i don't appreciate you saying i wont get a lotus. i can and will buy a lotus im a very determined person yes im 18 but i work hard at what i want. also cant isn't in my vocabulary. also i do appreciate telling other nice cars. and im not looking to purchase a crashed lotus to save money i wouldn't mind the project and it would make me respect the car and know it more. i have 10k cash i could buy one with a down payment or just a project. and i hope you guys don't think im just a push over im serious im only 18 but i also saved 10k so far for this car so im not joking around i am serious
In that case, you can get an Elise for around $24K - $30K.
$10K down on $24K will get you a Lotus for about $250-$300 a month (4 year loan) give or take a little.
THEN you will need to pay between $100 and $1000 a month in insurance.
Rotors about every 2 years for $1000 for the set.
Tires every year for another 1000 (or more) per set
Oil changes are not cheap since you need Synthetic oil, so figure $40 if you do it yourself (about once a month)
I am not saying it can't be done, and I don't think anyone on this board said an 18 year old can't do it. They usually say it is best to save up and buy it in cash, save up and go to college, save up anbd buy a house, etc. FIRST.
So at you are 18, what are you planning on doing when you graduate High School? Go to college? Go right into the work force? Go into the military?
The Lotus is "In Between" a Ferrari and a Civic, as in it is not as expensive to maintain as a Ferrari, but it is not as cheap as a civic either. You don't want to parallel park it like you would a Civic, you don't want to hit the little cement parking thingy when you pull into a normal spot like you would/could a civic. Any damage is BIG BIG bucks just for the part, and then BIG BIG bucks for the tech to do the work.
For instance, my mazda service costs about $79/hr, the Lotius is $180/hr
Now you mentioned fixing a wrecked Lotus
The front and rear fiberglass body panals are around $3000 each and that is with just primer, add paint and processing and install and you are near $14000 (already more than your initial investment of $10K and you can buy a used car with no issues for $24K)
So you see, we are not telling you that you can't, we are telling you that you shouldn't.
I see you only have a handfull of posts, stop posting for a day and just read. Look up what people have done to fix their broken cars, and look at what is selling for the lowest prices.
Hell, I feel like I should also mention that these cars have SERIOUS fail points. Rear toe link failure, premature cam failure/wear, Oil lines failing. All these need to be looked over on a regular basis. It is not like a civic, S2000, Miata, BMW where you can jump in and just go, worry free.
And what are you going to do when it rains or snows?
Read a little right here on LotusTalk and you'll see, these guys are trying to help you out.
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