A rediculously hard decision...
 

Hey guys, i need some help/advice on a situation involving my Z. Im expecting a child soon, and the Z which only has 2 seats is going to make it difficult for me because ill have to purchase anothee car since theres 3 ppl. So i got to looking around and the new 5.0 has caught my eye alot. But i love my Z and how much more uncommon it is to be seen, at least where i live. But given the situation and the choice between keeping my Z and buying something else with a backseat, which will make it harder on me financially, or going with a 2013 5.0 where i have a backseat and is still a nice sports car, is my horrible debate. :( help? lol

Keep Z buy something with 4 doors for super cheap. I dont think you will be happy getting the kid in and out of a baby seat let alone a newborn in ANY car with less than 4 doors. Plus kids spill **** and **** stuff up.

Sounds like a good idea! Im just new to becoming a parent and i just didnt want to find myself in a financial crisis, although im very attached to my Z. I was looking at other alternatives and getting other opinions besides just looking at it from my perspective. Thanks for replying so quickly!

No prob. Save around $500, plunk it down and finance the rest on a cheap accord or civic with a straight body and clean engine bay that some grandma or old lady has been driving for a long time. Find them all the time on craigs, well maybe not the civics, but the accords are a dime a dozen. Payments will only be around $100 at most spread over 4 years, if need be drag it over 6 and get an even lower payment for the time being, and then when you have some extra cash put it towards paying it off early as possible, preferably before the kid comes into the world if you can, that way the finished car payment can go towards dipars.

Save the Z for taking the boss lady out for a good dinner to make her feel sexy while riding in it and the dinner/movie to show her that you still want to have that you and her special time in your life.

Others will say just dump the Z, but if you can afford a little more plus the kid, get a cheap beater so you can still have some you and the boss lady time while the babysitter is watching the kid.

Yes, that sounds alot more logical then the way i had it going in my head. But that definitely sounds like the way to go. I would never want to give up my Z, only if i had to for something like this. Which is why i was going to try and "settle" for something else. It should all work out though if i can start doing like you said, before the newborn comes.

Keep the baby seat in the beater and only drive it when you absolutely need to so as to not wear it out anymore than needed and just log miles on the Z and enjoy it. If you need to pick a 2nd job a night or 2 a week just to make the payment on it. You can make it work.

Yea, im working right now as a matter of fact. 4pm-4am Monday-Thursday, its not too bad. But i have a feeling if i keep everything straight and manage my money right, i'll be just fine. Just a little worried/stressed i guess, lol.

Kids take money to raise....they get sick, need medicine, regular doctor visits, dentists, vaccinations, day care, babysitters, ca seats...yadayada if it stresses you out then get the 5.0 with cloth seats. Plus you will have to insure two cars, and keep two cars running if you get a beater...which do take money to repair for tires, timing belts, brakes, alternators....I agree that CL cars are cheap..but they have their own issues too. When you have kids you have to give up some things, that's just how it goes.

c63 amg.... :stirthepot:

I love my mustang, but no way I am getting a kid in and out of the backseat.


Get something with 4 doors. If you can't afford something save to drive the kid in, sell the z. If you can, enjoy it on weekend.

GTR, 4 seats, AWD, big boot, nuff said.

If you think a managing a child seat in a 5.0 will be easy you're sorely mistaken. IMO, if you need a car that can haul kids around, get a real four door. No breaking your back trying to reach in to a nonexistent back seat like you have to do with a two door coupe.

Also, if you're expecting a kid don't do anything to make your finances more difficult. The kid alone is going to cost you a fortune.

The obvious solution is a CTS-V. :p

How about an FRS. You need a bigger car to seriously run kids around in. 4 doors makes it easier.

Good luck all the way around.

You can fit children in the hatch of a 370z at least into their early teen years. I don't see the issue :bowrofl:

Hang on as long as you can but if it really is a stretch financially, you'll have to sell the Z :(

I have a 10 month old, luckily wife has an SUV and I actually just had to pick up a 3rd car (09 VW Golf City as a winter beater/daycare mobile on a short term lease takeover)

The Z is kind of an inconvenience but wife is staying positive lol. I gotta work a bit harder to justify that 3rd car for us lol.

I have to agree though, I think getting the kids into the back seat of a two seater will grow old vey fast. Wife had a 328 XI sedan before and it was annoying getting him into the back...so she got an X5 now.

Doesn't mean I still wouldn't do it just so I could still drive a sporty car ;) lol

Your kid comes first. There are plenty of sporty four doors around. You remind me of this commercial.

From someone who has been there and done that, this is Pro advice. :tup:

Maybe it's just me, but I don't want to be rolling around with my kid in a cheap beater.

:iagree:

When I was young, all my parents could afford were cheap beaters. I see nothing wrong with it, as long as they're properly maintained.

Was there a $40k sports car parked next to the $1k beater?

If that's all you can afford then yeah, there's really no other option. But when you can afford to own a $30k+ sports car I think it's a little bit of a different story.

I think we went through this with one of our OGs. Originally he was looking for beater sedans but finally decided it'd be best to sell his 370Z for a G sedan. So he gets a fun, reliable sport sedan and the kid gets a safe ride.

To each his own, though.

OP. I hear silver wrx's located in VA owned by a former member that had a red zed are good to haul your kids around. Sell the Z and pick up this baby ;)

That's not the point. The point is that my folks drove me around in beater cars, and we were perfectly fine. Even when they did break down, we made due.

The reliability of, say, an Isuzu Amigo, is not effected positively or negatively by its proximity to a more expensive automobile.

I just went through this. my wife is nice enough to let me keep the z even though I don't use the car for anything other than racing and my 2 miles commute. I ended up buying her a nice suv to compensate for it. I guess the good news is that I can drive the car more as I will have snow tires on it

Yes, but the reasonableness of rolling around in an older, unreliable, less safe vehicle is directly correlated to your financial means.


Choosing to slap your kid in the backseat of a 1988 Honda accord when it's all you can afford is fine, it's a different proposition when the reason is "daddy doesn't want to give up his toy"

Meh, I don't know. In sixteen years, your kid may thank you for holding on to that toy when you teach him/her to drive it. It's all about priorities and decisions in life. I don't see anything wrong with either strategy, as long as the wife's on board.

I don't agree that "just because you can afford a nicer, newer car, you should buy the nicer newer car and throw away your happiness"

You are at a Cross Road..As we all have been regarding our auto's. Go with 5-Series..they are great cars...535 is suggested.

Losing the Z will be sad...but the Bimmer will grow on you FAST!

btw now is the worst time to sell a z

Maxima


Haven't you seen the commercials?

Sounds like you're not the guy on the Gieco commercial that's made of money...

I'd say sell it so you don't have to sweat about not having enough money. Being a new father is stressfull enough without feeling like you can't afford it. With the money you save, you can still take the boss lady out for dinner occasionally with feeling like your going to miss rent or a mortgage. Start saving for a place of your own. Once you've got food and shelter taken care of, that's when you can go out and think about buying a new toy.

BTW, having 1 extra vehicle is great for when 1 breaks down but keeping up on maintenance and repairs with more than just your own will wear on you over time, even if you don't do your own work. The older the vehicles the worse this gets.

Try to stay under 10 years and 100k miles if your getting a used car. Toyota or Honda, Manual RWD will be the cheapest to keep running in the long run. If it's the third car, your wife should be able to drive it too. For me that means auto tranny since she doesn't drive stick.

Fearless, First of all, Congrats on the great news of you becoming a father! Second, what were you thinking, no just kidding :icon17:

Being a good dad is cool but it does come with a financial cost and sacrifice. I don't know what your finances are, so I can't say what's the right thing for you to do with your Z is. But what I can share as a father of 2 (one is graduating college in 2 months, the 2nd is a junior in college), this current Z will not be your last toy.

Prioritize what's important, sacrifice what you need to, take care of family and work your butt off. Oh yeah, trust me on this last one, the toys will always be there for you to purchase them later.

I really appreciate everyone's input and opinions on this. It really means alot. See, im only 21, and the only reason i was able to afford the 370z was because of a family owned car dealership, which i use to work, so i got the car below MMR, saved myself a good deal of money there. I dont want to put the car ahead of my child or family, and never will i do that. I guess im just trying to see if i can afford the luxury of life a little while being able to maintain a stable family. But you cant always have your cake and eat it too. Im still not out of that stage in life where all i depend on is myself and i could do everything i wanted without having to worry about anything else. Just didnt expect it to change this fast. But thats how it happens sometimes. I suspect that im going to keep the Z for now and possibly find another 4 door sedan thats affordable. The mother has a 4 door sentra, although it has 300k miles on it so were not really relying on it. But with my income and hers, im sure we'll mantain. Either way it goes, my child's well being will come first. :)

There are many sports-sedans out there that can fulfill different roles as one car. BMW M3 is an example of this. You could keep the Z and buy a cheap Japanese 4 door that's reliable. Toyota Camry for this.

Have you considered putting the baby up for adoption?

Get a G37X sedan,some coils,nice volks and you are set,I was in your same shoes however i still have my Z and Optima SX as my family hauler,if i had to do it again,i would of gotten a ISF and a older 350z to boot

audi s4, cts-v, c63, m5, panamera, g8 gt, etc...

:tup: I have a Z AND aa Civic for exactly the reasons you are talking about...I have a small child and a husband so I needed a practical car...then I have the Z for ME! :) and if one of them want to ride along occassionally! :p

:iagree: Child seats in the back of a coupe seems like a PITA. Get an evo or wrx or a 4 door G37s or just buy something cheap and keep the Z.