need some serious, unbias advice

before i start my "dilemma", i know the decision is ultimately what i want, but im torn between two options....

so ive had my tacoma for 2 years now, love it. very reliable. however, i do not use it as a "truck" that much. i currently owe 17k on it and have been saving up some money.

now, the new 5.0 mustang is out and i want one sooo bad. ive drove one around and love it so much. it has a lot more features, and gets way better mpg than my truck. so now im stuck between doing the "responsible, mature" thing and keep my truck knowing it will serve me well 5 years down the road. or do the "fun" thing and get a car ive wanted since i was a kid. now, this is not to say the mustang will not serve me well in 5 years either

my payments would go up by about $40 a month, insurance by about $30. plus ill take a big chunk out of what ive saved up to use as a down payment. i can easily afford it though.

so im stuck, do the responsible thing and keep the truck which is reliable. or should i just be a normal 22 year old single guy and get a sports car. ill be getting the extended 7 year 100k bumper to bumper warranty with it so im covered there. i know either way ill regret what ive done. if i keep the truck ill say man i wish id bought the gt. if i get the gt ill say man i miss the truck.

as for weather, i have a 93 corolla to drive if the weather is too bad. thing is, i really dont use the truck as much as i would to really NEED it. no kids, no camper, no boat. ive used the bed to haul something maybe 3 times, and 4wd only one month.

so help me out guys, and please dont say "tacoma is the greatest and nothing else." i understand these trucks are great, but lets think more about my situation than just "TACOMA TACOMA TACOMA"

 

hey man if you can afford it and its what you like, i say go for it.
you can always get another taco, if you miss it that bad.

 

subbed

sorry i have no advice, but i'm almost in this exact position-- i wanted a tacoma for the driving comfort, yet i've always wanted a mustang. when the time came to buy a new car last year, i didn't think a mustang would make a good daily driver

one thing i am contemplating, however, is getting a cheap fox body and building it up

good luck with whatever you choose

 

thats kinda along the lines im thinking. right now is the prime time to own a sport car. im single, no kids, and all that. in the future if i get married, settle down, have kids or whatever i can get a tacoma.

however, if i keep the truck, i cant exactly get a mustang gt whenever i want to in the future if i have kids, house payment, or what not.

 

It all comes down to what you really want and need. Being young and having no kids helps keep your decision open. No back seat room? No biggie. Everyone needs a truck at some point(moving,TV's etc). I never had a truck before my Taco, but always wanted one. Ive had sports cars(Z-28,souped up Regal) and luxury cars (Acuras) and Ive now had my taco for a year. I dont miss the cars at all. Once in a while I miss some of the luxury items, especially heated seats and mirrors,climate control etc, but I would never go back. I simply love my truck. If youre unsure, sit on it for a little while. You will come to the right decision.

 

The thing about a truck is you dont think you'll miss it, but once its gone, you'll quickly realize that you can no longer do even minor things any longer. No options to haul the lawn mower to get fixed or pick up even a medium sized appliance. Even getting a snow shovel or a bag of salt has turned into a hassle. Furniture? forget it unless its a folding chair.

Thats just my opinion of being on the other side of the fence and not having a truck available to me for most of my life.

Also, I'm one of those thats completely against owing money, so if it was me in the same situation, I'd be more worried about what I currently owe than trying to bury myself further in debt.

 

5.0 Mustang bro! If its what you want, get it. I would almost not even factor in the money. Yeah, its not the most responsible/mature thing to do, but sometimes you gotta give yourself something.


Not trying to thread jack, but I'm looking at buying an 1198S. $22,000 bucks. I could totally use that money for something better, but hey, if its what you want and you got the money, I say go for it.

 

ditch the corrolla and keep both the tacoma and mustang The other option is to keep the truck because you'll take a big hit on the trade as well as your increased payments, insurance, etc. You can then get a mustang later in life when it's more affordable and the kids are out of the house.

 

get what you want. Personelly as long as i can drive I will never not own a truck. I dont see how people can be without one. I am always needing to haul or move something. My brother-n-law sold his truck and bought a little honda civic and expects someone (me or father-n-law) to go and haul things for him. I refused and pissed him off. Dont really care I have 2 trucks....LOL. You dont really hear of people needing to borrow a car like they do trucks.

 

Life is too short and you can't take it with you, so go for it. Make yourself happy. Hell, if you get to missing a truck, you can swing down and take mine for spin. Go 'Eers!!

 

life is a chess game!

 

I'd take a look at your financial situation closely and make sure you can really afford it. Things to consider, you're young, but not that young, do you want a house anytime soon, still living at home, have an apartment, steady income, etc. Like you said, you're young and should have fun and enjoy what you drive. I'd give everything another look and if it makes sense, I say go for it!

 

That was my first thought, too... maybe pawn a few other things to be able to afford both.

You've had the truck and know what it's like should you want to get another one. Once you get settled/married with kids around it'll be too late to get the Mustang, unless you wait until you're 50... get it now but be prepared to sell it off later once it too proves to be impractical (car seats, groceries, landscaping stuff). At that point maybe you'll be back for another Tacoma.

Or, alternatively, hook up with someone who has a Tacoma... problem solved!

 

X2!

 

Keep the truck. Wait on the Mustang. It just came out that engine did it not? I'd give it a year or two so they can work out the kinks. Even Toyota had issues with the first year Tacomas and Tundras.

Maybe start a slush fund for the 'Stang and go from there. Even though you really don't use the truck as a truck. You're not going to save more in gas than you would lose on the trade in of that truck. And if you're getting the 5.0 you definitely won't be driving on fuel saving mode, so you'll lose more then.

Save your money. Buy a house. Find some chick who will put up with your shit long enough to fuck you and then buy one.

 

Wow thanks for all the input. To answer some questions...

Its gonna cost me between $90-$100 extra a month (insurance and payments) than what the tacoma amd corolla are costing me now. Im currently bringing home $2600 a month without OT, with OT it can reach $5000+ a month. Im paying rent, but i would like to own a home in the next 2 years.

I do plan on getting an old pickup eventually to replace my car. But ive seriously needed the bed 3 times in 2 years and i chose that option, wasnt mandatory.

I agree, i dont see myself getting one 5 or more years.from now as i should be married and ready for kids. And i can always trade it in for a truck in the future. Just wanna know im not being totally ignorant with my money.

 

But then you can have a reason. "I'm having a mid-mid life crisis! I need a sports car!"

 

Im 1 year older than you. I was in the exact same position that you are 1 year ago. Only difference was that I needed the Tacoma for my job. If I had another job, I would have gotten a sports car.

Yo are young. Really, really young. Id say get the car. When the time comes and you need a bigger vehicle, enough time will have passed that you can just get a Tacoma or whatever and still have the prize (sports car) you got when you were young.

Also. You can sell the Corolla and get an old Toyota truck. I say old Toyota truck because of actually reliability.

 

Life is short. Play hard. Have fun.

But... if you're looking to be a homeowner I would say to be reasonable and do what will save you more money. This would seem to lead to keeping the Tacoma. Ultimately it's your hard earned money and you should do what you feel is best for you. I wouldn't count OT funds as your regular income. Base your budget on what your base income is. OT is just a plus.