shank0668

Let me start by saying I'm in high school. (rolling eyes, I know) Anyway, I really want to get a WS6. I currently have a 1998 Wrangler Sahara that I bought and put a new frame and fixed all the body rust myself with my own money. I am not willing to get rid of this to get my ws6. I have roughly 300 hours into it and it's too reliable.

My thoughts are I should have about $5000 saved by the beginning of summer after I finish my other Wrangler and sell it, sell my Pontiac 455/m21, and work.
At this time I could wait and save a little more and try to get a high mileage WS6 (only an ls1 car 6 speed car) in the $5-7000 range, or I could try and ask my parents to cosign on a loan for a roughly $10-11k one if I put about $5000 or so down. I looked into the cheaper cars as I wouldn't mind building one up a little bit eventually. I could also possibly sell my atv for another $3000 or so, but I don't really want to get rid of it.

I also will be going off to college so I'm going to have to by a beater driver too.
Just curious if it seems like a terrible idea to get one or not. I sold my 1979 trans am project in hopes of getting a ws6 within a year. I'm lucky to have my parents pay insurance, but I'd be pushing it with 3 cars... I'd probably put storage on 2 in winter and liability in summer.
Thanks!

mac62989

iTrader: (1)

I bought my WS6 at 20 but I paid cash. I would think you would have a hard time getting a loan on a car at least 13 years old. With such a small budget and still needing a beater it seems like a poor idea to me. I would also shy away from anything high mileage since you can get a nice lower mileage WS6 for dirt cheap these days. Your going to do whatever you want so this thread seems pointless. My .02

Fry_

Don't get a loan, being still in school and looking to go to college it would be an unnecessary financial burden. You also shouldn't limit yourself to only a WS6, 17 inch wheels and a hood aren't always worth the price some people put on them. If you're patient and look hard you can find a Trans Am thats in good condition for $5000, but you may want to save a little more because the quality of car you can find for $7000 goes up quite a bit sometimes. You may also want to try test driving a stalled A4 if you can find one, it may change your M6 only point of view.

98CayenneT/A

I agree, also banging gears in a 6 speed is fun but a stalled auto is pretty bad *** itself

shank0668

I can't seem to find anything with less than 100k miles for under $10,000
This is true, I just really like the look of the WS6 package. My thoughts are to pay cash at around $7000, but in that price range I've only found 100-150k mile cars.
I've never driven a stalled auto, but in my experience I've much preferred my time in manual v8 cars over auto ones. I did kind of enjoy driving an auto Cts-v and an auto c7, but I definitely liked the manual ZL1 and manual c7's better.

Fry_

If you keep looking you'll find a $5-7000 car with right around 100k thats still in good shape. Lets face it we're talking about 13-17 year old cars you're going to pay a premium price if you want something under a 100k.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I definitely do not agree with that. Nobody within ~300 miles of my area is selling what I would consider to be a "nice, low mileage WS6" for anything close to dirt cheap.

I agree with the comment above about skipping the WS6 package if money is tight. As a person who bought one brand new in 2000, it's really just a hood and wheels. You can get any LS1 Trans Am and add these parts later if you really want the look. Since you aren't looking for a low mileage collector car to keep stock and perfect, there's really no reason to pay the premium for an original WS6.

ULTIMATEORANGESS

iTrader: (4)

i myself prefer ws6s but id look for something in your price range and go from there.


ls1 TAs and camaros can be made to look just as good imo.

mac62989

iTrader: (1)

Anything sub $10k is dirt cheap to me for what you get. I paid $12k cash back in 09 for an 01 WS6 with 65,000 miles. Is the markup really that high for a WS6 package vs a regular Trans AM? If you cant afford it I say wait but no kid in high school understands patience.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Nobody is selling any nice, low mileage WS6s for under $10k in my area, at least not that I can find. The closest thing to such is a 76k mile '02 WS6 for $9k with a salvage title. The other WS6s are either over 100k miles or several thousand dollars more. Then again, perhaps not everyone has the same definition of "nice" and "low mileage".

As a side note, I really can't agree that any of the WS6s are "dirt cheap" for what you get, because you can get the same performance in a same condition/mileage car with a different trim level for significantly less....only difference being appearance which is entirely subjective anyway.

shank0668

It's not a matter or patience. If I wanted a low mileage ws6 to be a garage queen I would wait. However, I always love some sort of project, all of my past 5 cars all started out unable to be driven. Therefore I wouldn't even mind finding a blown motor one which is difficult. Ultimately I want a fun car that will hold me over till post college and maybe something i'll restore. However I don't want to be too illogical. I don't mind the idea of a formula/base trans am, but those are harder to find and seem right in the same price ballpark.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

The WS6 Trans Ams definitely aren't rare and are actually more common than base Trans Ams in the later years, but there is a pretty significant price difference (often several thousand for a similar mileage/similar condition example) in my region. In fact there are several seemingly nice Formulas with under 100k miles for under $10k in my area right now. No such luck with WS6 TAs though, other than the salvage title example I mentioned above.

McGinnis

Firebirds make a great weekend toy, but daily driving it isn's so much fun. They are fast, and easy to get tickets in, and you have to be really careful parking it so you don't hit your front bumper on those cement parking stones. They also can't really fit much inside, and getting in and out of them becomes a chore it's so low to the ground. For a young person they are a cool car, but probably one of the least practical cars to buy. If you live in a cold climate with snow I would't even consider one, unless it's strictly an extra car. But a WS6 Firebird is a badass car.

shank0668

I've found some reasonable ones around $7,000. I think I'll just pay cash for one sometime around summer.
I've driven plenty of faster cars, zero tickets so far . In terms of a driver... I drive a Wrangler now, they have zero room inside, ride like garbage, are terribly loud and impractical. I used to daily driver a Pontiac Fiero in year long. It was fun in the winter and it sat super low. This car would just be a summer toy.

Nickshookie

Hey im also in highschool. I daily drive my 98 trans am year round, yes even in the snow. During the rest of the year besides winter its a blast! As other said it can be a hassle daily driving it but to me its worth it. The biggest issue i have is the long doors, if you have to park in-between two cars like i do at school, then you cannot open your door all the way and its a pain to get out. Mines a base 98 trans am that i bought with a rod hanging out the block, and it had a blown trans which i did not know when buying it (it went through several people while it was blown so i guess that info was lost). But i also liked the look of the ws6 so i put the hood on it and i also liked the ws6 wheels but found some c6 wheels for cheap so i put them on. In the end i probably have the same amount of $ into buying the car and putting a new engine and trans in it compared to just buying a running one. Honestly just find yourself a decent one that runs and drives for your budget. Wait it out and do not rush it.

Fry_

I disagree with everything you said, except for the part about snow. If you have to deal with snow you need a extra car.

shank0668

To clear things up, I will have this and my Wrangler as summer vehicles and I'll probably buy a used Cavalier or something from work.

mac62989

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like your getting in over your head as an 18 year old with 3 cars. Still trying to figure out the point of this thread

blackandgold

iTrader: (2)

Eh, I had friends like this growing up, to each their own, but I know once I got to college everything changed, still loved cars but they definitely become less of a priority to studying and hoes.

OP, if you want a WS6 and can afford it I can't give you a good reason to not get one. If you're looking for life advice, take that 5k and either invest it or put it towards tuition. Just remember to study and not get kicked out. I'm 24 and currently have cars # 7 and 8 although 2 is the most I've had at once so 3 cars doesn't sound horrible...

mac62989

iTrader: (1)

Im just getting at I think he already made up his mind. I owned at least two cars from the time I was 16. I always paid cash and from the time I was 18 I always paid my own insurance. His parents still pay for him and if he already cant afford the car he wants it sounds like a bad idea. Great point about using the money toward tuition. Id rather get out of school with little to no debt than have a car. I know I didnt buy my WS6 until I could afford what I wanted with a good amount left over for mods.