Ok - I'll admit it - I had a full blown midlife crisis and had to buy fun car after many years of driving a company issued Taurus. After looking at many different cars, I was torn between a old NSX and a new Corvette. They both met the spec of making my heart beat faster when I drove it. This all was about 18 months ago. I chose an NSX and I'm very happy with it but my analytical side was very interested in which of the two cars would have cost more. When I first bought the car it needed about $4,000 worth of fixes and preventative maintenance (Hoses, belts, tires, other rubber things!). It's tough to write big checks like that but compared to the costs of a New Corvette, it's still a deal.
I was looking at a basic coupe that would cost $45-$48K in 2002. I just checked - it's only worth $35K today! My NSX is a 91 that cost $26K and it still seems to be a good ballpark price for one. Even assuming a $3K drop, I'm still ahead by >$10K. More savings from the loan difference adds $4K to the NSX choice. The net difference is more than $1K/month! While the corvette depreciation does slow down it's still pretty big. It's a good thing to remember when visiting the dealer for a repair!
I was looking at a basic coupe that would cost $45-$48K in 2002. I just checked - it's only worth $35K today! My NSX is a 91 that cost $26K and it still seems to be a good ballpark price for one. Even assuming a $3K drop, I'm still ahead by >$10K. More savings from the loan difference adds $4K to the NSX choice. The net difference is more than $1K/month! While the corvette depreciation does slow down it's still pretty big. It's a good thing to remember when visiting the dealer for a repair!
