Thank you everyone for the advice, tips, and things to maintain. Everyone was extremely respectful and I appreciate all the help!

Note to self: the IX SE is probably gonna be out of reach, but the GSR or base or however you'd like to categorize it is. I might even take into consideration the VIII but the bigger stock turbo housing on the IX and whatnot really appeals to me, haha.

 

If you want the IX go for it, don't settle for something else. You will regret it lately.

 

I was in your EXACT position when I was nineteen. Like to the T. I worked hard and saved up ~13 grand. Then while I was looking for one I lost my job, and had an extremely unexpected expense to pay for. Which dwindled my savings down to about 4k. Needless to say that I'm extremely lucky I didn't get one when I did.

Fast forward a little bit, I finished school, got a better job and now am A LOT more financially stable. When you go to buy a car BE PREPARED FOR UNEXPECTED REPAIRS! A bunch of things went wrong with my car within the first few months of owning it.

The outside, engine, and interior were immaculate so I was not able to tell if anything was going to go wrong.

I would say wait.

 

A few years back I decided I'd had my fill of work for awhile so I took a year off. I already had a degree but not wanting to loaf I enrolled at university. I was driving a nice sporty car and by the end of the second semester I didn't have door dings I had door rash and needed a repaint. So, I say, if planning on parking on campus, don't drive anything you care about.

 

Since youve definitely decided to get one. Id say this. If possible find a bone stock evo and enjoy the car as is for a while. Besides when you start moding is usually when unexpected issues come up. Also go for the ix. You wont regret it.

 

^^^ As if that's not reason enough, consider all of the other solid advice some have poured out here for you. Only reason why I'd say go for it is if you plan on keeping a 2nd vehicle. You're going to need it, eventually.

Choosing the car you want is emotional, and you'll convince yourself sideways that you've done the right thing. Getting through school is more important than any car will ever be. I know firsthand since my degree got stalled once along with my crappy choice of getting an affordable Z28. A performance car is far from the wisest option of school transportation unless you have deep pockets and an alternate way to get to class.

My "great" choice ended up costing me a bit more than I paid, and a whole lot more in lost opportunity to progress early. Glad to say I recovered, bought something reliable and made it all the way through the second time at school. It really helps when you can reliably drive yourself to class. Years later I have more vehicles than I know what to do with (mostly Jeeps though and I miss my X.) I'm looking for another one, and although I love the IX experience tells me it's a greater risk in terms of short term reliability and finance. If they were reasonably priced that would be a different story, but getting a new one solves your short term goals. Well, that is as long as you keep that warranty intact.