How do you guys go about purchasing things?

[DeathMetal]

I see some build threads on here and I suppose I assume things might happen a lot faster than they really do but...

I was wondering how some of you go about purchasing things? How do you budget yourselves? Do you just throw out the credit card, go to town, then pay it off later?

And (I know I'll be put in a shallow grave for this) in your opinion, what would be the best way to approach the financial aspects of building a car.

[deolio]

some people are just ballers and have $15k to pour into their car all at one time

i on the other hand am building an $10000 car one year and $2500 at a time. i've been doing things in stages.
year 1 - i/h/e, drivetrain, suspension
year 2 - wheels, tires, brakes
year 3 - engine
year 4 - kit and paint
right now, i feel like $2500 a year is the most i should be spending on a car that i only drive once a month. i have more important priorities. once i'm out of school and have a full time job and have no gf, all my spending will go towards my car and booze.

[DETT]

Pouring it in all at once, waiting on parts from Japan however not so fun especially when you have a car that wasn't supposed to be sent to North America.

Honestly though I have been saving money for 3-4 years to pour it all in at once that was 3-4 years of ramen and driving a shit car to afford the car I wanted and the parts I needed for the build.

[ronmcdon]

some people are just ballers and have $15k to pour into their car all at one time

i on the other hand am building an $10000 car one year and $2500 at a time. i've been doing things in stages.
year 1 - i/h/e, drivetrain, suspension
year 2 - wheels, tires, brakes
year 3 - engine
year 4 - kit and paint
right now, i feel like $2500 a year is the most i should be spending on a car that i only drive once a month..

I've been doing a similar thing, only my 240 is also my daily.

06 y1 - shell, sr clip, and engine supporting tidbits
07 y2 - suspension, wheels, brakes, 5-lug, & security measures.
08 y3 - transmission, more suspension, & seat time
09 y4 - stereo, more suspension, & more seat time
10 y5 - paint, big wing, power parts, tune, & more seat time.

Could have saved a down payment on a condo by now, if not for the 240 $$$ pit.
Eh, it's not my first regret in life and certainly won't be the last.

[S14_Kouki]

I just take out loans then pay them off.

Y1 - car, sr, basic engine mods
Y2 - wheels, seats, body kit, a couple more engine mods and suspension mods
Y3 - electronics, new clutch, mostly enjoy the car
Y4 - new seats, more suspension, cage, trust oil cooler, 5 lug, new wheels
Y5 - rebuilt sr new everything except pistons and rods, built new manifold that supports a evo turbo

And hopefully for 2010 ill be doing new wheels again lol, New seats again lol, bigger turbo, paint, and omg be able to put on my body kit iv had laying around for years and years.

[repda916]

I just take out loans then pay them off.

i will never take a loan out for a car.
but to a answer OP question, i work my ass off 40 hrs a week. plus all the OT. and working nights i get a 50cent raise

[YoungGun]

Hey bro don't buy car parts on credit!

[palmdale_mob]

year 1 - i/h/e, drivetrain, suspension
year 2 - wheels, tires, brakes
year 3 - engine
year 4 - kit and paint


This is the best way to go about it, just throw seat time at the end of each one, and security measures in year 2

Then there's deals you just can't pass up sometimes, I got a silvia front way sooner than I anticipated

[S14_Kouki]

i work my ass off 40 hrs a week. plus all the OT.

I do this too I just suck ass at saving money. Iv takin 3 loans out over the past 5 years for my car and everything works out just fine.

[DALAZ_68]

im saving until i loose my job, like in 2 months...LOL, maybe less

anyway
ive been fortunate enough to have a great paying job and im just gonna dump everything in at once...

ive bought things here and there when my normal budget allows it and i dont even bother looking at my savings anymore, i just set my system to dump a certain amount of money every Wed (pay day) automatically, I then go about paying all my bills at once (credit/insurance/phone/utilities) and if i have any + cash left besides my weekly allowed allowance, i might buy something...

you would be amazed at, as how fast 300 can turn into 5g's with good patience...

not to mention i part cars out that i buy and junk yard dog it for extra booze money...


in my opinion, if ur going the longer than one year route...SUSPENSION comes first...honestly, u can have the best motor setup in the world, but if ur suspension is shot to shit...its pointless to get the best out of it...

and no im not just saying buy the best coilovers u can find, fuck no, BUSHINGS BUSHINGS BUSHINGS! if ur fortunate eough to have enough for new arms, do it, but buy quality, 80% of the people in this forum dont even bother with small shit like a bushings kit...it makes a huge difference i think...

[Brian]

If I have the money for something and I need/REALLY want it, I'll get it.
No sense in taking out a loan or going into huge credit because of it.

I also always look for deals that I can flip and make money later.

[LeftNutOfGowd]

I go to Vegas and count cards take about 1k with me and 3 hours later I have about 10k in my pocket. But right now I haven't been able to make it out there so I am broke as a joke

p.s. I also work 40+ hours a week make about 12 bucks a hour and don't have any bills but a cell phone and insurance so I can save up about 1k in a month but I also have a GF and thinking about getting married soon so my money is going to that

[DALAZ_68]

I also always look for deals that I can flip and make money later.


thats actually important... thats i repeat, dont cheap out and buy cheap items...you wont be able to make any of your money back, and the performance wont be there like something thats been properly R&D'ed

[RacerX1]

Only you know your budget, plan accordingly! For example I know that I need to reel in $900/month to survive. Which is $450/ 2 weeks and at $8/hr that's about 60hrs, around 30hrs/week between 2 jobs. So if I want those PBM coils then I have to work an extra 15hrs every week for 2 months.

[CrimsonRockett]

Same as the above comment, plan accordingly.

Figure out how much you need to survive each month, keep a little extra for those emergencies, and spend the rest however you please.

Hell, I've been out of a REAL job for over a year now, yet I've managed to buy/sell a few S13's, tons and tons and TONS of parts, pay in full for two paint jobs on each one of my S13's, and still come out on top.

It all depends on how you go about it.

The most important part in modifying old S13's is suspension.

I fucking HATE when these dumbasses pour thousands upon thousands of dollars into their SR swaps and still ride around on some nasty ass stock suspension.

Way to go retards.

My daily is 100% stock as far as motor/drivetrain goes.

Suspension, I can't say the same.

[ronmcdon]

in my opinion, if ur going the longer than one year route...SUSPENSION comes first...honestly, u can have the best motor setup in the world, but if ur suspension is shot to shit...its pointless to get the best out of it...

and no im not just saying buy the best coilovers u can find, fuck no, BUSHINGS BUSHINGS BUSHINGS! if ur fortunate eough to have enough for new arms, do it, but buy quality, 80% of the people in this forum dont even bother with small shit like a bushings kit...it makes a huge difference i think...

Suspension is the most important I agree.

forget making power if you're car doesn't handle well or get traction.
It's not just about buying parts either.
imo, you really have to take the car to the track.
drive it at it's relative limit, then tweak the suspension more.
repeat as necessary.
It took me 3 years until I was finally somewhat satisfied with the way my 240 handles.

Also, stiffer isn't always better.
Our roads (and arguably our tracks) aren't the same as Japan.
That was the most important lesson I learned about the 240
Changing my spring rates from 10/8 to 6/4 was by far the best thing I ever did.

[ManoNegra]

I make parts and sell them
use profits to make more parts and pay for my car toys
I usually wait for deals to come along unless it's something I've
been wanting for a while and/or is hard to find.

[greddy2die]

Well, seeing as how my only bills are my car insurance and cell phone at the moment (living with my family again =/, my old apt was too much)

I just save my money and buy all the stuff I can at once. I have money set aside in a savings account and I also transfer money into every month.

I want to do what I can with my car now before I get another apartment again and cant afford the stuff that I want for my car.


Also, not paying for gas ever helps alot. Saves me like 75-90 a week alone. I <3 that my job pays for my gas...lol

[RacerX1]

The most important part in modifying old S13's is suspension.

I fucking HATE when these dumbasses pour thousands upon thousands of dollars into their SR swaps and still ride around on some nasty ass stock suspension.

Way to go retards.

My daily is 100% stock as far as motor/drivetrain goes.

Suspension, I can't say the same.

LOL this is my car right now, I did shit the stupid way and I should have done the suspension & body first. Live & learn, I'm looking at gettin some cheap wheels n PBM coils, then i might meet crimsons criteria haha

[ZX88]

im a baller so... schedules aren't my thang. GGGGGGGGGGG


wait for deals.. when they happen. buy
ive had my car coming on 5 years now. i wait for deals.

[deolio]

^yes, waiting for deals is key.

[DALAZ_68]

Also, stiffer isn't always better.

only wen it comes to cars...i agree


Figure out how much you need to survive each month, keep a little extra for those emergencies, and spend the rest however you please.



pretty much what i do...

people would be surprised how far 200 bucks will take you if you do the following

bring food from home for lunch
dont go out every night


yeah...just those 2....

i realized i spent roughly 5k in booze this year alone... boy is my face red...

I make parts and sell them
use profits

yet you wont help ur buddy steve with a CA relocation skull plate...i HATE YOU....but i luv you...

im a baller so... schedules aren't my thang. GGGGGGGGGGG


give me 2 more years to be done with school...

[I LUV MY S13]

limit myself to $250 a month...if nothing comes up that month i'll hold it off till the next month, then i'll have $500 :)...totals out to about $3000 a year...

[kensreliableb18b]

you'd be a retard if you took a loan and to do this kind of stuff. shit, this is just a hobby (unless otherwise where you're establishing a business).

when i first started i use to buy everything in sight. then it turned into only buying big and badass stuff.

now i forget i have a 240 in the garage lol.

[silviaguy240]

all about relavance of what you need and when.

i did brakes and 5 lug first because my calipers siezed up on me so i got my 300zx brakes and 5 lug. then i got coils and rucas, then an intake exhaust and diff. engine blew up so i did a rebuild. and inbetween i came across some deals. on wheels, kit and other misc stuff.

sure i coulda bought some cheapo 4 lug wheels, sr and shitty coils and a welded diff. but im happy with the quality of parts i put in my car even though it looks like absolute shit right now.

[ronmcdon]

If your car breaks down AND it's your daily, there's little choice.

Ideally, we should all do the right thing.
Not all of us are as disciplined as we would like.
Admittedly, a third of my parts were purchased on the CC.
Never had more than 5k on the cards though.

[ballinnmiami240sx]

I work on others peoples cars to fund my hobby. Married, 3 kids, house, an FD, and I have a drifting addiction. I spend most of my free time in the garage til late hours while friend are out having fun. Its really no fun, but I like what I do!!!!!

[heavenboundkevin]

i dont buy parts on credit either. and by parts, i mean reliability parts, like new thermo, radiator, spark plugs, oil change every 3k etc.

by the time i have money to mod my car ill prolly be over this "baller 240sx ownership desire" and buy a house or save my money.

btw this is coming from someone who used to own a motorcycle, so going fast/handling a car is not very entertaining to me anymore.

[Matej]

Scholarships, loans, welfare.

[SlideWell]

Ive had to pay cash for everything, fucked up my credit long ago, so its cash or nothing at all. i know a lot of people personally who just throw shit on credit or use loans, or even student loans to pay for shit. i say whatever, as long as you pay it off and managing, your credit keeps building and you stay in debt. lol.

[mr.booie]

it depends. for example, i was going to go sr20 in the summer of 2010. but i came up on a great deal and ended up doing it a year earlier.

some things you can't pass up. but a budget is a good way to go. even though i have not made one yet. i just throw all my cash into my car. lol.

i plan, but i dont budget. and im not planning on budgeting.

im really dumb.

[Walperstyle]

I build the 'car' outside of the Daily driver shell. Right now my car is automatic, sporting coilovers and Nismo LMGT4s. Its a fanboy ride at the moment.

Next year, in about a weeks time, I'll have 400-500hp KA-T finished with everything completed. I will be installing the engine, AEM ecu, Tranny, aluminum driveshaft, rear 1.5, and solid rear subframe. Then I go to the dyno.

Edit: I buy things that I see are good deals. ...however, I pay full price for internals. Never buy used pistons, rods, crank etc. Its asking for issues.

[Bubbles]

Become a baller and forget about budgets.