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08087
07-28-2011, 05:17 PM
OK the house has been bought, all modifications made and I'm back on track saving towards my Delorean. I've got about 5K saved and am saving another $100 per week specifically for this purchase. Normally I prefer to buy cash in hand but if the perfect Delorean came along I'd rather not pass on it (what do you think?).

I have no problem waiting another 4 yrs. until I've got the est. 20-25K needed for my car so time is not an issue.

What am I looking for you ask?

Any late 81' through 82' car, must have Grey int., 5 speed, working updated A/C, no dents or dings, no accidents, no rust on frame, seats and interior in good condition, all normal updates/upgrades, i.e. fuel system, locks/window switches etc...

Would like but not absolutely needed: Grooved hood, no gas flap, Stage I or II, ebach suspension (spelling).

I'm sure I'm leaving out many details so don't hold back with questions and or comments. I won't over pay for a car but there’s nothing wrong with paying a fair price for a car that has been well cared for.

Ideas, opinions, suggestions all welcome!

08087
07-28-2011, 05:54 PM
Should I have posted this in the Cars for sale/wanted heading? If so I'll repost.

TheDutchTexan
07-29-2011, 04:51 PM
I'd wait personally. Besides, once you buy you also need to maintain. Check my "obtain o meter" sig for instance. That does not entail my full savings. It is the amount of money I currently have to toss away. Almost 1/3rd of a DeLorean! Otherwise I would be close to the 2/3rd mark.

Makes one happy, almost 2/3rds! but wait a minute!

Being a familyman and owning my own house I can not simply utilize all my savings. If shit hits the fan, you need to be able to cushion that. And that shit will also include your new DeLorean when you own it. If something goes south horribly I want to be able to get a flatbed, take it to Houston (Plano TX here, so Houston is closest to me) and let them sort it out so it runs again. I don't want an idle car in my garage.

I would not advise loaning money for a car that is just for fun. But I am of a mindset that if you can't pay cash, you should not buy at all. And that mindset is not for all.

The deals are out there, I see them every day. But I am sure they will remain out there for the years to come. Especially if the administration stays the same. The economy isn't out of the funk yet. When it starts to improve dramatically beware, that is when the classic car market booms... And that will undoubtedly include a nice price hike for the DeLorean we want so...

And since we are on the topic of ideal DMC12:
- July 81 builddate (same as me)
- Grooved hood (don't know if they had the feul filler cap at that date still)
- 5 Speed
- Black interior preffered, but gray is fine too
It needs to run, it needs to look fine, it needs to be reliable. Hence my 100% being 30k...

08087
07-29-2011, 07:11 PM
I'd wait personally. Besides, once you buy you also need to maintain. Check my "obtain o meter" sig for instance. That does not entail my full savings. It is the amount of money I currently have to toss away. Almost 1/3rd of a DeLorean! Otherwise I would be close to the 2/3rd mark.

Makes one happy, almost 2/3rds! but wait a minute!

Being a familyman and owning my own house I can not simply utilize all my savings. If shit hits the fan, you need to be able to cushion that. And that shit will also include your new DeLorean when you own it. If something goes south horribly I want to be able to get a flatbed, take it to Houston (Plano TX here, so Houston is closest to me) and let them sort it out so it runs again. I don't want an idle car in my garage.

I would not advise loaning money for a car that is just for fun. But I am of a mindset that if you can't pay cash, you should not buy at all. And that mindset is not for all.

The deals are out there, I see them every day. But I am sure they will remain out there for the years to come. Especially if the administration stays the same. The economy isn't out of the funk yet. When it starts to improve dramatically beware, that is when the classic car market booms... And that will undoubtedly include a nice price hike for the DeLorean we want so...

And since we are on the topic of ideal DMC12:
- July 81 builddate (same as me)
- Grooved hood (don't know if they had the feul filler cap at that date still)
- 5 Speed
- Black interior preffered, but gray is fine too
It needs to run, it needs to look fine, it needs to be reliable. Hence my 100% being 30k...

How long have you been saving? Just wondering if your at a faster pace then I am. Your right about having money around if the car goes south and needs repairs. The time will fly by I'm sure and like you said the economy isn't changing anytime soon.

Thanks for the reply, I'll be looking for awhile and while I dream it'll be tuff but worth the wait. (I hope)

TheDutchTexan
07-30-2011, 01:27 AM
I was saving for a while, had the money, and then bought a house and added a baby daughter to the mix. I thought I was cured of wanting a DMC, and now it started up again. I've been adding to our savings since I bought the house in the end of 2009. I actually save at a slower pace than you do as I have to get my main accounts up for the huge expenses of the year so I don't touch the savings (2x car insurance, 1x homeowner and the big one, 1x property tax).

But once I hit that tipping point, where savings becomes gravy, that is when I make the leaps. Which might only be for a few months. I run my finances like an accountant would. Next years tax return should be bigger as I got a daughter to claim as dependent. Funny thing is that in the end, she isn't really costing us much more. We don't go out to dinner once a week anymore, don't have monthly spending sprees... We are about at the same level as last year on a regular month to month basis. Slightly worse for the year though, since the delivery did cost a grand, and co-pay for doctors another 500 and the crib etc another 1000. That's a cool 8% of a DeLorean right there... Not that a DeLorean would ever top my daughter. A strange thing, this parental pride is...

At the clip I am saving right now it would take me 17 years to get there. But when I hit the tipping point for the year I'll squeeze every dollar into savings. I doubt I'll hit 40% this year though. It has been a tough one financially. But I keep at it, adding and adding. I'll get there. And so shall you.

I could reach my savings goal as soon as 3 years from now, and as far as 6 if the market "under-performs"... Hahaha!

But if I where to get a 9/5 job that pays better... OH SNAP! One can always dream...

08087
07-30-2011, 03:13 PM
Not sure what you do or how old you are but our stories parallel one another’s to a certain extent. I had all the money I needed for my Delorean and then some, but a house for my wife (we had been in the market for 10 years) was paramount. Just short of 1 year ago we adopted our daughter (now 19 months) and the house we (she) dreamed about came up on the market and finally at a price we could afford. After baby expenses (legal fees, furniture, etc.) 20% down on the home, upgrades (another 70K) I found my Delorean way behind in the rearview mirror of my Toyota! Started saving again a couple/few of months back and am on track to drive my little girl to her first day of school in a Delorean! I bet all the other kids will want to be her friend Lol!

TheDutchTexan
07-30-2011, 04:02 PM
I unfortunately work retail and just turned 30. I keep a tight ship on my finances, and that is the sole reason I can save at all. I make a few bucks above the federal minimum wage mind you, but it is still non manager retail pay. It is far to easy for me to live paycheck to paycheck if I don't pay attention.

But it is all I have ever known, so it comes natural. It would be nice to increase my pay a few bucks an hour. And lord knows I have been trying to move elsewhere to do so. (not to mention getting Monday to Friday back, working weekends sucks).

I never even thought of taking my daughter to school in a DeLorean for her first day. That would be very awesome indeed. All the kids will think her dad is balling in his "Lamborghini". I'll have to instruct her to slap those kids and tell them it is a DeLorean, way cooler than a Lamborghini...

08087
07-30-2011, 05:21 PM
I unfortunately work retail and just turned 30. I keep a tight ship on my finances, and that is the sole reason I can save at all. I make a few bucks above the federal minimum wage mind you, but it is still non manager retail pay. It is far to easy for me to live paycheck to paycheck if I don't pay attention.

But it is all I have ever known, so it comes natural. It would be nice to increase my pay a few bucks an hour. And lord knows I have been trying to move elsewhere to do so. (not to mention getting Monday to Friday back, working weekends sucks).

I never even thought of taking my daughter to school in a DeLorean for her first day. That would be very awesome indeed. All the kids will think her dad is balling in his "Lamborghini". I'll have to instruct her to slap those kids and tell them it is a DeLorean, way cooler than a Lamborghini...

Your still young as compared with me, I'm 48 so by my standard you've got plenty of time on your side. Don't worry about working weekends soo much, in all my days I've never had a weekend off. Owned my own business (7 days per week), worked as a manager in Dunkin Donuts (thurs off except when Thanksgiving came) now a sup for a rail road that runs 24/7 and I still work weekends.

I've always found that you (any person) will live up to their respective income. Also keep in mind income level depends allot of cost of living in your area. Where I am in NJ you could never by a home making slightly more than minimum. we have 2 incomes and it still took most of our savings. the avg. home is running about 350-450K, property taxes run 5-15K per yr. here.

TheDutchTexan
07-31-2011, 02:56 AM
Here in Texas houses are cheap, we got a 2000sqft one in the 150k range. Tax is around 3.5k Still, we put a 1/3rd downpayment on it, and blammo, gone money we saved. Well, not all, but mostly.

Between us both working retail and all the bills we don't have a lot of money left. We get paid every two weeks, and luck has it our companies are not on one week. So every week there is a paycheck. Makes it real easy to keep track of things.

And I might have some years to burn, but I am not is a great position. I need to get more feelers out, need to get out of retail. I could handle it as a second job, easy. Because I can always flip them the bird and leave. But having it as a main job... it blows. Luckily I am more logistical, I do not do cash registers. And that right there, is the sole reason I can work retail. Cashiers get a whole other level of crap bestowed upon them. I don't take that well. Short fuse. But I still get the occasional costumer that seems hell bent on getting me written up. And it's those that want me to get the f*ck out of retail. Not to mention the never ending closing shifts, I have a life after work you know. And somehow I can never get anything done before work. The knowledge that I have to work ruins it for me.

9-5 has so many positives. I can cook, I can go out with friends, provide a stable base for myself, my wife and my daughter when she goes to school. My wife works retail too, but she is actually treated fairly, with 2 opening, 1 mid and 2 closing shifts.