David1

Cayman S but at that payment you are over paying.

JHooby

if you're trying to Mod the car, AP1.

clawhammer

How much do the cars cost? Who the hell shops for a car based on the monthly payment anyway? We have no idea if we're even comparing apples to apples in this case. They could have different interest rates, loan terms, downpayments, etc.

unethikl

monthly cost was my estimate.

I'm paying $550 right now for my evoX.
I only have the option to trade in, that's why I was going off with the monthly payment calculation.

who doesn't finance a car based on monthly payments? cause that's all I care about.
apr and all other additives are included in monthly payments. it's OTD

unethikl

I'd love to get AP1, there actually is one out there I could get, but it's MY2000. Kind of concerns me that it's been 9~10 years. Mileage is 45,000 and had 2 owners. Dont know...

dammitjim

It's generally accepted that the smartest way to shop for a car is by the total cost of the car including interest, and not by monthly payment. Shopping by monthly payment is a great way to get screwed.

Figure out if a car is a good deal by the total cost, and then determine if you can afford the monthly payments.

Always negotiate the cost of the car with a dealer, never negotiate the monthly payment.

TheDonEffect

Hmm, how about if you compare a cheaper S2000, you could find gobs of low mileage ap1/ap2s in the mid teens, the monthly payment should be less than that. Granted you could also find a nice cayman as well, but (and you folks can correct me if I'm wrong since I don't regularly monitor cayman prices) but a great deal on a CS would be in the high 20s, whereas you can consistently find good AP2s in the mid teens, so you're looking at about 10K difference right off the bat, then you factor in the maitenance.
I'm having a slight change of heart about the maitenance on german cars, but it's still costly, and things break, so although it may be exaggerated, it will cost noticeably more than owning an S (which to be honest isn't a civic or integra when it comes to day to day expenses, but it isn't a jaguar either). I dunno, high performance car with annual oil changes make me skeptical, especially when the engine is specific to the car which hasn't been out that long (whereas the S has a decades worth of production), let alone it being german.
The P car is definitely a nicer car, probably a better driver (haven't driven it yet but I'm sure they're not overhyped...), and is better on paper, but does cost a significant amount more.
So, unless the CS has some kind of signficance to you like you always wanted a P car or something like that, I'd say get an S with a hardtop and save your dinero. If money was less of an object, then I'd go with the CS.

unethikl

^again, agreed. S is the car for me now.

$420 is indeed high for 05 with that mileage.
but it's all because my evoX doesnt value that much compared to what I owe. And I really NEED to trade this in now, because... I hit a curb and front end is not ... well. Suspension mount is slightly bent, etc.

ace123

why trade in? are you looking at the sales tax savings as the reason? obviously the extra grand or two you typically would make by selling privately might be offset by the sales tax and convenience advantages (not sure what tax and laws are in TX, but $20k @ 6%=$1200+the reduced hassle), but the option to buy from anywhere instead of the dealer who takes the trade in is IMO a great advantage.


and since you're looking at payments, i assume the APR and term is unchanged for all the numbers you've thrown out? if so, your payment comparison is perfectly reasonable, but if not, it's a poor way to compare, just as everyone is suggesting.

jadefox

Go with a Cayman if you're lucky enough to be able to afford one. BTW, when my dad was looking for Cayman's lasts year he found many in the $30k range with considerably less miles. The economy is down hard - don't let luxury item sellers fool you into thinking they are any better off. Just keep looking and you'll find the right car.