Engineering sales -- i.e. I visit customers and let them know about our new products and make sure they are up to date on how to use them. 34 yrs old.

Purchased TL back in May 2006 for $23,900. Put $23,900 down. Payments: $0/month.

Insurance is about $75/month with full coverage.

 

I am 22 years old. Male stripper. Paid 13k for my 06 WDP At about 2 months ago. Finishing my nursing school will be done in 3 months.

 

^giggidy?

 

No. But justn would like some pics I bet..

 

First time I've heard this story from a male......

Do ya thang mayne

 

35, single, no kids. I work for an oil company, that's as far as I'm going. I make enough to afford a Z06 or ZR1, but not enough to not feel very guilty about it. Enjoying no car payment currently but the IRS is after me in a big way so I'm too afraid to spend money on big purchases.

I also used to climb towers and I have a huge fear or heights. Did it for about 4 years, glad I'm out of that industry. Living on the road is fine when you're young but I could never go back to that. Early on I did what I had to, to survive from scraping gum up off of the asphalt to manual labor digging a 2,000' trench that was 24" wide, 60" deep by myself for 8 months at the age of 31. My office went under in Phoenix and I had to do something to pay the bills. Luckily it was prevailing wage so I was making $46.90/hr digging a trench in Vegas.

The most money I've ever made in a year was when I was 19 and I was homeless just the year before living out of the GN and staying in a hotel every 3rd to 4th day to take a shower.

I've had so many great opportunities dropped in my lap when I was young and passed most of them up for one reason or another mostly because I didn't realize how good they were. Unfortunately those opportunities no longer come around.

 

I'm 38 and own a used car dealership, I'm also a respiratory therapist as well. I do lots of driving to various weekly auctions or visiting patients at home. I got tired of driving a boring Honda fit for business and recently upgraded to a 2006 Acura TL, no payments of course but I have an NSX to play with on the weekends.

 

I am 19, i work as a coordinator for an IT company that has a contract with a major company. I arrange for techs to go to locations on certain dates etc... I bought my 2008 tl type S a few weeks ago with 10g down and paying 420 a month for next 4 years. i got a great interest rate of 1% so i figured id stretch out the payments. Love my car and love my job.

 

Currently a Junior at Texas A&M (A-A-A-Whoop!) as a double major in Math and Structural Engineering. Then into grad school to study conrete. Did a summer internship two years ago and at the end of the summer picked up my 04 TL. Paid in cash! Im 21. I make 15k during the summers for a defense contractor.

 

I'm 23 years old and own a 2004 Base TL - A Spec Lip kit. Automotive Technician.

 

I'm a 25yo grad student. Currently work at a non-profit in Bethesda, MD. Just bought a $15k 3G TL as my first car. Still live at home so it's really my only big expense .

 

I gets $$$$$$$$$$ on way or the other, thats as far as Im goin!
I own my TL-S "0" monthly dues

 

im 23 and im a parts manager for a car body shop.

 

Tech Support for an Automotive(mainly) Electronics company

 

im 21yo, currently going to school full time to get my degree in criminal justice. i have several forms of income. during the week im a PM freight administrator at a shipping ware house. on the weekends and between classes i tint cars for extra income. my part time job pays for the car payments and tinting pays for my mods, school and to go out. when i bought my car back in 09 i was employed at the dealer at the time and got my car for 27k, i put 5k down and took it home three days after it was traded in.

 

I work in Ministry
All Glory goes to GOD
For he always provides
Amen Hallelujah

 

I'm 24 & Paid 14k Cash 07 RBP TL $0/Mo || Admin Accountings /Human Resources

 

28yo psychiatry resident, got about 2 more years to go before I get my own couch, so to speak. Bought my 2006 TL last week for 7500. My first luxury car and it's not perfect but a huge upgrade for me!

My first car is finally retiring after 11 years. I bought a 95 Accord back in 2003 when I was a sophomore in high school.

I'm looking to keep this car for at least another 10yrs/100k.

Finally a fellow physician on here. Enjoy the income and make sure to pay yourself first. Check out: The White Coat Investor so you don't get shafted by the investment sales industry.


Heh, depends on how hard you wanna work. Physicians are not THAT much different than an hourly wage earner...because the vast majority of physicians are just that...wage earners except obivously the hourly rate is much higher.

But they still need to put in the hours if they want to make above average income.

In psychiatry, there are guys who can bank 500k a year but they are also working 10-12hrs/day and almost working partially every weekend as well.

So there needs to be a balance between earning so much money and enjoying/caring for your family/life.

There are some docs who live pay check to pay check to maintain a very lavish lifestyle with a fleet of high end cars and a big house.

For me? I'd rather get a small fleet of rare/interesting cars rather than the typical status symbol cars:
NSX (probably my splurge item)
GMC Syclone/Typhoon
Ford Taurus SHO (2nd gen)
03/04 Terminator Mustang
Maybe a S2K or some other similar 2seater roadster for the future-wifey and I on the sunny weekends.


Good point.

But I am surprised at how many are taking such a big loan/payments to get into quite nice TLs. Maybe it's just me but I was never a fan of having car payments for 2+ years. Also surprised at lot of students driving TLs.

 

Money management is the key for all the younger people here. If you want to drive a nice car, and money is tight, consider buying a used car 2-4 years old. My friend and I both bought cars in 2004. He bought a new 2004 Accord LX for over $25K. I bought a used 2003 CL-S with 14k miles for $23K. Most people assumed that I was doing better, but they would've been completely wrong. This year I bought an 08 TL-S with 60k miles for $20K. If I bought a new car with the same $20K, that would've gotten me a Civic. Which would you rather drive?

Also, interest is for suckers. A $20,000 loan at 3% for 5 years equals $1500 in interest. Why not save for for 5 years and then buy your car and keep the $1500 instead of giving it away to the lender? Some might argue because they want the car now but they don't have all of the money now. Well, I'd say that they're living beyond their means and are buying a car they can't afford. While we're on the subject of interest, make sure you guys pay off all your loans and debts, especially those credit cards at ridiculous 10-20% interest rates. Live your life debt free and don't buy into that living on credit is the American way.

 

Ouch, I'm even more frugal than that.

I bought my first car with my money saved up working 2 years as a bus boy at a local Japanese restaurant. It was a 1995 Honda Accord for $5000 in 2003 as a sophomore in high school

3 weeks ago the car is essentially on its way out (bought it at 156k, currently has 268k) and I drove it for 11 years.

Last week I just bought my 2nd car ever, a 2006 TL for $7500 cash. (Inflation adjusted, it was about $1000 more expensive than the Accord I bought in 2003). It looks great and is more luxury and power than I've ever had. I am literally staring and drooling and smiling ear to ear each time I see the TL and get into it!

Currently I am only making 50k as a resident physician, and I do not feel like I can afford cars above 15k+ due to my monthly budgeting constraints. Because my philosophy is to either pay cash upfront OR at the very least be able to pay off the car in AT MOST 12 months.

My GF is also like me, we tend to spend more to get experiences (National park vacations, camping, etc.) and less on material things at home. She bought a new Ford Focus for about 15k and put about 50% down and paid it off in like 5 months and she only paid an extra something like $50 in interest/financing.

Unfortunately, too many people are unable to save and so they only look at the lowest monthyl payment...and so they get stuck paying 200-400+ for 60/70/80+ months.....absolutely ridiculous. reading this thread there are people paying $400+ for years to get their new TLs back in 07/08

I guess they just move onto the next car, trade the current one and then pay a few grand in tax/down payment and then contuinue the car payment cycle.

Until I am nearing retirement or when I hit my midlife crisis...that's when I'll probably consider a nicer car.

In your example, my heart would say TL-S (of course!) but my brain would guide me toward a Civic. But I would NEVER buy a new Honda, especially civic, since the value on a brand new car is way less than a good-find used car that is documented to be well taken care of.

I have been only late in 1 credit card payment in the last 10 years (stupid laziness on my part) and otherwise have paid credit cards off in full.

Right now the big problem is student loans and with med school-sized loans it will be quite fun to pay it off.

Too few people don't pay themselves first...but spend on other things that gives them temporary reward and non-appreciating asset value.

My first and foremost is maxing my Roth IRA and maxing (almost) my 403(b) retirement accounts...I've been doing this since I first started earning my paycheck. THEN I pay off my student loans. THEN I count in life-needing bills/food/etc. THEN I count in extra/fun things.

Besides as a car guy myself, I'm much more intrigued by the older/rare cars than the typical newest iteration of the Vette/GT-R/Viper/M3/etc.

I'll take a first gen NSX, a Taurus SHO, a Terminator Mustang, and a S2000 over a single brand new GT-R or Viper.

For 100k, you can probably find a first gen NSX, a SHO, a Terminator Mustang and a S2000....or you can buy 1 GT-R or 1 Viper.

 

im 25, working at a nissan stealership as a service advisor - paid for my car cash the day i bought it (2004 acura tl 6spd manual - NEVER winter driven, with LOW K)..along with my other mods..probably spent around 8,000 in mods in the past 3 months. lovin' the debt free life!

 

54 (ouch) Senior Facility Manager at a Data Center. 05' purchased new with a MT to keep my son from driving it. 120K on it now and plan on keeping it til it dies. Still feels like a new car. My daily driver thats been back and forth NY-CA twice.
Keep my weekend car in Cali (94 RX7)

 

LOL! I bought a MT just because I had to have one, but the added bonus is it keeps my wife from driving it

 

I work for the LORD and for all HIS GLORY <3
He bought me the car I am driving, and now trying to sell

 

When I bought my TL I was a career Firefighter/EMT but after going away for school I am no longer employed with the fire department anymore, now I barback and a gigantic bar in my hometown

 

Blessed

 

reading some of these posts makes me want to stop wasting money and save for the future lol

 

Just make sure to no get into debt just to support the car hobby. And invest in yourself as well.

Haha. Good point. I got a 5AT since this way my mom can use my car as well in case hers needs to be serviced and is out of commission.


It's really a balance. On one hand you don't want to use up every last penny on depreciating assets like cars or you also don't want to live like a buddhist hermit and not spend any money to enjoy anything. Make sure you are at least contributing to a retirement account, paying off any debts, not go into debt if possible, and properly balance money for fun and for future/retirement.

You gotta pay yourself first!

 

Threads like this always make me chuckle.

I stole it

 

well said, and I do agree!

 

That said, I still wish had more money to put into the TL! Such a beautiful car with incredible styling and awesome HID headlights. Ah well maybe my buddies and I will get lucky when we buy our mega milions tickets if that hits 150mil+. Some lucky bastard in cali won the 200mil+ powerball last week

 

Student loans at the moment. I'll be a pharmacist in less than a year, so I'm hoping to pay it off sooner than later.

 

28, R&D engineer specializing in CAE/FEA work. Bought TL-S earlier this year paid cash, $0/mo payment and insurance is ~$50 a month. Other cars, 07 Accord (wife's) paid cash, no payment. 98 Expedition, paid cash no payment (if I needed a loan for this I had issues). Old BMW, put $15k down and had a ~$300 a month payment. Paid that off ASAP. Car payments suck. Overall insurance is ~$600 every 6 months for three cars and two drivers. I don't mod, don't see the point, and maintain as well as possible to keep the car until it doesn't make sense to keep it anymore.

At this point, we are putting our extra money into our house in home improvements. At least those mods can give you most of your money back on sale...

 

24 years old. System Administrator in IT company. Bough my 07 TL-Nav with 57k miles for cash, bough my 01 Audi A8L for cash and bought my 96 A6 for cash. The only credit I want to have is my future house...

 

We're you on e46f with the same username? I feel like I remember you from over there.

Just turned 26, Im an ASM for Walgreens. Thats actually the only reason I still have the TL, right now the only debt I have is my student loan and mortgage leaving me the option to jump ship when the right opportunity comes along. Either that or Im going back to get either another Bachelors in Engineering or a Masters in business.

 

Yep, that's me. I still hang out in OT over there since it's a fun place to be but I don't really dabble in the parts of the site that are actually for the car anymore.

 

I'm 23, just graduated from DePaul a couple months ago. Bought my 07 TL for $17,500 almost a year ago with 64,000 miles. I'm now up to 74,000 miles. I'm in a finance development program for a retail pharmacy chain in Chicago. It was a pricey car (my last two cars were Toyota Corollas ('91 and '01), but I've had a lot of jobs/internships, worked all throughout college and now enjoying the TL. Wanted something comfortable to drive to work (~44 miles a day commute). Work hard and budget correctly and shouldn't have a problem

 

This is a neat thread. Some interesting posts, I like it. I'm 31 and an airline pilot. I bought my car 2 years ago this month and traded in my 01 CL Type S. I make payments of 500 a month and it's got another 2 years to go. I like a few cars; TLX, Audi S4, Lexus IS350 and even the Tesla Model S, however when the 3G TL was first introduced, I swore I would one day buy one of my own, especially when the Type S was released. So right now I've fulfilled that promise and I still love this car as much today as I did when I first desired it. I'm on a captain's salary so I can afford almost any of those cars I mentioned above however I already have a very nice car and a bigger desire to buy a nice home, which here in Vancouver can be quite expensive. I'm about to get engaged and would like to start a family in the next 2-3 years. That being said, by the time that happens, I'll have paid off my TL and will have no outstanding debts, which puts me in a great position to afford a decent mortgage. Rather than spend a fortune buying a new car, I just spend a fraction here and there to update my car with some tasteful mods just to keep things interesting. So far so good.

 

^^^ sweet. I'm a Air Traffic Controller at Chicago Center (which btw is now functional as of this morning). I have probably talked to ya on the radios before :-)

 

Oh nice! Glad it's up and running.. need to catch a flight out of Midway for Formula 1 in two weeks