its also cloth interior, so no headed seats none of that jazz

 

The good

It drives excellent handles great, its a super quiet car to drive. Heat works extremely well (thats a plus)

Overall its a good car.

 

He said he'd sell it to me for 8500, kbb on it is like 9500, their selling for like 10k on autotrader.

 

Now my mom said regardless of what car I bought she'd loan me money up to 15-16k and I would just make monthly payments to her instead of a bank.

 

So my options right now are, wait and see if I can find a Jetta that I want, or get this Legacy. The legacy gets between 27 & 30 mpg using regular gas which works out to about 190 a month in gas.

 

The jetta gets between 40-45 consistently giving me a gas bill of about 130 due to using diesel.

 

Now thats based on my current mileage, obviously when I'm not in school I don't do that much driving so the price difference would be less.

 

The insurance on the Jetta would be more compared to the Legacy which is another downside.

 

But for the Jetta.

 

I really like how the car drives, it fits my body size great, all the controls fit me. The seats are wonderful (I'm not a fan of the legacy's seats). Also the Heat and AC are fantastic in diesel vehicles. The Jetta is also fully loaded with leather and heated seats and the one's I've been looking at have a sun roof big plus for me.

 

So what I am trying to figure out is, would I be justifed to myself spending the extra money and getting the Jetta, or should I suck it up and just get the cheaper car and deal with it? Thoughts comments etc greatly appreciated.

[jersey_emt 2]

You're going to be spending a lot of time in your car, so you want one that fits you well and that you really enjoy driving. Which means it's better to save up, or to finance a larger amount (as long as you are able to make the payments), to get the car that you actually want, not your 2nd choice.

 

I'd recommend that you go on a test driving spree and getting behind the wheel of as many cars as possible. You may very well find something that's nearly perfect for you for even less than the Jetta you are looking at. I'm always amazed how people will find a car they like doing research on the Internet, go to a dealership, test drive that one car, and then buy it immediately. Without ever looking into other options. A car is generally the 2nd most expensive item a person buys (1st being a house), and to make that large purchase without doing any real searching for the best car for that person's situation, is completely mind-boggling to me.

[matt6669 71]

Yeah I was really shocked I'm not a big fan of the legacy since I love how my wrx feels and its made by the same people and almost the same platform.

 

Luckily my choices are extremely limited due to my mpg restriction. I need a vehicle that is going to cost me between 6 and 7 cents a mile. The legacy came in at 7.5 cents.

 

Only other car that can really do that is a honda, and well I just can't own one of them so their out of the question.

 

I do on average 2200 miles a month so mpg is quite important. I have a feeling I'm going to get the jetta as just reading my post I can tell I want the jetta. I just need to justify it to myself that its worth the extra coin.

 

Thanks for the response.

[NickySantoro 211]

With 67K on the clock, and depending upon how your friend drove it, the Subaru is going to need a clutch in the not too distant future. You might want to factor that cost into the equation.

[Genewarper111 18]

get the Jetta. The milage alone (40-50 mpg) will mitigate the costs significantly. Like subarus, VWs are hugely robust and reliable. If you look after it, the jetta will take you to 120,000 miles easily.

 

get the jetts

[Malsua 1,422]

Only other car that can really do that is a honda, and well I just can't own one of them so their out of the question.

 

 

Why's that?

 

Come over and drive my 08. It gets 36 and I have to move the seat UP. It's got another notch back. It'll fit you.

[djg0770 481]

Matt,

 

Honestly - knowing your actual situation, I would mitigate further spending. You're a student on a fixed income. You already owe $9000 and you're looking to owe more.

 

Why not just do the work on the WRX? So it needs a timing belt "yesterday" and some other stuff... I'd give you a hand and we would have that stuff done in a weekend or near to it for a FRACTION of the total cost of what you are looking at forking over. Seriously, parts on a timing belt $50-60, sure, we'd do the idler pulleys and water pump and that would add some more coin, but you're probably looking at less than $250 in parts...

 

For a moment, stop being an American College Student and SAVE your money...

 

Nearly all of the financial gurus have this to say "The car you own is cheaper than the car you will buy".

[NJJim 37]

Matt,

 

"I despise the gear box, anything over 40mph makes 4th gear useless so its around town gear is 5th. Because of this anything over 60 in 5th rev's the crap outta the motor."

 

If I am reading this right, this car needs a clutch! Just how many RPMs does it turn at 40 in fourth or 60 in fifth?

 

Also, I agree with djg0770. Spending like you are suggesting sounds like congress. Spend more to get out of debt?

 

I'm coming into this late but, why not sell the Jeep. Use the money to bring the 2002 up to snuff and put the remainder toward reducing your debt.

 

I could never understand why people spent $15,000.00-$25,000 to save $25.00 a week on gas.

 

Auto repair is my job and it's amazing how many people use a $500.00 estimated repair bill as an excuse to buy a new car. They really wanted a new car and any excuse to buy one.

 

Matt don't take any of these thoughts of mine personally. Unless of course they fit.

[djg0770 481]

Actually, I don't care about your financial situation - I just want you to have more money to buy more guns you hate so that you sell them for next to nothing on this board... :pray: :shifty:

[67gtonut 847]

PM'd ya

[matt6669 71]

well driving the scoob is out of the question. It takes premium gas and gets between 25-27 mpg. AKA my monthly gas bill would be about what I am spending now with the jeep. Plus the scoob has a 130k on the clock and honestly I don't see it having a very much longer life.

 

It needs a clutch

Water pumper

Timing belt

Idler tensioner

CV shaft

tires

etc. trust me, the list goes on, if you've ever seen this car you'd understand why it is not cost effective for me to keep this car.

 

The 9,000 that I owe is kind of a long term loan. It was used when I bought my jeep and some other things. When I sell the wrx, all that money will go to that loan, and then I'll just pay off the rest of it with monthly payments.

 

When I sell the jeep, I'll probably take some money from that to pay off the rest of that loan, and take the remainder and put it towards the new car loan from my mom.

 

So what it really comes down to is, spend 8500 and get a car that works but not something I terribly enjoy. Or spend 14k and get something that I really want that'll last me a long time.

 

Oh and nothing is wrong with the legacy, its just how subaru gearboxes are setup. They put 5spds in cars that really should be 6spds. At 40 mpg I belive in 4th gear its sitting at about 2200. In 5th gear at 60, it sits at 2k. That is typical rpm's in a subaru, my WRX did the same thing. 5th gear at 75 is 3k rpm right on the nose, its the same in both cars. The clutch still has a lot of life left in it too.

 

Thanks for the imput thus far guys!