Buying a new car while In

kirkus8 · 12-31-2012, 07:10 AM

Just a question for you guys. Is it a dumb idea to take on monthly payments and buy a new car while in the service? I leave for basic this spring and will be an E-3 in the Air Force. Just wondering is it worth it to have the reliability of a new car or should I keep my 06 and save money

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GO.army.1969 · 12-31-2012, 10:21 AM

Keep you 06. If you want a new car thats fine your not going to be doing any driving till boot camp and you schooling is done you are looking at 3 to 6 months or more. Save all the money you can while in trainning. your base pay will be $1787.35 as an E-3. You could put a nice down payment on a car if you do so. The only bills you will have are the ones you bring in with you phone, car payment ect. If none than the only thing you will have to pay for is haircuts each week $12. Good luck

kirkus8 · 12-31-2012, 11:52 AM

Ya I wouldn't purchase till after tech school anyway and would sell mine before basic. But idk what to do

kirkus8 · 12-31-2012, 01:01 PM

Is that pay monthly or every two weeks

***gonefhsn*** · 01-04-2013, 12:58 PM

Thats Monthly with less then 2 years. You can elect to be paid once a month or every two weeks. There are other factors that will effect your pay (i.e. married or single, renting or living on base). Every year on your enlistment anniversary you get a clothing allowence.

upstater · 01-04-2013, 04:13 PM

Keep the old car, bank the cash.

FocusOnMeNow · 01-04-2013, 04:24 PM

The car isn't going anywhere. Wait it out.

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Notcolorblind · 01-04-2013, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GO.army.1969

Keep you 06. If you want a new car thats fine your not going to be doing any driving till boot camp and you schooling is done you are looking at 3 to 6 months or more. Save all the money you can while in trainning. your base pay will be $1787.35 as an E-3. You could put a nice down payment on a car if you do so. The only bills you will have are the ones you bring in with you phone, car payment ect. If none than the only thing you will have to pay for is haircuts each week $12. Good luck

This is great advice, you want to save as much as you can while in school (Marines "donate"majority of their money in boot). Avoid impulse spending as much as you can.
Purchasing your first new car can be a great experience but BEWARE there have been many Airmen before you and I'll bet my own kidneys there are many local dealers nearby your base that have scammed many servicemen before and will continue to do so. So choose your dealer wisely!
My best advice if you do decide to buy a new car is ask you parents (If they have good credit) to co-sign for you and buy your car from your hometown if youre being stationed stateside. That way you get a good rate on your new car and you can drive your new ride to report to your unit of duty.

Best of luck, and make the most of it.

darossi3 · 01-04-2013, 09:05 PM

ABSOLUTELY agree with notcolorblind. I bought a motorcycle while in training and my credit is ruined because i got had. They put it on a credit card instead of a loan, and when i was late one payment due to being deployed they hiked my payments up to 500 a month with like 40% interest. on a 8 grand bike.