Hi everyone,

I've been a member here since the very beginning and was looking forward to ordering a Cayman for fun and DE events later this year.

I had a 9 year old Audi A4 that was my first car and was purchased new. I've been all over the place in it and participated in several DE events. I was planning to hang onto it for family hauling and bad weather/winter usage.

Well, last Saturday I hit a patch of black ice and kissed a guardrail on the right side and resulted in a big scrape and dented fender. I was by myself and 250 miles from home. Winter tires and Quattro were useless. I pulled the fender out and was able to get home. The only issue was that I needed to tilt the steering wheel a bit to keep it going straight.

The bodyshop stopped counting after $8700 in estimated repairs and my insurance totaled it with a $10K check. The car only had 44K miles!

http://www.pbase.com/pistolpete13/doh

I've been in a fog since then alternating between extreme anger and replaying the turn over and over in my head.

At this point I don't know what to do now! There is no sedan out there that is remotely interesting to me and I'll be damned if I'm going to buy something I don't want. I've been walking and taking the bus to get around for now and do so indefinitely (yeah, it gives me time to think about my stupidity).

The only options I can think of now if I want to keep my dream of getting a Cayman is

1. Lease a car for 4 years for under <$350 a month and get the Cayman(cash).

or

2. Buy a nice sedan ($45K) and kiss the Cayman goodbye.

3. Say screw it and not get a car for a few years.

4. Buy both a new sedan and Cayman and have over $120K in depreciating assets sitting in the driveway.

Unfortunately I really am dead set against getting anything used for personal reasons.

Of course I don't even know what my insurance rates will look like after this! After 9 years of no accidents or tickets and this happens. I wouldn't be surprised if they decide to drop me. I was by myself and no one else was involved. How much $$$ did the insurance company lose and paying my $10K? The Audi was still prefect inside and the engine was fine. Does a car like that get parted out or just crushed?

The problem is that I don't have a car for normal use anymore and a 2-seat Cayman can't be that all around family, grocery getter and winter car.

So are there other options I haven't thought of? I know, I probably need to see a shrink and have my head examined, things could be a lot worse.

I've always been fiscally very conservative but this situtation has gotten me to the point of think about spending the money for two new cars that won't even get used during the week.

Thanks for any advice!
-Pete

Maybe revisit the bias against "Used" for a short time. There are good finds out there to be had and you had a used one before the crash so you probably will not be any worse off.

Unfortunately I purchased the Audi new...

It just doesn't feel right to "buy" something that I don't really car about and am being forced into.

I never understood the details of leasing, but I'll probably put < 7K miles a year on it. I don't have a business that I can use as a deduction. Maybe I need to calm down before I commit to a lease.

But the crashed Audi was "used" by the time you finished it off even if you purchased it new. So in reality you can get back to the same space buying used (might even find something better than what you had with a little luck and work).

Pistol Pete,

I don't like to buy used either. Take the 10K and with a few more $ buy a new Honda Acoord or even the new Civic. Great transportation, good grocery getter, safe, good gas milage, good resale and fits in any crowd. It's sensible. Then buy the Cayman and enjoy. Best of both worlds.

You are someone who keeps their car a long time, what you need is a dependable daily driver (Acura TL or Infiniti G35) and there you will shell out about ~$35,000. Then you should find an independent bank that will do a 7,500 - 10,000 mile \ year lease with you for a short term at a favorable rate and just enjoy the car as your second driver... Go for 27 months and you probably won't even need a regular service visit, just uninhibited enjoyment and no worries of depreciation on the Cayman. - SS

I concur. I drive a 2004 Honda Accord. Used you could get one for $12 to $15,000. It's been trouble free daily transportation. Then, get the Cayman and enjoy!

__________________
Papa in Austin

"be young, be foolish, but be happy!"

2007 Speed Yellow Cayman S

There's nothing wrong with used. We're considering a used FX35 right now and it's in good condition. It's 50% of its value brand new.

Depreciation is the killer if you're buying new. I'd rather sacrifice a couple of years with used and then have enough to have a new or used Cayman S.

Hard to give sound advise without more background information:
Do you have family, how many in a car?
Where do you live, is winter conditions a problem?

Evidently you don't need a car (bike and bus seem to do it). I would suggest getting a Cayman. In case you need more room once in a while, rent a car/SUV that fits the bill. A lot cheaper than having a car on standby. One less parking spot to worry about as well.

Just my 2 cents.

CP

Have you taken a look at the Subaru Legacy LGT? You can probably get one new for $27k and a very nice used one for about $21k. It's all wheel drive with 250hp. This was the car I had before I sold it for the CS. I kind of wished I had kept it but I needed something with a little better fuel economy.

If you have any questions about it, feel free to shoot me a PM.

Good luck!
-Moto

I will take a used Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, Saab, or Volvo any time. I actually will take a late '90s E-class with 430 and up with 80K miles and still be able to get another 100K out of it without spending crazy money on maintenace.
With the Porsche, Audi, and Mercedes you are much more likely to get a car that has been maintained 10X better than any Honda/Toyota will ever dream to be.

__________________

'07 Porsche Cayman S: de-snorked... more mods to come. '05 Dodge Magnum RT: catback, high-flow cats, custom intake, projector headlights, SC FlashPaq... and on and on.
Blog: leanstartups.com

If you must get new, get something sensible and something that retains its value well. Honda comes to mind and is relatively cheap (Civic). I don't think a lease is a good thing because you will just be out that money at the end of the lease.