Uncle Erik
Uncle Exotic
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2006
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Before buying either, take a long, hard and sober look at replacement parts and labor.
Do you want to pay upwards of $8,000 for a transmission?
A relative of mine bought a used German car. He also purchased a $4,000 extended warranty because a replacement transmission is $11,000.
Do you want to throw that kind of money around?
Next, take a long, hard and sober look at depreciation.
Do you want to go $20k-$30k into the purchase price, spend $5k-$7k on interest, perhaps another $10k on maintenance, then have an asset worth maybe $5k ten years on?
Is the styling and status really that important to you? Are you willing to flush $40k-$50k only to do the same a few years on?
I like both of those cars, too, and thought about buying something along those lines. But when I sat down and worked out the TCO and compared them to resale, I was shocked. If money matters, I'd look at something like a used Ferrari, NSX, Lotus, or 911. They tend to hold their value or appreciate. Further, even Lotus and Ferrari parts seem reasonable compared to BMW and Audi. You can even wrench on them yourself without needing some $50k proprietary diagnostic computer.
Do you want to pay upwards of $8,000 for a transmission?
A relative of mine bought a used German car. He also purchased a $4,000 extended warranty because a replacement transmission is $11,000.
Do you want to throw that kind of money around?
Next, take a long, hard and sober look at depreciation.
Do you want to go $20k-$30k into the purchase price, spend $5k-$7k on interest, perhaps another $10k on maintenance, then have an asset worth maybe $5k ten years on?
Is the styling and status really that important to you? Are you willing to flush $40k-$50k only to do the same a few years on?
I like both of those cars, too, and thought about buying something along those lines. But when I sat down and worked out the TCO and compared them to resale, I was shocked. If money matters, I'd look at something like a used Ferrari, NSX, Lotus, or 911. They tend to hold their value or appreciate. Further, even Lotus and Ferrari parts seem reasonable compared to BMW and Audi. You can even wrench on them yourself without needing some $50k proprietary diagnostic computer.