Money for cars

[Godlaus]

This is a question for anyone with a job who earns the money they put into or buying their cars. Teenagers who work at Wal-Mart may also respond.

How do you go about affording your car? I'm doing the math for my apartment when high school ends, and I will have hardly enough money to pay for the gas going into my LS1. And I only paid for half of that car after saving for 6 months.

Granted, I only make 20 grand a year (17 years old here), but other people have things like families to feed, and rent to pay, and houses to pay off, groceries to buy (which I just figured out cost a hell of a lot more than I though) and kids to put through college. So how do YOU guys pay for your cars?

[Sweeney921]

you make $20K yearly and you're the same age as me? I wanna work where you work.

[baddabang]

Well its not like at 17 you need a brand spanking new car. At 16 I got a shit box corscia. That died so My dad helped me get my blazer. ITs almost entirly payed off and its not really that bad on gas. So by the time I start college Ill just be paying insurance.

[Godlaus]

you make $20K yearly and you're the same age as me? I wanna work where you work.

I work at target in the state with the nation's highest minimum wage (7.60 in January), and I've gotten a few raises.

My plan is to get an ASE student certification in these coming weeks and get a job at midas/A&M/Jiffy Lube/Shucks/etc, and make around $15-$25/hour.

But, I'll probably be paying for a lot in my apartment (food, rent, misc things, nights out, football games), and that leaves little money that I get from 20 working hours a week (going to school forces a part-time job) to tune the LS1. And I'd still be paying it off. The car only costs 12 grand, but money is tight for me, so I'm curious how the other memebers of this forum pay off their needs, and their wants.

[taz_rocks_miami]

On 20 grand a year your not gonna have money for many extras if you live on your own. As you get older, your first priority should be to get a college degree and get better paying jobs as time goes by. 20 grand a year is good for a 17 year old. But to answer your question in a straight forward maner, dude you're gonna have to make more money.

[h00t_h00t]

Share your apartment with someone, your rent and power bills halve instantly!

[whiteballz]

now im no fiscal genious, but..

#1) priorotise into needs vs's wants.
#2) organise your money, allot an ammount per month/paycheck that goes to the needs, vs's the wants.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

I stick away 20 bucks a week from my paycheck so I can afford what I want later.

Saving for laptop or car.

[Spastik_Roach]

I stick away 20 bucks a week from my paycheck so I can afford what I want later.

Saving for laptop or car.

Exactly what I wanna do

[Godlaus]

On 20 grand a year your not gonna have money for many extras if you live on your own. As you get older, your first priority should be to get a college degree and get better paying jobs as time goes by. 20 grand a year is good for a 17 year old. But to answer your question in a straight forward maner, dude you're gonna have to make more money.

But the thing is that as you get older, and start to rake in more cash, you're looking at more expenses also. Do you have a family to feed? How about a house to pay? Or how about college tuition to pay off? Health insurance?

See, I don't have to worry about these things, and money's still tight for me, so I'm curious for those of you who are over 25, and make less than 80 grand a year, how do you afford your cars? Is it just that you guys aim 4-5 years down the line? I realized as I wrote this that I only aimed 6 months down the line for buying the LS1. Does it just take patience to buy a nice car and still pay off what needs to be paid off?.

[KELSA]

my theory is if you need money, make more rather than save more.

the reality is there is always a limit to how much you can save, but there is no limit to how much you can make.

of course, manage and planning your money is important too. i personally won't buy a house if i know i won't able to pay it back within 10 years, won't buy a car if i can't buy it with cash out right (i will eventually finance it to keep my cash flow).

what i'm saying is don't look what you can do in the next 6 month, rather try to have a plan of your life in the next 6 years. like a blue print, step by step try to get there. life is short, make sure you know what you want! (and i'm not just saying a car, but life itself)

[my porsche]

alright so how do I, a 14 almost 15 year old, make money? im going to apply to a job, but where do you guys think i will have the best chance of making a lot of money

[h00t_h00t]

At your age, you are limited in the jobs you can do (or atleast, you would be in Britain) selling something over the internet is popular, don't ask me what to sell, if I knew I'd be doing it.

[shr0olvl]

alright so how do I, a 14 almost 15 year old, make money? im going to apply to a job, but where do you guys think i will have the best chance of making a lot of money

You can work at Krogers when your 15 for $5.25 an hour.

[scottie300z]

How much is rent on the apartment going to be? A friend i used to work w/ used to pay all her bills apartment w/ roommate, car and all when getting paid 6.50 and hour. Surely its not living the rich life, but if i got 20 grand a year, i could budget that really nice.