Buying a fully built car for Daily Driver?

Question

Hello,
I am currently in love with cars. Unfortunally I bought a 2012 AUTOMATIC Scion Tc as my main car. I currently work full time making $8.00 an hour as a mechanic until about 6 months from now when I decide to become a store manager or go into the Army as a Mechanic and then open my own shop afterwards.

Right now I drive the 2012 Scion TC with a full 8 year extended warrenty. But being a car guy im completely unsatisfied with the slowness and the fact it is automatic.

I am planning on selling my Scion and buying a 1991 300ZX Twin Turbo FULLY BUILT with 15k miles on the new motor. Its 505HP to the wheels. It was built by a reputable company. This guy is selling it cheap for $12k because he just purchased a Nissan GT-R and his 300 isn't a head turner anymore to him. I will list the mods below. But what do you think of having this car as a daily driver? How worried do I need to be at $8.00 an hour to have something possibly break on this car?


LIST OF MODS

- block cleaned and bored
- wiseco 88mm 9.0-1 comp pistons
- eagle Hbeam connecting rods
- ACL race main and rod bearings
- cometic metal head gaskets
- na oil squirters
- greddy td04h twin turbo kit
- 800cc injectors
- tuned on NIStune
- large concept z side mount intercoolers
- 58mm throttle bodies
- pop charger
- greddy electronic boost controller
- one piece steel driveshaft
- fidanza 11lb flywheel
- rps stage 4 clutch
- braided turbo lines
- full dual 2 1/2 exhaust to greddy mufflers
- hicas delete bar
- 19" wheels with great tires
- carbon fiber rear hatch
- carbon fiber hood
- carbon fiber wing
- entire interior redone in suede and carbon fiber looking material
- 2 12" subwoofers with amp in enclosures
- 2 air fuel ratio gauges and 1 boost gauge in pillar pod
- drilled and slotted brake rotors front and rear
- full body kit
- lightweight engine pulley kit
- non turbo power steering pump
- mishimoto aluminum radiator
- H.I.D headlights and foglights


Car was tuned and Dynoed at 505whp and 536wtq

Answer 1

The car sounds like a great car. But it's had a lot of work done to it and it's probably a very fast car.



Let's set tickets and insurance aside for a minute. A 500 HP car is a blast to drive - under the right conditions. I've driven a Porsche 911 that makes half that and because those cars are so well tuned and well built, they're amazing to drive.



But you're talking about a daily driver. The whole reason you build, or buy, a car like that is so that you can really wind it out and hear the engine scream. Using it as a daily driver, you will be MORE frustrated, because you'll never get to hear that noise. You'll constantly be shifting before the engine has a chance to make any power, which means you won't enjoy your commute and your gas mileage will suck. The car is a great car, I'm sure, but even a Charger R/T wouldn't make a good commuter car. In traffic the car always wants to stretch its legs, and you never have the room to let it.



The reason I bought a Mustang V6 instead of a GT is because our traffic around here sucks. The V6 has plenty of guts to make the 30-70 MPH sprint fun, and it doesn't have so much power that I constantly feel like I'm pulling on the reins.

Answer 2

That's a sweet ride!

However at 8 an hour you have a whole lot of other demands on your paycheck!

Have you saved enough to Pay cash for it???



The best possible car for you to buy is one that you can pay cash for. Period. It is less expensive to maintain and repair a used vehicle than it is to make payments and pay interest on a new one.



And by all means never ever Fleece (Lease) any vehicle for personal use – the actual costs are far higher than that of financing and at the end of the lease you will have nothing – except the likely hood of a massive over mileage charge and excessive wear and damage charges.



Even worse than a fleece are the “Buy Here – Pay Here” lots which will give you a nice low weekly payment on a car they are selling for usually twice the fair market value at an interest rate that would make any loan shark smile, on a note that will enslave you for the next 5 years at least on a car which is almost guaranteed to die in 2 years or less!



It is far more cost effective to purchase and maintain a used vehicle and save the difference for a newer and nicer vehicle a couple of years down the road. An older vehicle will also save you money in the form of lower insurance costs too!



Avoid the clutches of the predatory lenders – Buy Cash, Pay Cash. Live Cash and build real wealth.

Answer 3

He is selling it that cheap because it is breaking him for repairs. These hot cars break easy and even just a brake job costs over a grand. You have a very good reliable car now that will run for years with few if any repairs needed. You are thinking of buying something that will need $2,000 to $4,000 a year in maintenance. On an $8 an hour salary.



Go ahead if you like but this is not a good idea. Cars like that are hobby cars, NOT a daily driver.

Answer 4

This sounds like a very cool car, but for a daily driver, not so much. With so many mods and custom work done on it, it will not be reliable enough to be a daily driver. You need to be a mechanic to practically own a car like this. You won't be able to take the car to normal repair shops or dealers to get things fixed. This is kind of car that rich car enthusiasts buy, to drive on weekends.



You have to ask yourself, why is this guy REALLY selling this car for only $12K when you know he has much more than that in it. My bet it that already has problems that he doesn't want to fix.

Answer 5

1

Answer 6

Where's this 300ZX? Ima go buy it out from under you so you don't have to worry about it.

Answer 7

your insurance will cost you more than you make