I don't know your age or situation, but I would say that a house should come before the (insert fun,cool, always wanted, expensive sports car name here ) Porsche. :-)

 

lol im right up the grade from you in newbury, small world.

nice 911!

 

Funny, so am I. I'm in DVR.

 

+1 -- The hardest and best path. If you only pay cash for a car, and you set up and make regular payments to yourself on your next car (i.e., savings), you will be amazed at how quickly you can truly afford the car of your dreams. When the time gets closer, you will also be a better, more experienced shopper and negotiator and will get more for your money.

 

brilliant + wise words, cash is king.

edit - dont get too carried away however, i have a handful of friends that have spent too large a portion of their net worth on their prized ride... they eventually need to sell it and/or regret the purchase in some shape/manner.

 

Use some basic rules of thumb.

Car should cost less then 50% of your yearly income. Make sure you have a good net worth (Income x age / 10). It will let you sleep well at night.

 

Funny, my 9-year-old son called his mom's 2011 Carrera S cabriolet "all bubbles and circles." As opposed to, say, the angles of a Ferrari or some such. But he loves riding in the car and is actually disappointed when we take my Audi Q5 places -- where roads are bad or parking is touch-and-go and we want to avoid door dings. It took my wife six years and just under 100K miles for her Audi S4 Cab thrills to eventually wear away.

 

I regretted buying a black car. Won't ever own one again. Btw, there's no 12-step for people who aim to keep a black car clean/streak and scratch free.

 

One should have their priorities in order first. If you are living at home, renting an apartment with no secure parking, renting a room in another's home, etc, (not saying that is the case with the OP BTW) then buying a P-car is probably not the best move. I see tons of nice cars parked on the streets in front of semi-OK apartment complexes and it makes me cringe.