After V's payoff

[VersaMG08]

I know, 2013 is a bit away but I've been thinking about what I want to do with the V after I pay it off April 2013.

I got plans to either, trade the car in on a new car, buy a bunch of aftermarket products and own it until it breaks down. I would rather keep the car and mod it to my liking such as get skunk2 coilovers, a greddy catback exhaust etc.

What I want to get is either a new Sentra SE-R spec V or the Mazda 3 hatchback (don't care for the front end). I've always wanted a Mazda 3 for some reason, they're sporty and look good. Nissan should really come out with a new Silvia/240sx, they're long overdue. That's my opinion

[Knightro2]

My loan's maturity date is 2/25/14 but it should be a little sooner than that as I pay more than the minimum.

If I stay in my current financial situation I'll be keeping mine until that time and then probably upgrade to a Murano or EX35. I miss having a SUV of any size.

If I get some big raises between now and then ... GTR here I come!! (wishful thinking...that will never happen...now I need a drink..I'm depressed )

[lovesaga]

To me Ill have to wait and see. That is a good while away. We could be driving electric or hydrogen cars, or we could still be driving gas vehicles. I definitely plan to keep the V it is a car that can do many things very well. Park in tight spacesVersatilityCarry 5 adults Good car to put miles on car comfy does well on long tripsDaily DriverIf anything I might do basic mods(cai,exhaust,rims,tires,strut bar) to the V, then Ill get me some play cars. I would love to haveA drift car S13 S14bogging truck that can haul dirt bike and other aforementioned Frontieror a very nice track car Z31 Z32 Impreza WRX/STI

[frankoV]

Drive it until it drops.

Hoping 10 years 350k

but I doubt whether 350k is realisitic

[oh, and thats kms, not miles, = 220k mi]

[biggie]

Looking that far into the future is somewhat useless. Many things will change a lot by then. Mine will be paid off in a little over 2 years, I probably can't afford to trade it in on a 370Z which I want. But if the new '10 4-cyl RWD Nissan comes out, and I can afford it, then it will be my new daily driver. Otherwise I'll keep it for a long time to come.

[BBISHOPPCM]

Mine should be paid off in mid-2012, and depending on my financial situation at the time, my plan is to keep the Versa (it'll need some serious work by then... I estimate it'll be pushing 150,000 miles by then), and buy something fun or really nice (350Z or a Murano), or another Frontier (4x4 this time).

[Rockhound]

What I want to get is either a new Sentra SE-R spec V or the Mazda 3 hatchback (don't care for the front end). I've always wanted a Mazda 3 for some reason, they're sporty and look good. Nissan should really come out with a new Silvia/240sx, they're long overdue. That's my opinion

Man, I'm glad I bought my Mazda3 when I did - I'm not so sure I'm crazy yet about the redesign. Implementing the RX-8's pronounced front wheel arches on the new 6 was a masterful stroke for Mazda designers, but I'm not so sure how it translates on the 3, the proportions are a little strange. Plus, now it has a huge, goofy grin on its face (like you mentioned).

I agree wholeheartedly about the need for a new Silvia too.

As for our Versa, my wife would gladly drive it until the wheels fall off. I'm probably okay with that.

[kc5f]

I'd suggest to anyone that after paying off the loan they keep putting that monthly amount away to pay for the next one. We do that and after a couple of loans had built up enough to pay cash. Even if there's low-interest financing available, they usually give you a better price for cash, anyway.

So my answer to the original question is I hope to put another 250k miles on it after paying it off, which for me was Sept of 2006. I'm about 1/3 of the way there already!

[fjwagner]

I'd suggest to anyone that after paying off the loan they keep putting that monthly amount away to pay for the next one. We do that and after a couple of loans had built up enough to pay cash. Even if there's low-interest financing available, they usually give you a better price for cash, anyway.

A wise man that knows how to manage his money! However, if low interest financing is available at a rate below what you earn on your money, I think the low interest financing is the way to go and to keep that saved money in investments to continue growing. You would probably cut down or cut out your contributions to that personal account though in that scenario.

Some dealers will actually give you a slightly better deal on financing as they make money on that too, so not a complete given that cash is the best deal.

Another tip for those much younger than kc5f and myself: If you have not done so already, I started investing in an account specifically for College the day each of the two kids were born. One is heading off to Texas A and M next Fall and I am not sweating the bills which is a nice feeling. I set these up as auto drafts each month so that the money was not available in the checking account. Some years I did more, some less depending upon the financial situation.

Fred

[Bergerman]

My purchase was motivated by a smoking '93 Sunbird so really hadn't come up with a long term plan but once I got thinking about it, this is going to be a perfect car for my 11 year old to drive when he turns 16. It my be hard to find a real gas station by then but it will last until they come out with the mandated government plan where they give each taxpayer a check for 30 large so we can afford the new CNG or electric cars. (ya rigft) Until that time, I'll just use it as the daily driver.

[fjwagner]

My purchase was motivated by a smoking '93 Sunbird so really hadn't come up with a long term plan but once I got thinking about it, this is going to be a perfect car for my 11 year old to drive when he turns 16. It my be hard to find a real gas station by then but it will last until they come out with the mandated government plan where they give each taxpayer a check for 30 large so we can afford the new CNG or electric cars. (ya rigft) Until that time, I'll just use it as the daily driver.

gasoline driven cars will be the main stay through your son's driving life. A massive switch to something else will take a generation, not a decade. No other technology is remotely economic yet a large scale infrastructure for something new is a long way off. Private industry will drive a migration to new technology, not the government. People will gradually migrate to more fuel efficient cars and manufacturers will improve overall fleet mileage at the same time. So, the message behind all that is give your 11 year old the smoking 93 sunbird assuming it will pass inspection!

[Bubs daddy]

FJWagner speaks the truth. Gasoline and gasoline/hybrid type vehicles will be around for quite some time to come. Newer technologies and their acceptance will be economically determined. If it costs $40,000 for an electric car that has a range of 200 miles. Only a handful of people will buy it.

It will also occur incrementally. A plug in station here, a hydrogen fueling station there. Whichever technology is accepted will determine the infastructure changes. And that will takes multiple decades.

Think about this. Just to design a new car with EXISTING knowledge, based upon its gasoline powered propulsion takes three years. Three years minimum.

I think some have to realize that the light bulb wan't invented overnight. either will alternative technologies to power cars. It takes an enormous amount of money. Money that investors are going to want back in returns. The technology must be viable, practical, and economically feasible.

The electronic and digital age does allow for an acceleration of concepts and innovation to be utilized quicker but until an accepted new technology becomes mass produced and the priced lowered for the masses, car development will continue to be evolutionary, not revolutionary.

[Bergerman]

Call me a dreamer but I would like to think that if the USA set a goal to eliminate our dependance on foreign oil in a decade, the only way we are going to get started is to set the goal and get a big investor (the fed) to fund it. The technology already exists for clean compressed natural gas vehicles and according to NGVAmerica, there are more than 7 million Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) in use worldwide, but only 150,000 of those are in the United States. If we could just get a few more of those in the USA and the infrastructure to support it, we could be on our way to making that 10 year goal.

[fjwagner]

Call me a dreamer but I would like to think that if the USA set a goal to eliminate our dependance on foreign oil in a decade, the only way we are going to get started is to set the goal and get a big investor (the fed) to fund it.

The government has done such great things running social security, the post office et al that your suggestion of the Feds as a major investor dooms such a thing from the start.

[They Call Me Whatshisname]

Not to get off topic, but I'm going to pay it off and decide whether I want to keep it and hand it down or trade it in.

[feloniousmonk]

From what I've seen, Nissan is pretty committed to plug-in electric. I can't say any more than that. If the low gas prices we are seeing now continue, things could change. The industry (and consumers) could return to their old habits. The economy plays a big role in determining what happens. With low gas prices, poor economy, it's hard to say if anyone will pay the premium for a "green" car.

There's been rumors on and off of a 240sx/Silvia revival. Renderings have surfaced here and there. It's a nice thought, but what does that mean for the Altima Coupe and how will a new 240 find a place in the US line-up? somethings got to give, obviously.

To keep the Versa or not, that depends on what you want a car to do for you. If you want performance and don't care much about practicality, move on.

[br4dysays]

probably just keep it after its paid off and use it for work-only purposes.

then save up a few K and put it down on something I want at the time.

rx-8 maybe

[longo]

For anone keeping up with the mpg car stories, you can't help but get a chuckle out of this one....

"If the Big three cannot agree to make only cars that are fuel efficient enough to get at least 50 MPG by 2011, 75 MPG by 2013 and 100 MPG by 2015, then they should go into bankruptcy and fend for themselves like all the other businesses that are having trouble. The truth is this can be done and innovators know the way to do it."

Neil Youngs 2 and half ton" Lincvolt" monster is getting 65 mpgs. He will have his car entered in the X-Prize 100 mpg car race next year. the prize purse is $10,000,000.

read on if you care...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/....html

[Bubs daddy]

The Huffington Post. Yikes. Moonbat News...

[VersaMG08]

Yep, they are pretty liberal there.

[fjwagner]

Anything from the Huffington Post gets discounted 50%, then risked another 20%! Then I usually ignore it.

[longo]

My my, aren't we a little spooked about the Huff- Post.

The last time I checked, Rush Limbauh hasn't mentioned the X-Prize race for a 100 mpg car.

Here's the official X-Prize site, with more of the story.

http://www.progressiveautoxpri...ms-in

This link will show photos and other info on the selected teams for the race so far, including my fav', a guy named Henderson, a native of Bellingham, WA, completed the first Avion prototype in 1984 and drove into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1986, after a border-to-border trip that averaged 103.7 miles per gallon.

This Oct. he broke his old record with "113.1 Miles Per Gallon!"

Take that Detroit Bailout Bozos!

And what is Bush doing about mpg's these days...this just in...............

"David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau, Jan 8-09

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration abandoned efforts Wednesday to finalize a landmark increase in fuel efficiency standards, leaving a difficult decision to President-elect Barack Obama's administration in his first two months in office.


Modified by longo at 9:08 AM 1/8/2009

[fjwagner]

government should never be in the position to mandate what private industry builds or what the consumer should buy. If the consumer wants it, industry will build it. That is the way capitalism works. Kudos to Bush for not making that decision. Should the government tell GM, Ford and Chrysler what to build then that will be the final nail in the coffin for those US industries.

[Bubs daddy]

No one's spooked. Just calling it like it is. They're a moonbat site.

As the wise Mr. Wagner states, government should not be mandating fuel standards. It should be market driven. And the big three should have been shown the door when they asked for bail out money. File bankruptcy and reorganize.

The people who want better fuel economy will buy vehicles from the companies that provide them. People have different wants and needs.

[longo]

This just in from "The Moonbat Post"

"If the Big three cannot agree to make cars that are fuel efficient enough to get at least 50 MPG by 2011, 75 MPG by 2013 and 100 MPG by 2015, then they should go into bankruptcy and fend for themselves like all the other businesses that are having trouble. The truth is this can be done and innovators know the way to do it."

Glad we all agree.

Now, as to what to buy in a couple more years of Versa, from the look of the new stuff coming ito the car shows, there will be lots of interesting choices[IMG][/IMG]<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From My Pictures</td></tr></table>


Modified by longo at 9:35 PM 1/8/2009

[fjwagner]

[QUOTE=longo]This just in from "The Moonbat Post"

"If the Big three cannot agree to make cars that are fuel efficient enough to get at least 50 MPG by 2011, 75 MPG by 2013 and 100 MPG by 2015, then they should go into bankruptcy and fend for themselves like all the other businesses that are having trouble. The truth is this can be done and innovators know the way to do it."Glad we all agree.

Again, are these the cars consumers want to buy? If so, build them. If not, the government should not force those standards upon them. The decision to build cars to those standards comes from the auto makers, not the govt. Let's say that Ford chooses to and GM does not. The average car cost for Ford is then $4000/per car higher than GM in 2011 at 50mpg. Gas is $3.50 per gallon. Who stays in business? The cost to reach those milestones may not be what the consumer wants to pay.