Ok so this has been on my mind lately...

I'm a young man (early twenties) with a good job in the IT industry. Granted no degree yet (so there's one hit on my income).... I live on my own with a friend (another hit on income) and have a hearty commute (ok, three hits). Ya know, some months I barely make bills and there are so many things that I still need to live comfortably (a bed would be nice). Where in the world do some of you guys get money for your cars?!

I do realize that cars are not my first line hobby by any means. Some people probably eat sleep and breath whatever their next addition to their ride is and eat nothign but ramen for months on end to save up, but I see plenty of young kids (and I say kids since some aren't even out of HS) rollin in these cars with all sortsa shit done to em that savings wouldn't really pay for. Granted there's always the "mom & dad bought me this and I don't make any payments" kids -- but I'm certain that there are people on this board who have bought more cars than me and pimped the hell outta each.

Lifestyle as a whole aint cheap -- gas costs money, accidents cost money, things breakin, tickets, court... all of that. I just dont' see how I have a hard time makin ends meet and others are rollin in mods?

Note: This is in no way a bitch or a flame about how i've got it hard or others have it easy. I'm just curious. I know livin under other people's roofs make a big difference, so does havin a degree, so does age. I'm just curious as to how most people here make it.

 

Save and only buy what you can afford. Getting a gig on the side helps, too.

And some of us are just ballers.

 

Live in debt, it's the american way of life

 

Shit is hard nowadays. I also work in the IT field with a good job and I have a hard time finding money to do things to my car. Try having child support, credit cards, and school loans on top of everything else you just mentioned.

 

lol all my money goes to my car, i worked for 10 months at chilis and im about to blow it all on my car, its a wonderful life

 

well me im only 16 i have had 7 cars all of them i baught my self i baought a POS 600$ hatch back fixxed it and sold it for more then i just kept trading and in the end i ended up with a 4 door that i was also able to get money for aturbo kit because of all my trading lol ...but yeah i only make 200$ a week my job and the only bill i have is a cell phone and car insurance so i guess thats where i get my money from also i have a box lol ,,labeled car money ..and the rest goes in my pocket iu just keep putting lil bits of money in there at a time and i end up with a couple hundered to play with after a few weeks

 

there's a saying i picked up from autocross..."you dont know poverty unless you own a race car"...same goes for this hobby...

work your ass off, save your money, blow it all on your car...i put like $20-$30 away each week for junk food and other stuff i'd spend my money on...other than that...my money went into parts, tools, autocross, dragstrip/shows, gas, all that good stuff...the only thing my parents really helped with was co-signing on my car...

EDIT: this was on the sunfire...otherwise my TSi wouldnt be stock with a messed up transmission...Im broke now...

 

I started with a toyota pick up truck, traded my way to my 240 and then to my civic... I worked 2 jobs for the longest time and had my wreckless driving ticket which in total cost me 1500 bucks, I pay rent even tho I still live at home, I guess its all money management, even tho I suck at that to...

 

sidework, i spend little to no money on my car from my paycheck anymore, i used to, but i sold all the things i loved about my car that got me into debt, payed off my debt, and now i only use the money from side hustles to pay for mods and/or trade my labor for parts, for example, i painted some things for a customer and i got hondata out of it,but thats why my build up is taking so damn long, dont have any sidework this month.........

 

I think things like regular bills (commuting, gas, rent, food) are not hits...thats just life you gotta pay up.

I couldn't afford this hobby when I was younger (I'm 28 now). I put a catback on the chilled b/c I couldn't afford shit for a while, saved up, BAM some pulleys lol. I make a little more than I did before so I can afford things easier, but it's where you choose to spend your money. I'm cheap in a lot of other areas, but I'll splurge on the car. There's one tv in my house, 27" and its 10 years old, everytime I think about buying a new one...nah..car money.

But it is hard, I'm trying to build up my car while saving for two trips to Vegas, my sister's wedding gift, etc etc...