How much to spend on a car??

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Ok so, about 2 months ago some lady hit my car and messed it up pretty bad. I need to buy a new car. I'm not sure how much $$ I should put into a new car. Part of me wants to spend the extra money and get the car I really want. Another part of me wants to only spend $6-7k and buy an alright car.

I really want to buy this '06 Mazda6, but its about $15k. I can afford it..don't have a ton of bills at the moment. I don't know if I should though. Opinions???

THANKS!
Oh, also I don't drive much, to and from work and the occasional road trip!
 
Look at your short, medium and long term goals. How does a car fit in with that? If you buy a new car, you have a huge debt. Can you make extra payments and get it down quickly? You also have a reliable car that will be good for many years to come. How does it suit your lifestyle? Do you have money put away for an emergency? Planning a holiday? On the other hand, if you buy used, you have no debt. You can take the extra money and upgrade the car. Reliability, long term goals, etc. Personally, I always buy used. A new car loses it value once it rolls off the dealership. If it's your first new car, that's different. You'll always remember driving your first car off the lot. Also, in 10 years when you look back on your purchase, which car is going to stand out and be a cool memory?
 
Buy a Toyota or Honda they will last longer and perform well also are cheap to maintain.
 
the best way to look at buying a 2nd hand car is to think of in in the same way you do renting a house. The money you put into is is basic dead money - youll never get back what you paid for (unless its classic or vintage)

I drive a $52k car, but i do drive about 70km to work and 70km back 5 days a week, so i at least feel i spend more time in it then my house.

How much time do you spend in your car?

Would you rather the newer, better car or a holiday?

i would go for what you can realisticly afford, the last thing you want to do is over commit.

Oh and dont by a mazda6 seriously uncool
 
Be smart with your money and spend $6-7K on a car. You can still find a nice car in that range if you know what to look for. Something like a 00 or so Accord.
 
If you're making payments, I've seen advice saying the total you spend on your car...fuel, insurance, financing, should be no more than 20 percent of your income.

If you can do that and still pay all your other bills, go for it. Of course, how much you can spend on the car will vary by how much you drive, how much insurance costs you for that car, and what kind of fuel economy it gets.

I say spend that 6-7k. That can buy you a lot of car. Hell, 3-4000 dollars can.
 
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