Need car (truck) ideas!

[GrayStangGT]

I may be willing to come out of pocket an extra $100 or so for a payment, but it would have to be something I really liked.

It is not just about the payment, you need to figure out how many extra miles a year you will put on the vehicle because of work. The try and estimate how that is going to play into additional maintenance, wear and tear, and excessive depreciation on the vehicle. Subtract that and insurance from your $400 and you will see what you really have to spend.

[Special K]

My FX is $370 a month. More room than a car, much more like a car to drive than a 4-Runner (handles like a car, quiet interior, etc...) They have excellent re-sale value. A year ago I traded in my first FX. It was an 03 FX AWD with 89K on it. They gave me $13,500 on trade, it sold at Adesa for $14,950 and was re-listed by another local dealer for $17,900 and it sold (no clue for how much obviously). Still, it was 7 years old, did not have navigation or anything. Never had a problem with it other than the battery. Have had my new one for a year, again.... no problems. My sister is on her second one as well. If you like the way they look (they are an acquired taste for sure) I highly recommend them.

[sc281]

Buy only what you can afford to pay for if they lay you off. (See "Trade in my subaru thread")

Oher than that, I would only get what $11,520 will cover in depreciation over a 3yr period, (400*36*.8(Assuming 20% for income taxes)) since you'd most likely be trading in around then. You can look at prices of 3yr old trucks/suvs to figure which one would ift that criteria.

[Cooter]

shit, he's in Hawaii. He's not going to be putting THAT many miles on it! LOL