Ted's Verde

[Neil Smith <neiltbag@domain.elided>]

Ted:
I feel that I've gotta throw in my .02 worth partly due to my
vested interest.

I find myself six months out of the same music degree program
that you've just completed, earning what I'm told is just above
the average wage for a recent graduate. I also find myself
living in the Bay Area, where the "average starting salary" is
$2 below the living wage. Finally, I find myself with a car that
costs $400 to get it's turn signals to work again.

I needed a small loan to buy my Milano, which coupled with
insurance, gas and the constant attention the mischievous tyke
needs adds up to about $250/ month. My concern for you is that
if you buy your Accord / Civic/ 626/ whatever, the only costs
you will limit are the maintenance costs (which is never a sure
thing with a used car regardless of make) and gas (which also
represents a small percentage of running costs). Factor in
initial sales tax when you register it, and the usual niggly
things that come with any used car (once again regardless of
make), and it just doesn't seem like a decent proposition.

My only big worry is the greater possibility of something BIG
going wrong on the Alfa e.g. head gaskets/ tranny rebuild/ valve
seats etc. With this scenario you are in a better situation than
I, in that you've paid for your car. Should things go horribly
wrong, you part out the car THEN get the loan and buy the Honda
or Toyota. In the meantime you've saved on x months of loan
payments. Should you buy the Japanese car now, and something
goes horribly wrong with that (they do- we have a mutual friend
who just spent $1200 on her Prelude) you're really screwed...

Any other digesti in the young-Alfa-owner-on-a-limited-budget
category care to comment?

Neil
'87 Milano Quadrifoglio Oro (four working turn signals too)
San Francisco
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