[deathpunk dan]

Katie-

Here's my take. I'm 28, so I can't be *that* much older than you. I've only been out of college for six years.

When I was in college, I wanted a VW Corrado VR6 badly. I rationalized it six ways sideways, took out a loan, and had the car of my 20-year-old-kid's dreams....replacing a horrific 83 944. This Volkswagen - as cool as it was - was a constant pain in the ass and racking up the miles on it doing dd duty destroyed it and my savings account.

I look back and think: on one hand, I loved the car, loved going to VW gatherings, dyno days, tinkering with it, driving it etc. On the other, it cost me a lot of money and I think of other experiences I could have had with that money...travel etc. Things that may have enriched me and made me a more well rounded person instead.

I have never gotten as wound up over a car since. Well, til I discovered how fun to drive 911s are. Still not quite having learned my lesson, I bought a 1974 911 because I had just enough money to buy it in its sorry shape (rust, low compression, clutch on the way out). I was lucky to flip it and get out from under it unscathed, but that was several years ago and since then I have just focused on saving, paying off any debt (student loans, credit cards etc), and worrying about 'the big picture'.

I'm in a position now where I'm just waiting for the 'right' car to come along, a position where the purchase won't represent such a large % of my relatively meager net worth (in comparison to a lot of PP forums members anyway). In the meantime, I'll just keep racking up the miles on my 12 year old BMW 325is, saving and investing.

I definitely know what it means to 'want it NOW'. How 'bout a nice 944S2?