Haha, I hung out with the MX-6 / Probe guys. Our cars were slow af but man we had fun.

Then I got a turbo swapped MR2. A teenager should not have that car.

I couldn't even imagine getting that car at that age. Just to give you some perspective on insurance, I am paying 130 a month with a 2000 dollar deductible (I've never had a speeding ticket). With a normal deductible I'm looking at 200+ a month. At your age, these prices will probably be doubled. Also you'll be spending 2-4k a year in gas (US gas prices) or maybe more depending on how much you drive.

Make sure you are financially stable before you buy the car. I waited until I was finished with college. Once I finished my 6 month contract and became a full time employee, I bought the car that week.

Edit: Just saw in your post that you're already aware of insurance costs

Mmmm MR2... God damn those are good looking cars. The guys down the street swap tons of them with the jdm mini van engines.

Here is my old rice mobile.
K20a2 with more mods than i can count.
Its still sitting in the garage and never gets driven...
Attachment 136467

How much do you like cars?
Will you be working on car?
Are you thinking it would be fun to have Sports Car?

You need to be insane about automobiles.Cars need to be your life.Willing to work a second job just for the Z.Wrench on the car late into the night.At your age if you are thinking it would be fun do not buy.

My friends and I have been crazy about cars from an early age.In 1970s when I was 16 owned 70 Chevelle with 396 and posse.I had to sacrifice a lot for that car.At 20 I wrapped car around a tree.Did I get something practical after?Hell no.My next car was 66 Corvette big block.I continue to be like this my whole life.

19?

Buy a slow car mate. You have plenty of time in your life to own quick cars. I'm really glad I wasn't driving something with Z power levels when having overconfident teenage-and-early-20's brain farts.

First off ignore what these people are saying about age or whatever. I’m a firm believer that If you can start making sh*t happen and work for you at a younger age then you’ll keep that mindset/motivation as you progress in life. This is a sub 15k car, it isn’t going to ruin your life if you buy it and have to work a little harder to keep it.

Anyway I bought my first 370z at 19 also. I haaaddd to have it lol. Could have bought it sooner too but I waited till I found the right one. Long story short. It’s a fun first sports car. It’s got an ok amount of power and it handles good stock. I think it’s one of the best sports cars in that price bracket. These cars do have issues. One of the most common ones is the CSC failure. I had it happen to me a couple times and it will leave you stranded. Expect to spend at least $1000 when that happens. Another common issue is the steering lock issue which will also leave you stranded. Next comes the misfire codes here and there that you can try to chase down.

My insurance rates were also high, somewhere in the 3k range. My 2011 Kawasaki zx10r which I had at the same time was $3700 a year LMAO, I still have the receipts for that.. So I was fortunate enough to convince my mom to insure the car. It was only like 120-150 a month with me listed as driver. Hopefully you have parents, grandparents or older siblings that would do the same and trust you enough to insure the car for you.
Paying $4000 a year for insurance on a 15,000 car is stupid. Chances are you won’t make a claim and in 3 years you could have bought another car for what you paid in insurance. I wouldn’t buy it for that reason solely, insurance cost.

I kept my first 370z for two years, it wasn’t fun anymore and it was slow compared to all the newer cars around. So I sold it and found a car with everything I wanted, turbos and a V8 lol. I then bought a BMW M6 Gran Coupe when I was 21. So that “too young for a sports car” crap is bs. My M6 makes around 800hp at the motor and breaks traction at 120mph. I’m 23 now and perfectly fine and safe. You just have to respect the car you drive.

On the bright side, things do get cheaper though. I bought my second, current 370z when I was 22 and the insurance is only like 90 a month for full coverage.

If I were you, I would listen to these guys on the forum. They are a lot older than you and they talk from experience. If you are only 19 and want to get into car payments, specially a 370z, you are going to dig a hole. We live in a society where buying a sports car to show off to your friends is important nowadays. You still in the first year in college, if you are a student, and you are thinking about getting a 370z? lol. Worse investment is buying an used car, especially a 5-7 years old. Get yourself something cheap and decent, worry about finishing school and then you can buy your dream car. I bought my 17 z when I was 24, at the age of 27, I bought my dream car which was a 16 911 s

How will going in debt - for something that is not essential - work for anyone, regardless of age?

If OP were the type to make sh*t happen, s/he wouldn't be asking what to do.

Going into short term temporary debt for something that still holds a value can work for anyone. It’s not like it’s random credit card debt. If the car payments become too much of a hassle he/she can always sell the car. A vehicle can be considered essential. The debt is temporary. If they were able to make due, once they were done with that debt then they would be ahead doing whatever job helped them over come it.

But yeah you’re right, if OP already had that mindset this thread wouldn’t be here.

A vehicle, yes. A 370Z, with its higher price and more expensive maintenance (not to mention limited passenger/cargo capacity), not so much.

I've had various sports/sporty cars over the years but I never put myself in a bind to get one. If money was tight, I got something more pedestrian (ie, cheaper).

I see your point(s) but, going by OP's post, I believe he's not in a position to be taking on unnecessary debt. YMMV

I'll add that it can be more fun to drive slow cars fast, than it is to drive fast cars slow. It can also be nice to own a car that you don't care if it gets door dings or anything.

Honestly I'd have just about as much fun in a Civic. Because cars are fun.

But I have a Z, because dat ***.

The main point of this thread was really to get advice from anyone who had gone from a slowish car to something like the 370z, or from FWD to RWD, and try and get a better understanding of different people's opinion on how the 370z bared as a daily; really what I wanted was a direct comparison between a Celica and a 370z, but figured that was too niche, so came to the forum.

I shouldn't of even put in the first paragraph, but figured since it was my first time posting I'd kinda open up a bit about myself. To explain the insurance, the reason it's a big deterrent for me is the simply fact that it costs so much for something that I may not even use, yet is obligatory. Something about paying 4 grand for some invisible service is just a bit of a joke. (Don't get me wrong though, I'm always going to drive with insurance)

I just think the responses are swaying from the actual questions I asked, just don't think about the financial side of things please, that's for me to worry about.

Also thanks for all the great advice people gave about ride quality, and about how the back can really break loose on these in certain conditions. I'm still planning on getting one, I don't think it'll be impossible to learn to control RWD in a Z, just got to pace myself ;)

Not sure about the American education system, but I've actually finished all my compulsory education, so I'm at full time work now. So technically, I've already got something cheap and decent, I've finished school, and now looking to buy my desired car, hopefully with my dream car coming a few years down the line. I love driving and am buying this car for me, not really to show of to my mates about, although obviously it's a nice feeling to be able to cruise past my friends TT though ;)

I’m not pretending to be Mario Andretti Jr. (I’m showing my age, look him up!) here, but I’ve driven my share of “exotic” cars and I WILL tell you that with the couple of mods I’ve had done made me respect the car.

Short wheel base, mixed with HP, testosterone, adrenaline and inexperience will bite you in the *** every time. It’s pretty much why insurance companies charge a small mortgage!

First thing I did was engage the traction control. Once comfortable with the limits of grip and oversteer, I went to an out of the way parking lot, disengaged the TC and pretty much wasted a set of perfectly good rear tires.

Not to sound like your dad, but you must give respect to get respect. In the words of a much wiser man than me: “a man needs to know his limitations”

So with all that, I say go for it! Other than my Brothers Brand new Vette, there is NOTHING I’d rather be driving. If you take price into consideration, there IS nothing I could be driving!

Didn't read your opening post, I saw 19 and I had a plethora of memories run into my head. I'm at that age where I'm not super young nor super old (27 cough).

I got the Z when I was 25. I always wanted one, didn't want to buy brand new either so I opted for used, since I knew the car was well kept and so forth.

You're 19, sure, with a car like that, picking up women in and around campus would be like shooting fish in a barrel (quality of women will vary, warning). You will be envied by many of your friends and you will be tempted to do stupid crap. Honestly buying a car isn't hard. It's the insurance, maintenance, gas, mods etc.

At your age, I would say chill out. Save that money through out the years. Buy a civic SI or a Corolla manual (both used a few years old), they are reliable (not saying the Z is not, its amazing), good on gas and have back seats. When you get out of Uni/college, go buy a Z. A new one or a used one (do your due diligence when buying).

You don't want to be making car payments at 19 bro. Save that money, You'll thank us later.

BUT if you don't want to listen and just do your own thing, go ahead and buy it.