Traded in my 2012 Z.....

[Akmcmahon]

For a new 2013 Mag Black Touring Sport. Sounds odd I know, but I did the math a million times in my head and it made sense. Some of you may have gotten the same pamphlet I got in the mail. Nissan asking you to trade in your 1 yr old Z for a new Z. I thought this sounded crazy, but call me curious. So I went in to ask. After some test driving and haggling, we came to an agreement I could live with. Tell me if this sounds crazy? It was logical to me.

I had a 2012 Black Cherry Sport with 20,000 miles on it. Tires were close to being replaced (original tires on the car). Brake pads still had life, but probably not for super long. I really wanted leather and power seats, but didn't want to pay for 2 upgraded packages to get it. So settled for the Sport.

Worked out a deal for $1500 down, got into a new Touring Sport, with tinted windows, detail, and protective coating interior and exterior for $100 more a month over what I pay now for the Sport. I also timed it perfectly so that my car pymt this month didn't have to get paid. It was due in a week. So by my estimation, I get new tires that would have cost me $1200-1500, leather power seats, nav, upgraded sound system, and 20k miles wiped off for an extra $100 a month in payments. The tire replacement and my car payment would have exceeded the $1500 I put down. All in all I think I won out.

Comparison notes: There IS a difference between my 2012 and the 2013. Not sure if it's just the touring version, slight manufacturer differences with every car, or improved model year. But the clutch is softer albeit slightly. The shifter is smoother, not as notchy. The steering is softer as well, turns slightly easier. I drove them back to back and these things stood out to me. At first I thought I wasn't sure I liked it. Then after a little driving, it felt really good. Now I think I prefer the 2013 to my 2012. Plus I originally wanted black

Still need to clean and polish the new car so the pic isn't the best. But I'm a happy camper. This is what I wanted originally but didn't feel the cost was right. Now it is.

[Jasonle]

Nice. Black is sexy

[tonybui]

It's not crazy, it's just something I would never do lol

[Chuck33079]

I was about to explain why I don't think your math works, until I saw you bought a black one. I can't give someone a hard time for doing whatever it takes to get into the best color. Enjoy.

[Ziggyman]

Sounds like a trade that made you happy. 3 bucks a day more is a Starbucks coffee more or less so enjoy!

[kenchan]

Congrats on the new car.

I'm not sure how it made sense on the math, but your money, your car.

[CDepp]

Remember, all those previously made payments are stricken from your offset, and if you tacked on another year of payments....

WARNING: incoming maths!

So, if you were paying, say, $300/mo and, you owned the car for a year, you just lost $3600. And the additional year, if you got another 5 year loan/$100 more a month, is an add-on of $4000 for the new year. We're at $7,600, and add in the 4 years of combined loan coverage, and you sit at another $4,800. You're now at the real difference, not including any maintenance costs you've put into the car. $12,400 est.

From that number, you start deducting the wheels, and the personal preference of the new car and the package.

Sorry if that's any type of downer. And, no, it's not crazy if it's what you want to have and are happy with it.

[Akmcmahon]

Originally Posted by CDepp

Remember, all those previously made payments are stricken from your offset, and if you tacked on another year of payments....

WARNING: incoming maths!

So, if you were paying, say, $300/mo and, you owned the car for a year, you just lost $3600. And the additional year, if you got another 5 year loan/$100 more a month, is an add-on of $4000 for the new year. We're at $7,600, and add in the 4 years of combined loan coverage, and you sit at another $4,800. You're now at the real difference, not including any maintenance costs you've put into the car. $12,400 est.

From that number, you start deducting the wheels, and the personal preference of the new car and the package.

Sorry if that's any type of downer. And, no, it's not crazy if it's what you want to have and are happy with it.

You have to remember that what I paid for the first year is what you pay for any car you own the first year. You can't just say the first year payments are a loss since you drove the car and got a years worth out of it. If I paid a year and never drove it, then I wasted a year of payments. But I got my years worth on the 2012. So now I'm starting over with the 2013. Does that makes sense? In the end it worked out for me to get into the car I actually wanted for not much more. I would have had to buy new tires which was the down payment. So for the same amount, I got a new car and a reasonably higher payment I can live with. So maybe I tricked myself into thinking it made sense or it actually does somehow, doesn't matter. Haha, I'm happy.

[CDepp]

$12,400-cost of new wheels ($2000) -cost of touring package ($4000est)

Not too shabby really: it cost you ~$6,000 to $7,000 to get the new car with touring. You've tacked on a heavier payment and maybe added a year to those payments, but it's relatively not all too bad.

Glad you got the car you wanted.

[Chuck33079]

You ate the depreciation hit in year one of the note and then signed up for it again. You're not calculating your total cost factoring in interest over the life of the note. But if you're in the car you really want, good for you. Keep it until its paid off and don't swap cars again in a year.

[alvitdk]

If you got the car you are finally happy with, good for you. And if you can afford it easily, than even better. I am on my 4th new car since 2008, drove my wife crazy and finally got the car I should have bought the first time.....I did have to promise to keep it for at least 5 Years, but with this I don't think it will be a problem.

Went from 2009 Civic Hybrid (I know, but my commute was 120miles a day)
to a 2010 VW Golf TDI (much better, almost same gas milage as the Hybrid)
to working out of my home office, and no commute, BMW 128i convertible (more in the shop with problems than on the road) to my dream car Pearl White manual 370Z.

I surely lost a lot of money on my way, but finally having THE car, I always wanted.....priceless!

[danegrey]

you did what you wanted to do, I was facing the same thing, (no letter from nissan), I was trying to get a Nismo, but the dealer and I could not come to what you had worked out.

Yes my tires are gone (replaced now with MichelinPSS), so I am happy that I kept the car,
still like my black cherry.

so enjoy your new car and drive it hard, then harder then the last one

[CDepp]

Originally Posted by Akmcmahon

You have to remember that what I paid for the first year is what you pay for any car you own the first year. You can't just say the first year payments are a loss since you drove the car and got a years worth out of it. If I paid a year and never drove it, then I wasted a year of payments. But I got my years worth on the 2012. So now I'm starting over with the 2013. Does that makes sense?

No. You haven't wasted a year, they're stricken from the savings because it's all interest-payments. If you owe 5,000 over 5 years, and pay 1,000 in a year, you still owe over 4,000 for the remainder of the 4 years. I did a simplistic interest free math for you. Realistically, if you paid $540/mo on a 5yr/$30,000 car, and owned the car for 1 year at 3% interest, you still owed about $25,000 on the car.

Originally Posted by Akmcmahon

In the end it worked out for me to get into the car I actually wanted for not much more. I would have had to buy new tires which was the down payment. So for the same amount, I got a new car and a reasonably higher payment I can live with.

You're not even close to the same amount. To have the same amount, you would literally have had to buy a ~$19,000 to $21,000 (guess/est.) new car. If you had to make a d/p that would have cost the savings from buying new tires, add back in the $2000 I marked as savings. This is ONLY money talking, not preference nor personal value of the car at this point.

Originally Posted by Akmcmahon

So maybe I tricked myself into thinking it made sense or it actually does somehow, doesn't matter. Haha, I'm happy.

I think you did, BUT, in your shoes, I think I would have done the same. Honestly. My fiancee would have stabbed me repeatedly for it, but at the end of the day, I'm an enthusiast. I love all cars and I love driving. I would never even come close to this type of decision on my mortgage or any other purchase, but I can see myself doing it with a car I loved!


(NOTE: my fiancee and I would both work up the payment tables and we would both notice the loss, but I would justify it as you did with the personal value I've gotten out of the car, the depreciation drop, and the value of a reset odometer and warranty. That's when the stabbing would begin)


Enjoy it!

[Trips]

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[CDepp]

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