fxguy1234 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > AlexP and Daviskr - Been thinking about getting a > 4runner for awhile. I am 6’3’’ and would think > this car would be easier for me to get in and out > of. What year / how much did you guys pay if you > dont mind my asking. Any pointers would be > appreciated with these cars. Hmmm … Not sure about fit vs. size. Maybe Alex can help you out there. I’m a 5’10" girl and it works for me. My husband is 6’5"/250; he can fit, but I’m not sure how comfy it is. I bought my 2004 new in 2004. It’s a Limited, but I added the sport/trail suspension option. I also opted for the majority of the accessories like sun/moonroof, spoiler, 6 disc cd changer, heated leather seats/accents, blah blah blah … All in all, I ended up in the mid 40’s (46k maybe). I absolutely love my car. Knock on wood; I have yet to come across any major issues. The service is not expensive either. It’s a great quality car and the inside interior holds up well. I keep my car pretty clean, but 5 years later everything still looks brand new. My only issue is the turning radius. I can’t make a hard turn in comparison to other SUV’s. My husband has an Explorer and it can turn on a dime. But when push comes to shove, I know he likes my car better ;). Let me know if you have anymore questions/concerns …
Now that I am married and have a kid I find the utility I get from the security of having money in the bank is much higher than any utility I could get from driving a ridiculously expensive car. I took that attitude to the extreme at the end of last year when I suddenly found myself needing a second car. Bought a 2009 Nissan Versa (most inexpensive car on the road). Asked for a bare bones car…no bells and whistles (windows that you have to crank up by hand, locks that you would have to lock one at a time…you get the idea.) They didn’t have one with no bells and whistles so I told the guy that that was fine but that I wasn’t going to pay for stuff that I didn’t want in the first place. We comprimised somewhere in the middle. Took the 0% financing for 36 months and plan to drive that thing until the doors fall off. Funny thing is that I am not even embarrased to say that I drive the most inexpensive car on the road. That’s what having a wife and kid to support will do to you.
mbutcfa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Nuppal, > > I frequently read AF but rarely post. However, > your absurd comments deserve a response and I > would gladly say this to your face. If I were in > your shoes, I would sit back and use AF as a > resource to learn rather than your personal > sounding board. For someone “working 13 hours a > day” you certainly find a lot of time to post on > here. > > Buyicide is right. You have no clue about the real > world and your perspective on salary ranges > couldn’t be farther from the truth. I know plenty > of people that make $500k and don’t drive anything > in your range. Want to know why? Because those > people most likely have a mortgage, kids, Pace > Academy tuition, etc, etc. > > Sit back, learn from all the knowledgeable people > on here, get your own place, and a job in finance. > Then, and only maybe then, you will have any clue > what you’re talking about. > > “But it is really kind of lame to just tell some > kid he sucks. It is a lot more fun to really draw > it out and teach him a lesson.” - Ironically, a > quote from Nuppal’s facebook profile Funny how I forgot when this thread turned into something about me. I have said time and time again that this wasn’t for MY benefit and for what I wanted to do. It was simply an extrapolation of some statistics I had read a few weeks ago. Maybe you should keep reading and stop posting because as ignorant I may be about the ‘real world’ you certainly dont give me much to look forward to when it comes to reading comprehension from my seniors. Thanks for you insight.
I love to drive, I’d gladly live in a 1200sqft house (household of 2) vs a 2400sqft with 3 unused rooms to bump up to a nicer ride (m3/s4 range). But as has been beaten to death the whole way through this thread; I’m 25, no kids, no kids planned for the near future, and I don’t plan on dropping any significant amount money on education in the near future. I’d say the time to own an irresponsibly expensive car is now for me, and if I can con(vince) my gf that getting rid of a decently fun to drive, cheap, and practial vw rabbit to be car poor next summer is a good idea, I’d go for it.
Personally I find non-utilitarian cars to be like boats- I sometime think it would be cool to have a nice truck, or a convertible, sports car or what not but 99.5% of the time I’m perfectly happy with my little jellybean. The marginal utility for me is not worth the additional expense. For those times I do NEED a truck or feel like taking a nice drive I can borrow or rent.
@doworkson What do you have now? I am planning on snapping up a Lotus Elise in a few years (maybe 2 or 3). They are going got 25K right now and insurance is surprisingly reasonable. Can’t beat a 1.8l 4-banger that weighs 1800 lbs.
akanska, you sound like my gf, my exact problem. nuppal, I drive the lowly rabbit. The Elise is an absolute animal, I assume you’d autocross it? Not exactly the most practical car on the road, but possibly one of the most fun. The only 4 banger I’ve driven that would even be in that ballpark is a s2000, loved redlining that thing.
Well, doworkson, I can see why, as a dude, you’d rather not drive a VW Rabbit.
doworkson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > akanska, you sound like my gf, my exact problem. > > nuppal, I drive the lowly rabbit. The Elise is an > absolute animal, I assume you’d autocross it? Not > exactly the most practical car on the road, but > possibly one of the most fun. The only 4 banger > I’ve driven that would even be in that ballpark is > a s2000, loved redlining that thing. OH man, the Rabbit isn’t a bad car man! Its light and has the Golf V steering components. The Elise would be an autocross/it’s raining car. Otherwsie I take the motorcycle everywhere. I have driven a few s2000s and one s2000 CR on the track. Redlining that thing is ADDICTIVE. The S2k’s can be had for like 15K now which is a really good bargain for the amount fo car you are getting.
jg1996business Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Now that I am married and have a kid I find the > utility I get from the security of having money in > the bank is much higher than any utility I could > get from driving a ridiculously expensive car. I > took that attitude to the extreme at the end of > last year when I suddenly found myself needing a > second car. > > Bought a 2009 Nissan Versa (most inexpensive car > on the road). Asked for a bare bones car…no > bells and whistles (windows that you have to crank > up by hand, locks that you would have to lock one > at a time…you get the idea.) They didn’t have > one with no bells and whistles so I told the guy > that that was fine but that I wasn’t going to pay > for stuff that I didn’t want in the first place. > We comprimised somewhere in the middle. Took the > 0% financing for 36 months and plan to drive that > thing until the doors fall off. > > Funny thing is that I am not even embarrased to > say that I drive the most inexpensive car on the > road. That’s what having a wife and kid to > support will do to you. note to self: do not get married and have kids
^Hilarious, my thoughts exactly. Grunt, the day VW changed the name from Golf to Rabbit was a difficult day for me. Nuppal, ya the Rabbit is great in the city, on the highway it could use some more balls though.
doworkson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ^Hilarious, my thoughts exactly. > > Grunt, the day VW changed the name from Golf to > Rabbit was a difficult day for me. > > Nuppal, ya the Rabbit is great in the city, on the > highway it could use some more balls though. OH YEAH!? I bet in real life you wouldnt have the… oh. VW Still makes the Golf. I bet the Rabbit would do pretty well on an Auto-X course with some Michelin Pilot Powers a rear sway bar.
- No car + walk to work most days, do the math. 2) Even if I wanted to own a car it would be Asian-built, a minimum of 5 years old with a minimum of 10,000 miles on it, and a maximum price of $10,000 off the lot. 3) My gf’s previous bf was 5 inches taller and 70 lbs. heavier than me and played football in HS and college, but according to her I have a size advantage over him in other departments. Lesson learned: just because you’re built like a GE fridge doesn’t mean you have a kielbasa in the vegetable drawer. 4) No one makes numi money so let’s leave him and his 12 escalades out of the argument. 5) If I was working at Fidelity I wouldn’t own any cars, I would fly my private jet between the office and the runway in my backyard.
My first car was a VW rabbit. I had to pull the gas line and spray ether into it every time I wanted to start it 
Its funny how after having a car like that, having one that starts every time seems like a luxury. I still remember how giddy I was when I bought my current (used car). The automatic windows and door locks were increadible! I mean in my first car I had to go in through the passengers seat because someone jambed the driver’s side lock in a botched robbery attempt. Memories like this make me feel bad for the 16 year olds driving benz’s. I feel like they never really get pleasure out of it.
akanska Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I feel like they never really get pleasure out of it. Please elaborate.
akanska Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My first car was a VW rabbit. I had to pull the > gas line and spray ether into it every time I > wanted to start it > > Its funny how after having a car like that, having > one that starts every time seems like a luxury. I > still remember how giddy I was when I bought my > current (used car). The automatic windows and > door locks were increadible! I mean in my first > car I had to go in through the passengers seat > because someone jambed the driver’s side lock in a > botched robbery attempt. > > Memories like this make me feel bad for the 16 > year olds driving benz’s. I feel like they never > really get pleasure out of it. I know what you mean, my first car was a 1994 Toyota Celica. It was really reliable but had rust all over it and was slower than molasses in Jan. Driving the car I have now feels like having my own personal ball washer, the lap of luxury. My cousin went to Newark academy and he was telling me about some of the crazy stuff kids have over there. Apparently one kid got a brand new Dodge Viper for his 18th birthday b/c his dad felt “negligent” throughout the kids life. Another girl at that school got her dads Ferrari 360 Modena because he wanted to upgrade to an Enzo… Crazy. iheartiheartmath Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > 1) No car + walk to work most days, do the math. > 2) Even if I wanted to own a car it would be > Asian-built, a minimum of 5 years old with a > minimum of 10,000 miles on it, and a maximum price > of $10,000 off the lot. > 3) My gf’s previous bf was 5 inches taller and 70 > lbs. heavier than me and played football in HS and > college, but according to her I have a size > advantage over him in other departments. Lesson > learned: just because you’re built like a GE > fridge doesn’t mean you have a kielbasa in the > vegetable drawer. > 4) No one makes numi money so let’s leave him and > his 12 escalades out of the argument. > 5) If I was working at Fidelity I wouldn’t own any > cars, I would fly my private jet between the > office and the runway in my backyard. IHIHM can I sig this?
Yeah but fair warning, if the AF ladies come knocking down your door I can’t be held responsible.
iheartiheartmath Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Yeah but fair warning, if the AF ladies come > knocking down your door I can’t be held > responsible. I give credit where it’s due, who’s to say I wont come knocking down your door?
Only if you show up with the shower chick or the chick in the red.
daviskr Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > fxguy1234 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > AlexP and Daviskr - Been thinking about getting > a > > 4runner for awhile. I am 6’3’’ and would think > > this car would be easier for me to get in and > out > > of. What year / how much did you guys pay if > you > > dont mind my asking. Any pointers would be > > appreciated with these cars. > > Hmmm … Not sure about fit vs. size. Maybe Alex > can help you out there. I’m a 5’10" girl and it > works for me. My husband is 6’5"/250; he can fit, > but I’m not sure how comfy it is. > > I bought my 2004 new in 2004. It’s a Limited, but > I added the sport/trail suspension option. I also > opted for the majority of the accessories like > sun/moonroof, spoiler, 6 disc cd changer, heated > leather seats/accents, blah blah blah … All in > all, I ended up in the mid 40’s (46k maybe). > > I absolutely love my car. Knock on wood; I have > yet to come across any major issues. The service > is not expensive either. It’s a great quality car > and the inside interior holds up well. I keep my > car pretty clean, but 5 years later everything > still looks brand new. My only issue is the > turning radius. I can’t make a hard turn in > comparison to other SUV’s. My husband has an > Explorer and it can turn on a dime. But when push > comes to shove, I know he likes my car better ;). > > > Let me know if you have anymore questions/concerns > … fxguy1234, My buddy drove a 4Runner for a few years and he loved it. He is 6’3" or 6’4". I have talked to him about cars since and he says that a bigger car is nice though. He drives a Maxima and his wife a Land Rover. If you are big in addition to tall you might want to considered a different vehicle, but you won’t know until you test drive the 4Runner. Prices is difficult to guess because different areas. I bought mine for $22k with $20k miles but I’ve got lucky since there were selling the same models with 40k miles for the same price back then in 2003 for a 2001 model. Mine is a 3.4L engine I believe anything after 2002 or 2003 are 4.0L. Personally I like the 3.4L since that is enough for me. I have not had a single problem with the car.