need advice on which car to buy

i haven't decided on which car i want. i've been wanting a 1st gen Lexus LS400 for a long time. but i've recently found a 93 Q45 for $800. the Q is in rough shape (haven't even seen the interior yet). if i get the Q, then i'd love to do a President converion. i know both cars are expensive to modify, but at the same time, i really need to be cost effective due to my wedding in a year and also saving for a down payment on a house. so what i really want to know is the pros, cons, and cost of each car and the basic cost of ownership and reliability of the cars and what to expect for the upkeep of the cars. please help me out here. i posted this thread in the 101 b/c it doesn't directly fall in to the T/L or N/I forums and i want people from all over the site to see it and give advice :shrug:

I don't have experience with either car, but I would suggest you pick whichever platform you will be most satisfied with in the long run. The several hundred dollars you may save by getting the Q, will be insignificant in the long run, and you will be much happier if you spent the  extra money for the car you really want.
 
(I'm sure you already know this, but I figure I might as well mention it. If you have a wedding and are trying to save up for a house, I'd say forget about modifying a car. Get the house!)
 
Regardless, good luck with your selection and I look forward to seeing the build.

I agree, maybe it isn't the right time since you've got a wedding and down payment for a house soon. If you're not in need of a new ride, maybe you should wait. If the Q needs that much work, be careful, you may get in over your head trying to fix it. If you are needing a new ride, go with one that is in good condition. If you've found both a LS400 and a Q45 in similar condition, go with the one "you" like.

save your money and get married and buy a house first.  you can always build a car later.

Im going to have to agree there. Also these cars are getting on a bit, rubbers in the engine bay like heater hose etc break down, alternator goes, p/s pump goes, suspension bushes shot...these are all the sorts of things that will be a likely occurance. If you cant afford to fix these and build the car, then your probably better off waiting for a few years :)

Married life, let alone weddings, is expensive.  There are things for the wedding that the Groom must pay (only a slight relief for the POTB).  It's a great time to buy a house if you have good credit record.  Save and pay down every penny you can on the house; it will treat you right in the long run.  Even though "the economy" is getting a lot of bad press, housing is a buyer's market.

Old cars cost a lot in upkeep just to keep the motor running. 

Get your new life established - really focus on that and your bride.  She'll be more supportive later.  Spending money on toys you don't have to have can create animosity and resentment.  Don't need any of that now.

And congratulations on your upcoming wedding.  May your life together be blessed.  Here is my advice to you in all things relationship:  

You don't have to go to every fight you're invited to.  

Would you rather be right or rather be happy?  

It's all a choice.


Brenda

Wow! you got it down pat! How long you been married for?
 
 
[quote=BlackberryPie;238959]Married life, let alone weddings, is expensive. There are things for the wedding that the Groom must pay (only a slight relief for the POTB). It's a great time to buy a house if you have good credit record. Save and pay down every penny you can on the house; it will treat you right in the long run. Even though "the economy" is getting a lot of bad press, housing is a buyer's market.
 
Old cars cost a lot in upkeep just to keep the motor running. 
 
Get your new life established - really focus on that and your bride. She'll be more supportive later. Spending money on toys you don't have to have can create animosity and resentment. Don't need any of that now.
 
And congratulations on your upcoming wedding. May your life together be blessed. Here is my advice to you in all things relationship: 
 
You don't have to go to every fight you're invited to. 
 
Would you rather be right or rather be happy? 
 
It's all a choice.
 
 
Brenda[/quote]

[quote=20sburning;238963]Wow! you got it down pat! How long you been married for?[/quote]

[COLOR=Plum]Long enough to figure it out (often, the hard way).:pat:Doh!

Sometimes, it helps a newly-engaged man (or gal for that matter) to hear it from someone without a vested interest.

Brenda
[/COLOR]

make sure you listen to blackberry pie lol
 
i'd go LS400 when you get the chance to. don't buy a 800 dollar Q just to have a car right now. You wanna get a car that is in good enough shape that you don't have to worry about fixing up the body before you can begin modifications. that just = a lot of money. Get a nice LS that is in great shape and begin your mods.
 
that is the best option imo.

thanks for all the advice guys and gal. i know that you're all right about getting the car later. i don't see myself losing interest in the scene any time soon. i think my gameplan is to: 1st, pay for the wedding/honeymoon; 2nd, save for down payment on house; then 3rd, buy vipcar platform. i just recently got a good job w/ a local window tint company as a sales rep. my job is to go to businesses and home and drop business cards. my boss also sends me out to appointments to measure windows and write estimates. i get a base salary of $200 (before taxes)/wk + comissions. so i have a great earnings potential w/ this job w/o being discouraged if i don't make a sale. we just wrote up an estimate last week on a local Holiday Inn. we gotta split the pay b/t my boss, another salesman, and the other window tint installer. we also discounted the price by a lot! and after all that, my cut of the deal will be $2400. so if we get a couple hotels done each week, then i'd be set pretty good and be able to accomplish all 3 goals at the same time and maybe add my 4th goal of modding my truck (black 06 tacoma regular cab 4 cyl 2wd). i have some cool plans for my truck. i plan on lowering my truck 3" or more, 20" x 8.5" front and 20" x 9.5" solid black wheels w/ a deep lip and flat face, custom fabbed fiberglass body kit, front bumper will be designed w/ clean lines and will be fitted w/ the UCF30 fog lights and maybe some cornering lights, puddle lights under the doors, 2" fender pull on all 4 wheel arches, custom right rear exit twin upswept tips, a nice sound system, and black leather w/ black suede bucket seats to replace my bench seat and have a custom center console to go b/t the seats. i am by no way going to refer to my truck as VIP. i know it's not a true platform. but i'll borrow a couple styles from VIP styling and make my truck into a mini luxury truck.

moderators, please clean up my last 2 posts. had problems w/ the site. i was logged in and when i hit the "post quick reply button" it told me that i needed to log in to do that. don't know what that was all about. but anyway, it posted the same thing 3 times