numexbigjim

Atty, $150K, wife, child, $1500/mo mortgage, student loan $300/mo (best investment ever). I have owned Honda Accords for the last 10 years but wanted to move up. I am very sensitive to image, and I don't think my clients want to see me driving an expensive Jag, Mercedes or BMW. I don't like the Lexus image. I had never considered buying an Acura, as I assumed it to be a gussied up Accord with questionable value. When I found out that the TL was such an outstanding auto, and a great value, I jumped at the prospect of owning one. I am expecting my '04 TL nav by Mar. 15. I can afford a more expensive car, but don't think it to be worthwhile.

feelingsleepy

32, Anesthesiologist, Make $325,000/year. Student loans, mortgage, no kids, single, just a dog and he's low maintenance. Car payment is actually more than my student loan payment per month. Oh well, life is good

mdplaya

Wow, there was a time when I thought I didn't make enough.
Now I'm feeling cush reading your salaries and debts. The only debts I have are the house I just bought and tuition. After looking at some of the salaries, I realize that I make a lot and that there are a lot of successful people in CA. In the Washington DC area everyone appears to be making 80k and above. I definitely would not buy this car making 60k or less a year and under 40k is just not responsible. What ever happened to saving with stocks and bonds and buying real estate. Sorry if I sound judgmental...cause I don't want to be….but damn....I could never pay more than 450 month for a car! I guess I'm relieved about my financial situation after I climbed out of 80k+ worth of debt. I seriously debated purchasing this car even though I making close to 180k a year.
My stats:
27 yr/old IT professional and student at a top 20 university. I hope to either get my MBA or JD. Lets just say I work my a$$ off because I have multiple clients for my business. I have no personal life, but at least I get to build my future. Good luck to everyone....but a 35k car when you are making 40k is not smart. Just advice from someone who knows how debt can really limit your future.

hifiaudio2

Amazing! About 70% of the people posting in this thread, and I assume this site, are IT professionals!

26 - Work in Small and Medium business sales at Dell in the Advanced Systems Group (Servers and storage only). 50-85k / year, depending on the month you ask - pm me if you have IT needs!


$1500 mortgage, $1200 in total car pmts (wife has rx330), no other major bills other than my home theater habit, which can seem like another mortgage......

Norse396

I own a computer consulting business and while I don't make the big bucks like a did a few years ago (I miss Y2k!) I'm doing pretty good. I bought the TL because I've been busting my hump 16 hours a day and felt it was time to upgrade. Plus this year I'll be able to write a good percantage off.

jayhawk815

I am 23 y/o, a college student and a bartender. I make very good money for a bartender and have a full ride scholarship. On top of that, my parents pay my insurance. I don't think of this as being spoiled since that's the only thing they've paid for in college. Currently own a '99 TL and am saving for a '04+ TL. Maybe a gift from myself when I graduate college.

mspence3

Middle management.

theslik1

Damn son, I feel your pain...

Get it?

PAIN?

ANESTHESIOLOGIST?

*crickets chirping*

Dkrudop

I'm a career high school teacher, 50 years old with 29 years in front of the desk and a doctoral degree to top it all off.
Between my wife's job, my school position, and my church choir job, we make around 110K.
Been waiting a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG time to finally feel comfortable owning a truly NICE car. Put down 7k, 430 a month - 72 months.....but will make double payments to cut some time off the length.

rynpamn21

Real Estate Appraiser...i make around 60K a year...i used to be a real estate agent...i'm 25 turning 26...and like many people here i also leased my TL 540 a month and no down....

rynpamn21

Real Estate Appraiser...i make around 60K a year...i used to be a real estate agent...i'm 25 turning 26...and like many people here i also leased my TL 540 a month and no down....

TLover

I'll take bets that I'm the only one on here doing what I do.

spidey07

32, network architect, always had a 500/mo car payment, always will.

My financial smarts are in other areas. Cars is not one of them.

supdawg

Ah, Nice read everyone.

Myself, I work for a big computer company in manufacturing- No i don't work on the lines. I am 24 years old, making over 60K. My wife has some kind of something job with a big bank and makes almost as muchs as I do.

More debt than I like to admit- but on the sharp decline i might add. I am a potential TL driver. Still may change my mind. It is sweet though.

Anyways it's nice to meet you all and get a demograph of the owners.

vtechbrain

Gee, it's good to know that pathologists make significantly more than anesthesiologists!

elessar

Heh heh... one more over here: programmer, 32. C'mon, isn't it obvious why so many of us are TL owners? With all those high-tech toys, it's an IT geek's dream car! Well, as close as you can get for $35k, anyway.

DJ TAG

29, $88K, Systems Engineer/Architect (Canada)

Previous cars:

02 Subaru WRX (400HP)
00 Honda Insight
98 BMW M3
...

comdoctor

Another IT Man
Make $50K and wife Makes $35K.
Pay two Rent (for my family and for Parent)

Two babies.
one-year-old daughter and my new TL


Where are good places to move for IT people with less expensive rent/buying house? I can't afford to buy house here in NY/NJ area.

I am really considering to move to somewhere without snow.

Thanks,

quake97

I work in support for a large enterprise server and consulting company outside of Philly. I's affording the TL because I took on a low activity pager rotation full time, extra $500 take home per month. I got the 2004 TL without NAVI for $415/month as a 39 month lease. Mortgage is $1100 per month, including real estate taxes and association fees. All good.

Joe

JayTee

One more for the IT crowd. ..

30, IT QA Consultant, $100K/year, $1800 mortgage, no credit card debt, just married, no kids, currently driving a paid-off 1998 Honda Accord

Really drooling over the TL but waiting for supply to rise so I won't have to pay sticker.

This probably belongs in a separate thread, but I notice people paying cash as opposed to payments. Given the current interest rates, my wife is pushing for the payments. Any advice in either direction?

Zeuser

Ugh... IT here too. Senior Software Engineer, 34 , net income = '04 TL 5AT auto * 2 (in Canada).

Took my first TL test drive yesterday, looking to get one in the next 2-3 weeks (hopefully).

Previous car: '93 Del sol which I'm still driving until I get the TL.

Bitium

your job goes well with your username. :d

That is a lot of money for what you do......My uncle CEO of HESS don't make that much money well maybe.

doomed_acura

Attorney ... make probably more than I should. Engaged, condo, no kids, no pets, and too many billable hours.

Have '02 TL-S Black ... until tomorrow when I get WDP w/navi as a result of a settlement with Acura over the '02 (3 trannies). It has been a long time coming and can't wait have a smile on my face tomorrow afternoon when I finally get rid of that '02 and all of the troubles that it caused and step foot in new, sweet ride. Been jealous of everyone reading about how much most everyone enjoys their '04.

richard52

Interesting posts...just turned 55.. senior music teacher..$98000 a year plus stipends for concerts and professional gigs. I drive a 2000 TL with 60000 miles and am contemplatiing an 04 TL. Can't decide if it's worth keeping my car for another year or two or trading to take advantage of the equity. Any thoughts?

huskerfan

Try Texas. I'm a retired IT and live in San Antonio but the IT market is also very good in Austin, Houston, & Dallas. Housing in San Antonio is way cheaper than on the east coast and no snow. I play golf year round. My wife is a Realtor, so contact me if you want more info.

Michael A

In my neck of the woods the local police make on average about $75k+ per year to a max of about $140k w/OT .

The rest of the population including myself make a hell of alot less than the police. At a salary of $100k + I would deinfitelty be looking at a Mercedes Benz or BMW.

mobilezen

Just turned 26, currently a student finishing up with a degree. I have either been in the mobile phone industry or some kind of computer field the past 5 years. Now I just concentrate on mobile phones (firmware upgrades/unlocking/selling mobile devices), consulting. Making my website right now...Looking for a real job.

Left a mobile provider last December, I'll keep walking and not look back, those bastards, and spent the last year eBaying, consulting, doing sidejobs (computer/mobile phones)...Hey, it paid off my car and 2 semesters of tuition and books.

Bitium

some of you people just make too much money. Well I use to when I was a network admin, but now these days I'm in iraq killing people for 15k a year.

vtechbrain

Keep safe!

Skeedatl

32, small manufacturing business owner, burdensome SoCal mortgage, financed TL for 4 years.

2004MT6TL

19, Junior Designer (Advertising), 35k/year, Marketing Communications Student. 662/Mo for the TL MT6. Paid off credit cards, $0 Student loans. Want to buy a house in the next couple of years.:wow:

kph

46 year old System Engineering Fellow at a Medical Electronics company. Pay is good and the bonus and stock programs are better. Paying cash for an '04 TL AT/Navi this weekend.

clutchcargo

I am 45 and use spigot theory

My job is a Medical Device Regulatory Affairs Manager and my hobby job is being a landlord.

My wife's job is in medical decision making research and her hobby job is veternary patholgy consulting.

kph, are you at medtronic or guidant? Those cardiac rhythm management devices are really impressive

Foghorn

I am a 44 year old Investment advisor-$140k a year- paid $32,000 out the door for Redondo Red w/ parchment -$7k down ,$25K financed @2.9% for 5 years. Love the car.

mlewbart

Emergency Medicine Resident (27y.o.). paying about 390/mo. (residents get paid a little better these days and it kills some of the attendings). Just got an ABP TL a month ago after my 02 CL got crushed (over 10K in damage...I should post the picks. I was lucky to walk away from that one) I just don't think about my med school loans. They are just a mortgage on a house I'll never see. consolidation at 3.5% means never paying them off early! I have a weakness for going fast and putting large tubes into people.

In response to the earlier part of the thread, I'm a D.O. and it doesn't really matter these days aside from fellowships.

Tristero

Will be buying in next two weeks with 10K cash, rest (about 25K) financed over 4/5 years at 3.5%.

38, w/spouse, 2 kids, no debt, except mortgage, etc.; got the whole average American thing going on.

Wife & I are poorly paid college professors in different disciplines (thankfully) and at different universities (also a good thing); household income 120K+ (sans summer income).

Kid's cost way more than the car ever will ....

kph

clutchcargo - that would be GDT, man. Made the switch a couple of years ago from the commercial aviation safety-critical systems business. I have been happy with the move.

tonyufTL

Seems there are a lot of IT people that own TLs. This car plays into our passion for technology I guess.

I'm 26 and work with the server side software that makes e-mail work.

As for how do I afford to buy a TL, I would say that if you are going to make the purchase make sure you get a nice interest rate and keep your money invested. If your money is not yielding a higher rate then your loan something needs to be fixed.

NU2theTLcene

33 years old, I was in the USMC for 10 years and now working as a bomb disposal specialist, while working in Iraq the US tax dollars were paying me a cool 18k / month... but with that extra little worry of being shot, I decided to come back to the states. Now I am only making 110k / year but I am living in Hawaii, so I guess the trade off is worth it. My payment with extended warranty is 600 a month but I have only one other bill my Yamaha R1 payment, so it is easy enough to make ends meet. So much for college, not that I am knocking it, but it is good to know that one doesn't HAVE to go to college to make six figures

jrudd

22...Graduating with my bachelors degree in May and getting married. Accepted an offer of 48K a year gauranteed, should be atleast 60K+ after bonuses. Hoping to have a TL by the end of the summer. (drive '03 CL-S currently)