Hi, Folks:

 (This post is a kind of off topic. But, I think people here may give me more helpful info.)

 I got a Volvo 240 DL Wagon (130,000 mile, 1990) last Dec. The baby is my first car, tell the truth, I love it.
 Since I am a poor student, it is a little bit luxury for me. I visitied Europe in 1999, and there I knew volvo.

 Next May, I will graduate, hehe~~, make money. Hopefully, I may find a job $60,000-80,000. At that time, I
 think, I will change my car. But, today, when I tried www.autotrader.com to check the price. Oh, my
 godness! Even 1998 V70 asks for $25,000+. The new volvo is above $30,000. So, here comes the
 question:

 1. Buy a new volvo, $30,000+
 2. Buy a used volvo (2-4 year old), $20,000~25,000+
 3. Keep my old 240, and spend money fixing it. (Now, it is staying in the shop, need $800 to make it
 running great. :( )

 Which is better? Show your opinions, please!

 Thanks!

 Shawn

 Whatever you do, save up and pay cash. Otherwise your career and life will be run by a 1 1/2 ton pile of
 plastic and steel. Exchange principles and freedom for something as stupid as a CAR? Sometimes the
 boss NEEDS to be told to f*** off. There are MUCH worse things than quitting a job. Like being forced to
 work a bad one.

 When you consider that even at a handsome salary of $60-$80k, you can expect to spend at least A HALF
 YEAR chained to the oars of the galley to pay for it, a 240DL looks nicer and nicer.

 I have paid cash for every single one of my own and my wife's cars. We then drive 'em until the wheels fall
 off.

 My $0.02.

 -Phil Punxsutawney

 '98 V70T5M, 65k

 Oh, Jesus! I think I meet a philosopher. :)
 I love the words:"There are MUCH worse things than quitting a job. Like being forced to work a bad one. "
 Actually, I hold the same sense as yours. But, pay every car by cash, I can't dream of. Maybe for the 240
 DL I have now, but possibly not for a new volvo.

 You pay your V70T5M '98 by cash? Oh, man!

 Again, thanks for your words!

 To quote Steve Jobs after he turned 40: "We're born. We're here for one brief instant. Then we die."

 There are MUCH more interesting things to do with half a year of your time than work for a car. Have you
 ever had fish nibble your toes on the Great Barrier Reef? Seen Michaelangelo's David in the actual
 marble? Climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro? (I haven't done the latter. Yet.)

 Really, a 240DL is just fine. You're young, unencumbered and there are still a bazillion things to do and
 see. When you're older and have no time, but have money to burn, think about a new car.

 -Phil Punxsutawney

 I totally agree with you. But for some of us, speed/performance are the most important things.

 I am only 20 but I have my tuition taken care of through scholarships, I take care of my insurance,
 transporation (gas, maintenance, etc.), I live at home so I don't have to worry about paying for food or
 shelter, and besides getting good marks at school, I don't really have anything else to worry about. I pay for
 all these things through multiple little jobs. I do computer work for professors and doctors that do research,
 I am a licensed distributor for AMSOIL synthetic lubricants, and I work full time during the summer, usually
 making little more then minimum wage, i.e. $7-10/hour.

 And whatever I have left besides going into miscellaneous and investments for retirement, go into my
 baby. She was purchased by my father for a cool $23,500 Canadian which I pitched $8000. I have spent
 everything on sound upgrades to the tune of about $3500 Canadian. And now, the sound is exactly where I
 want it to be and I am now looking for performance. So this year, I'm doing almost everything that is rather
 easily done to increase power (full exhaust, chip, intake, wastegatem, and everything but chip will be done
 by the end of the week, would've been earlier if it weren't for Good Friday), switching to stainless steel
 brake lines (slotted rotors and aftermarket pads when the oe rotors go), am buying used rims tomorrow,
 and all the handling goodies next year.

 So I admittedly spend WAY too much on the car. But I LOVE my car. I LOVE going fast in it. I LOVE racing
 it. Though I am heading towards psychology or law in university education and a high interest in
 philosophy, I know that I will always have a passion for cars, and that I will always love making use of high
 performance vehicles. So for me, though I do not take loans to satisfy my desires, I do spend a lot on them.
 And if I had to do it all again, I would. So your priorities are obviously different then mine. Many would
 consider my priorities to be aimless and without depth, but I disagree. Your experiences and to do list is
 very commendable and grand with experiencing wonders/events topping the list. But for me, it is cars. I
 can't say that it will always be cars, but for me, my love for cars runs deep. This is not to say that cars are
 my only love. I still find travel, music, art and other intangibles highly desirable, but cars will always be a
 desire for me. And as such, I find no reason not to spend a lot of money on them.

 God, I hate getting old and dispensing grandfatherly advice. But his worked for me, and I'll pass it along.

 I bought my first new car in 1955, just out of college and just married. My father had to co-sign the loan. A
 year and a half later, with a new baby on the way, I bought a new VW beetle (one of the few around at that
 time), again with a loan. I paid it off in two years and have never made a car payment since. And with a
 very few exceptions all my cars have been new.

 Basically, I worked my way up through a series of fun-to-drive, inexpensive cars, always paying cash and
 then depositing the equivalent of a car payment in the bank every month. For example, my third "car" was
 a Messershmitt. One two-stroke cylinder, 9 hp, three wheels, 60 mph top speed, and pure fun. I whipped
 that thing all over the back roads of New Hampshire grinning form ear to ear. We used our "big" car, the
 VW, as the family vehicle. From the Messershmitt to a 1959 bug-eyed Sprite, a TR3, an Austin Healy, and
 all kinds of others.

 Ten days ago I bought an S60 T5, a wonderful car that would have bored me to death 40 years ago.
 (Reminds me a little of a quiet version of my Hudson Hornet) It's perfect for someone my age whose
 reflexes are slowing and whose aging body can really appreciate Volvo seats. But one really doesn't need
 that kind of power and luxury to enjoy a car. In fact, it can get in the way. Fun is tuning a couple of SU carbs
 with a piece of plastic tubing and a screwdriver. Or running out to dry off the Lucas ignition system
 everytime there's a havy dew. At least to meit is (or was).
 --
 Ron

 More Philosophy...regarding cars, someone once said "In the history of the world, never have so many,
 paid so much, for so little".

 But that's the thing. It may be "so little" to you, but to me, I long for a nice evening drive in my baby. The roar
 of the engine when you pull from 4000-6000rpm, and realizing you just accelerated past all speed limits in
 one gear from 60km/h, to about 120km/h.

 For me, it goes more like, paying so much, for so much. Sometimes, instead of just pulling into my
 neighbourhood, I go around for a quick spin just so I can enjoy the car a little more before I put her away for
 the night.

 It's all a matter of what you desire. Are you telling all your desires would be easily received by all on this
 board, let alone in this world?