They say that with age comes knowledge and I would definitely have to agree with them on that. If you have a moment to hear me out and maybe learn from my mistake so it wont happen to you or someone you know.
I was 18 in high school and had just got my first job at Best Buy. I thought long and hard about it and even quit playing tennis to work when i wasn't at school. Why was I working so much, and why would i quit a sport that I enjoyed? What does any other teenager want at 18... a car. I wasn't raised by parents that gave me a lot of things for free. I was not raised by wealthy parents I would say lower middle class. We got by with what we needed even during the recession. None the less they did not have plans to buy me a car. The only way to acquire said car was to work. Ever since I was young I absolutely loved mustangs and all cars in general just very captivated by them at such a young age. I knew that cars would play a big role in my life very early.
Finally the time came to where I had managed to save 4,000 dollars for a 1999 Subaru Legacy L wagon 30th Anniversary Edition. Why didn't I get a mustang your probably wondering. I contemplated getting a mustang even had one picked out to test drive but realized as my first car it needs to be able to fulfill all my needs. The mustang quite simply did not. I wanted to take the car off roads, have lots of space, and not worry about little damages on the car, and AWD was a must living in the PNW.
This car was great for me. I had many great experiences in it. Did not have any major mechanical issues in my time owning it. You could say I made a good financial decision purchasing this car. Time went on and my passion for cars only continued to grow and before you knew It i already had plans on getting a Subaru WRX in the future.
Fast forward and wouldn't believe what I did. Sold the Legacy wagon for 4,000 broke even and bought a 2004 WRX with about 8,000 financed. This car put me in debt but I didn't really care. I was working and the payments seemed reasonable so I said why not. What I didn't know was that this car was going to be a colossal money pit.
Modifying cars is truly like an addiction. It becomes your way of life. Working extra over time to buy those wheels, coil overs, new turbo, exhaust you name it. You want it all for your car. You will even go to the extent and have a full build list set out. When you buy the parts and install it seems like it was well worth it at least you think it was. 5,000 plus invested into the car upgrading the inter-cooler, turbo, injectors, and so much more. Its a non stop money spending frenzy I tell ya.
I get to a point with this car that Im ready to move on to something more reliable. I have never had any real mechanical issues with the car but was foreseeing that the car may need a engine overhaul soon. So I made the decision to sell it and get something fast and reliable.
I purchased a 2013 WRX, the car that I currently own to date. This car is what I am calling my HUGE mistake. I sold my 2004 WRX for 9,000 and bought this new on for something like 26,0000. Your probably think wow that's a lot of money. At the time I was making probably around 2,000 a month. I financed the rest with a low APR of around 2% but with a VERY long term loan make my payment about 260 a month. 260.00 a month seemed very reasonable to me. I look back at this decision and call my self an idiot every time. This was truly a bad investment in my money.
I have now come to realize that these fancy materialistic items are for people that truly can afford them. Buying a car with cold hard cash knowing you need no ones help to buy said item is a great feeling. If you want something in life you need to assess your lifestyle and make sure that it accommodates your future goals and aspirations. Good things will happen if you put a solid plan into place for you life and do things that reinforce that plan everyday. Let it be on your mind always that what your doing is going to better your life in ways you do not even know.
I am selling this car for a loss and have learned a hard lesson. My plan is to buy a Honda civic for 2,000. If you have not read my first post on steemit I talked about pursuing the "Journey" and that is exactly what I am going to do. The future looks bright and I am excited. I bought myself I Subaru hat to remind myself that I will have the things I want in the future. I just need to be patient and strategic. Until next time take it easy I hope you didn't think this was a waste of you time!