18yo with fast car usually ends bad. It was hard when people told me that same thing at that same age, but as i got older, I learned it's true. Good things come to those who wait.

 

Good Luck... With out divulging my age, I wanted the newly remodeled vette (C4) when I was 18, but it wasn't until I was divorced and in my low 30's did that dream come true. I'm now on vette #3.

 

Have you checked to see if you can even get insurance on a Vette?

 

Sorry bud, but it is not owning a house if you are not on the title. Being the fish guy at Petco is not really a secure job either. A car payment is the really the last thing you need.

You really need to lock down your education and career. Petco won't keep you forever. This is not a slam, it is real world advice.

Like mentioned before, have you thought about the military? They will pay for your school, train you for a career, and you will have a nice signing bonus... for the Army anyway. (albiet, don't blow it on a car, try to use it wisely).

Don't fall into this sucker society that you have to have awesome toys, better stuff than the next guy, and nothing in savings. That's why the majority of america is in debt and is two paychecks away from bankruptcy. You are early enough on to decide which way you want to go.

 

idk maybe it isnt the best of ideas yet, as of right now i own a 1995 Trans am, with all bolt ons, and im about on par as far as straight line acceleration with a stock c5 vette, up until about 110 anyways...it has 170 miles and has had its share of problems im thinking of maybe trading it in on a 2001ws6 t/a it would be alot easier to get and there still really nice

 

With all due respect - $9.15 per hour and you want to buy a Corvette, and finance it to boot? Get real my young friend. Do you really think that your sub $10 per hour income will support a Corvette?

Parts, repairs, tires, even fuel are expenses that you haven't even mentioned other than the insurance and the car payment. My guess is that you would be looking to buy an older high mileage car - these cars can be expensive to own when things begin to fail.

I don't want to hear about the other 18 year olds on this forum, most of them got help from parents.

If you were my son - I would tell you to either go to school, concentrate on getting a degree and getting a good paying job or if college isn't your thing - go to a vocational school and learn a trade. Failing those options, get real serious about saving up your money and pay cash for the car.

At 18 years old - you will be married to the car, you won't be able to afford the things that 18 year olds should be doing - like having fun and enjoying life. While your friends are out having fun, you'll be working to pay for that car.

Most of us have stories about how they wanted a fast car when we were 18, and many of us old farts wanted Corvettes. There is nothing wrong with waiting until you can enjoy the car without constantly worrying how you are going to pay for it.

Sorry to rain on your parade - but you needed a little reality check.

 

I concur 100% with those on this thread that are encouraging you to wait until you are older and more established. There is a reason the average Corvette owner is male, married and in their 40s or older. These cars are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, you can buy a 97-00 Vette for $20k or less but that plus the insurance (big$$$$ for a young man like you) can break you alone, maintenance is another issue altogether.

Tires will run you no less than $800-$1500 depending on brand. You have to put in 91 octane or more (no cheap gas, unless you want problems). There are 14 computers in these cars and any one of them is a four-digit problem if they fizzle out on you. Because of all this, you gotta factor in more cash to buy a warranty (another $2k or more).

I also concur with others that recommend you further your education first. If school is not your bag right now, why not enlist in the Army?
With a little fiscal discipline and that nice $20k bonus (you don't get it all a once, BTW) you can have the financial means to buy a Vette AND the G.I. Bill to pay for school after your enlistment is over.

 

Listen to this advice. Trust the "older/wiser" guys on this forum.

 

Working full time, after taxes, you're talking under a grand take home per month. A low mileage C5 ('03 or '04) will run you 30K. Even at 20K ('00), the insurance alone will be a killer. Payments, Insurance, Gas, Maintenance and Repairs; you'll be married to the car. Cool car, but no money to go out.

Yeah there are guys that got vettes at 18, some given to them by their parents, and some that bought them on their own, but I think they're pulling down more than 20K a year. The guys are right, get your priorities straight. Get and education, get a trade, or join the military. Until you have some stability in your life, pass on the vette.

 

There are many very well paying vocations out there to get into, that wont take tons of time to learn. With all the babyboom population retiring, theres alot of very nice jobs to be had. But you'll need some training.

Take a year or two and learn a trade. Then get your corvette, and enjoy it in style

 

Ahhh.....to be 18 again!

I could care less about cars when I was 18, much less a Corvette. I owned a 10-speed Schwinn Varsity! I parked it in the garage one October in '82 and took a bus trip to some place called Paris Island. After 3 months of shock treatment, I was sent somewhere else where they honed my skills. Then the real fun began. I went to California and partied like it was 1999. I met women out the wazoo, had sex every where conceivable, and then took a boat ride across the Pacific Ocean.

I went to Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, and Hawaii. Didn't cost me a dime and I partied like Kid Rock on a binge. I met more women and had more sex than the law allows. After it was all said and done, I made friends that will last a life time and have memories that would make you green with envy.

The whole time, I never owned a car.

That was over 20 years ago and my first car had more rust through it than the Titanic. Dude, you have so much living to do and burdening yourself with a Corvette at 18 is waaaaay not worth it. Yea, you don't understand this now but if you're smart and listening to those who do know, you'll be able to look back and thank God that you waited.

Live your life while you're young and free because one day, you'll wonder where all the damn time went.

 

Not trying to be mean but it sounds like you got a little more growing up to do. It's good to see that you have big aspirations and goals, however you're just not there yet. Have patience "young grasshopper". Like some folks here have said, get an education and get yourself a good job first. Good luck to you.

 

wow cant really call you kid as I too only just turned 20... but I am a 3rd year electrician making close to $25/hr and I could barley afford a corvette and still have a life (going out and such) and trying to pay the house bills... you clearly don’t have any idea as to how much it cost to ACTUALLY own your own house and have to pay for your own things when mommy or daddy aren’t there to help you...
Your fish job isn’t going to get you a house, or carry you threw life, so unless you like living with your parents till your 40 and making minimum wage for the rest of your life, you might want to forget about the vette and stick to your 95 T/A and get in school… allot of teenagers would still kill for a car like that...
Let me break it down for you a bit...

- You make $300 a week... Assuming this is your daily driver and being young with a slightly heavy foot say you get 2 weeks out of a tank of gas (if your lucky) that’s about $120-$150 for gas a month...
- Your insurance is easily going to be in the $200 a month range
- Your payments are going to be around $300 a month unless you want it to drag out and pay more to the bank in the long term

That already over your $600/month budget assuming NOTHING on it breaks or needs replacing, in which case if something did break you would not be able to fix it and it would snowball and eventually be nothing but a money pit...

Take this or leave it but I personally suggest saving your money maybe get out of the house go to a movie, party or what ever you do now while your still young… don’t let a car tie you down, trust me if your thinking its going to get the ladies ahaha they don’t care about the car as much as you think believe me, I roll around in my old mans Lingenfelter Twin Turbo C6 Z06 some times and its not what you think.. Its not untill your older and cruzing around in it, then the younger ladies will notice you..... ahahah jk :P

 

Who you callin' old there whipper-snapper?

 

You are a wise young man!

 

I'm 24. I bought my 1999 C5 when I was 23. Honestly, it was a mistake. The last thing I needed was a car payment on top of my mortgage, cable, bills, etc.

At your age, insurance will kill you. Not to mention gas and the car payment. you'll be working 40+ hrs a week. It can be done but it will be hard but if you default on the car loan, mommy will be co-signing for you till your 30.

 

Be patient, it took me til I use 40 to buy my Vette and that was after putting myself back through school to earn a decent living. I did the starving, living pay check to pay check with my 1st chosen career and trust me it sucked. Going back to school added 50k to my salary and that was the best life mod I could have done

 

In my career I've been laid off once and worked for a company that was always two steps away from closing their doors. Freaked me out. Stopped buying any kind of toys until I had two years of after-tax pay in a money market account.

It sounds like the OP is basically living for free, but that won't last forever. It's a sickening feeling to look at your monthly bills and realize you can't meet all of your obligations and something is going to have to go.

 

I fix'd that formula.

-_Sf

 

i was your age once and had to have a different car every year or so and i can tell you i was a fool . be patient and see what life brings you .