Alright, I will be comming home from 6 months (ish) of training for the Air National Guard early next summer and I want to buy an EVO. Right now I currently drive a 1999 Explorer that I owe $7,491.00 on, it books for $8,100.00 private sale. I desperately want an EVO regardless of year, I just want one. I currently have a credit score of 591, I have a $800.00 balance on a $1000 limit credit card, I owe $300 ish on a personal loan that was taken out in October but that is the only debt I have pertaining to credit.

I plan on comming home with $3,000.00 or so in cash to put down on the EVO, I could say $4,000.00 but I am being conservative and trying to leave space for registration and all that crap. I won't be spending much money while in training so it is a chance to catch up on my bills and add some time to my credit history, I have never missed any payments or been late but I do have quite a few inquiries as of late and that has been a problem but I am sure that by the time I go for the car it won't even be an issue. I think about the EVO that I want to buy every day, if used will it be hard to come acrossed that perfect EVO, the one that was priced right and taken care of etc etc... on the other hand I think of buying a brand new one and not having to worry about any of that crap, not really needing to worry about mods etc etc because they more than likely will void a warrantee, instead I get to think about a crisp, fresh, never touched by anyone but me EVO.

Now the pricing part, the only way in my eyes I can see a brand new EVO being mine is if it was an RS, I am completely aware of what owning an RS intales, no ABS, no HIDs, no power windows, locks, mirrors, stereo, colored door handles, sunroof blah blah blah... I think it is a clean no BS car and I like it like that though certain things are annoying. The worst part of all this is that the new EVO IX will be more expensive than in the past, now that sucks... I wonder how much though? I thought of buying used however I would want to trade in my Explorer, though I will loose money on it, it's less time and less of a pain in the ***... plus if I price the Explorer "to sell" then I will still lose something and that will mean it comes out of pocket, that allows me to put less down which I do not want to do. Used from a dealer seems often to be a rip off, they are always close to new pricing but they are used, they love to add a couple/few thousand to the cars real worth on the side of the road or in a classified just because they can or because "all of a sudden there is a huge demand" so they price how they want. A local dealer is trying to sell an 03 V/// with 19k on it in Apex Silver for $27,000 and change... HAH! See what I mean?

I'd really like to get a brand new IX RS but I have an Explorer to trade in (I am hoping hipathetically that they will give me good coin just to move a new EVO). I get to pick my color, I get to have a fresh car. I would not mind financing for 66 mo. either, I don't plan on getting rid of any EVO soon and I would love to keep it as long as possible regardless of new and improved things, a brand new car would allow that. Should I go with used or a new RS? How much should I expect to pay or what do you think the dealer invoice will be on an RS early next summer or late spring? I would more than likely have to buy the RS from the dealer upon my request, not many if any seem to carry any RS's. What should I do, how should I go about it? I want an EVO, I need an EVO. Would I even stand a chance for approval on a new RS? Thanks for the help and having patients with me, I have yet to make a big decision like this.

 

Dr Evil: 100 billion dollars

 

buy new if you can get it
30k for evo9 rs
how old are you?
what kind of full time job do you have?

 

I will be 20 years old, I will not be making an outrageous amount of money but enough... any means neccessary to get the EVO, I will be working with the job I enlist with. It will be doable and I will be able to cover my payments otherwise I wouldn't consider it, I can handle bitter truth, I have before but I am sure to be in the position to cover the monthly payment, the RS will still be that much? Dealer invoice on the V/// RS was $26k and change, maybe $27 ish WTF happened? Your not saving too much money anymore are ya. Should I go with a used dealership V/// instead? Would that be a smarter move?

That intails hoping they didn't lie about it's condition etc etc, TRUSTING that that everything is in great shape and replaced etc. I see my payment per month for a used V/// with a price tag of $25,000 with 20k on the ticker, $400-$425 per mo? or $475+ for a brand new one? Do those numbers sound realistic? If getting used will put getting the EVO on lock then by all means, I just need the car... badly. It's metal, it has no feelings, it will lose value, it will get old... I DON"T CARE, there is more to life yes indeedy but this will enhance the rest of it, waking up every morning with the incentive to go to work, I get to drive my EVO to work!

 

1 million dollars

 

Yeah someone already said it jackass, got old too fast now you just look like a tool. HAHAHAHAH OMFG THAT WAS SOOO FUNNY, I FEEL SOOO COOL MUAHAHA HHA BWAHAHAHH. Yeah, awsome... get a life and don't reply to my threads if your going to say dumb pointless ****.

 

The MSRP on a IX RS is gonna be almost 29k. It's doubtful that you will get a big discount (if any). Once you add in State tax etc., you're gonna be looking at over $30k out-the-door. If you got a very good rate from a credit union, you would still be looking at over $500 per month for the car over 5 years, plus, say, another $150 a month for insurance..........

 

So unless I can put $5-6,000 dollars down I will be looking at over $475 per month probobly... hmm, discouraging. You think it will be hard to come acrossed a barely used 05? Say maybe $27,000? Put $3k down?

 

You wanna know if you can afford it? Try the 3 month break-in

At the beginning of every month, throw $500 into a jar (car payment)
At mid-month each month, throw $150 into the jar (insurance payment)
At the beginning of every week, add $30 to the jar (gas)
Sometime throughout the month make sure you put some extra in there "just in case" you have buy a new mod.
At the end of 3 months, pay yourself $30 for an oil change. If you have enough to put another $500 in for the next "payment," you have now proven that you can afford it. AND, you already have a couple grand to start out with!

 

Well that is a good point, how did you figure that out lol. Well I don't plan on picking one up for a while and to be honest I feel more comfortable buying a used one for say $23-24,000. putting my money down and ending up with a payment under $425 a mo... it is more livable. The brand new RS will require a huge chunk to register and I could just pick up an 05 VIII for $25,000 or less?

 

i doubt you'll find an 05 VIII for <$25K. Look for an 03 or maybe an 04 with some miles. Why not try to sell your explorer when you have a couple of months of training left? atleast by then you'll have made a couple of more payments and wont get screwed on the trade. As for financing, I'd start talking to the people where you bank and see about financing thru them. Mitsu financing will probably a$$ rape you with the interest rate seeing as how you are a "first time buyer" with little credit history and interested in buying a used car.

And like someone already mentioned, don't forget about routine maintenance on the car and figure that in with your monthly payment. Insurance is going to be hella expensive for you and don't even think about getting a $20 jiffy lube oil change every 8K miles.

 

I spoke with the loan officer at my credit union, told her what I plan to do and she told me not to worry about it, if I keep up the trends I have had with my payments etc etc I should be fine. The only thing I am scared of is my Explorer selling private sale, It is not that I owe a lot on it, or private sale will slap me in the face but there is an issue with it that I do not know what it is.

 

Hate to say it, but if your money is that tight, an Evo is probably not for you, because of the maintenance costs involved.

Some things that a lot of ppl don't realize:
- Oil change is much more expensive, because you have to use synthetic oil
- Need to change transmission fluids REGULARLY (30K miles, 15K is better/wiser)
- Stock tires will last you ~20K miles, if you're lucky
- HAVE to get winter tires
- Clutch may only last 20k or less depending on your driving habits/ability
- Brake rotors may not make it much past 30K
... the list goes on ...

The bottom line is that the Evo is a high performance car (dare we say super car?), and as such a lot of components are engineered to optimize performance, not longevity. So maintenance should be planned for. Would hate to see you get one, only to end up looking at it sitting in your driveway while you save up for spare parts...

l8r)

 

We dare say super car.. by any definiton.. and we can also say check out the insurance costs. Tires will not go 20k, brake jobs are outrageous and frequent. If you have to count pennys you can not afford an EVO. The clutch is good if you drive on the freeway but if you use it hard be prepared to pay up. If you are not into all the perfomance then why pay for it? I think a good estimate for cost to maintain and operate would be tires every 18 months brakes every second year, rotors every four two oil changes a year and 20 MPG fuel consumption. Look at Road and Track or Car and Drivers reviews about the long term tests on the EVO, There are several opinions given by very experienced professionals (with bias of course so read between some of the lines).

There is a thread on 76k but this car was driven very differently than the way most Evo owners drive. So is mine, I only have 12k since June of "03". Needless to say, my experiences have been different than the car dirven over six times as much in the same time period.

 

And don't forget that $150/month for insurance as a 20yo is VERY conservative. Many people your age pay 300-400/month. I would plan on $200/month at least as a male 20-yo on his own policy.

From what it sounds like, you will be trying to afford this on an E-1 or E-2 pay? I would not recommend it. Even as an E-5, I only had a 7yo used Talon TSi AWD, and I even worked a second job at night. I only owed 2k on the Talon after purchase, but I did mod a lot and threw the mod cost onto my car loan, so it was like I owed $10k on a used car. Making those payments + insurance + gas + maintenance + tires wasn't tough, but I certainly couldn't have afforded a 25k+ Evo.

You won't pay for housing (barracks) or food (if you eat every meal in the chow hall), but you will need to pay for clothing, internet, phone/cell bill, and every other amenity in life you partake in.

I think the best bang for your buck would be a NEW 05 RIGHT before the IX comes out, or even AFTER it comes out. People are buying them for invoice or below, so you could get a brand new RS (if any are left) for a great price. I wouldn't recommend buying used or buying a new IX in your situation. Frankly, I wouldn't recommend buying ANY evo as a young elistee, but you're gonna do what you wanna do.