1995 Mazda MX-5 NA

[vernal tendon]

I'm wondering whether to just go with the flow and make a bad decision of taking a 2 years loan (same rate all the time) to buy one of my dream cars which is an NA Miata which I found in Germany which is a steal for 2500€. Now the problem is my financial situation for now as I'm in no place to buy it full in cash so I need to take a loan to buy it. Total cost of getting it to Poland and register would be around 15k PLN which is close to 4k$. The only thing that I know is wrong with the car is a failed radiator, could be more. Doesn't look rusty or dented on the photos.
Need more opinions on it as my family will for sure try to keep me away from loans. If anyone is wondering I'm 19 yo atm with a stable job that pays 1k$ a month (after tax) for now which will be more in 2027 as I'll get a new contract with a higher position. The monthly payments would be around 250$ which isn't a big deal for my monthly budget but any sudden expenses would be hard to pay as I'd be much closer to living paycheck to paycheck. My monthly expenses that are the same all the time are around 400-450$ which leaves me with some money to spare monthly. Please give me your opinions

[naive urchin]

Thats a tough one. Im definitely an advocate for enjoying life, tbh. Being as frugal as possible only leads to a dull life.

But of course everything in moderation and within reason.

[vernal tendon]

That's my thought as well, I'm suffering with depression for a few years now trying to find something to enjoy about life

[carmine shale]

I wouldn’t risk purchasing this car if you cant afford it, along with issues you mentioned. Zeta brings a good point, but I say consider if you really even need a car at this moment. Patience is a virtue and who knows, 1 or 2 years from now, you could get something even better

[naive urchin]

My car saved my ass, but I will warn you that it can make things worse if you lean on it too hard. The condition of your car becomes tied to your mental health, which is BAD, because cars only break. They do not repair themselves.

[vernal tendon]

I have a reliable daily already but that one isn't fun for me anymore and if I'm to spend money on it later on I'd rather get a better car like that mazda

As I'll need to change injectors in a year or so and they're like 1k in parts alone

[vernal tendon]

I know that's a rabbit hole that I'll go into but I think I can enjoy it more than what I do daily now

[hoary furnace]

You’re talking about getting a 30 year old car, and unfortunately it won’t be a case of “fix a couple things and it’ll be fine for a while.” You will either need to spend serious money and/or effort doing major overhauls on the car, or it will be a constant never ending stream of little things that always need fixed. Great weekend/project car but not something you should be going into debt for if you can’t afford it outright. Nothing worse than having to make payments on a broken car.

[naive urchin]

That is true. I forgot how old an NA miata is

[vernal tendon]

Well can't argue with rational choices, and I know that it won't end in just the radiator. I'm ready to work my ass off on it. But as you said it still comes to the point of "do I want to go into debt to buy a piggy bank car"

[vernal tendon]

Yep it sure is old but my daily is 22 years old by itself so yeah I know what an old car is like I don't expect miracles or anything but just some fun from life even if it'll be pain for a while

[vernal tendon]

Already did that with my daily doing major overhauls system after system (suspension in one go, engine mounts in one go etc.)

[naive urchin]

I went into $14k worth of debt for my dream car so I cannot comment on the debt part

[vernal tendon]

Was it worth it in your opinion?

[naive urchin]

Yes, but it also propelled me into my current career as an auto tech when I previously had zero prospects for what I was doing in life at the age of 21.

It turned me into an auto tech because it kept blowing up because I have really bad luck with aftermarket parts and shitty machinists.

Made me pretty depressed a few times.

[vernal tendon]

That's the neat part I'm already depressed

[vernal tendon]

I still don't know if I want to keep going my IT career or just go around another route

[naive urchin]

I will say though that I was forced to learn to fix it myself through various shitty shops that screwed me over, the cost of said labor, and the fact that it was my only car.

A bit of a trial by fire.

Honestly if I wasn't an automotive diagnostician I'd probably be in IT.

[vernal tendon]

Well it'll be like this

• I know a good mechanic that has decent labor cost
• it's not my only car
• I can register it as an antique for cheaper insurance

Or I could just work on it myself cuz why not if it's something smaller but for bigger stuff just get the mechanic to fix it

[naive urchin]

I was making like 700$ a month when I bought mine and I was paying about 200$ for the car and 150$ for insurance.

I was.. not smart about that, considering I had a running and driving car.

[vernal tendon]

I think I'll just go with the flow and get it as a second car and try to get it registered as an antique or smth

I know that many people will hate me for this decision as it's not wise or anything but that's just what I want to do for myself

[naive urchin]

Hey man, people do dumber things for worse reasons. I dont think it's wise to save every penny and live frugally and with no joy for a far distant future that no one is truly guaranteed.

Good decisions lie somewhere in the middle.

[hoary furnace]

At the end of the day it’s not a ton of debt, this is definitely less risky than taking out $20k for a sketchy BMW or something

[vernal tendon]

Yeah