I've always hated the idea of owning car and making payments. I did it once when I was 18, swore I'd never do it again. Then I was told all of the negative crap was taken off my credit report and only my stuff was left. My original plan was to drop $3k on a 5k car and make payments to help build my credit. But living in Colorado and driving to Wisconsin two or three times a year, I wanted a safe vehicle that was reliable for my girls. I really liked the Forte when I had one for a week.
Off the lot was just over $14k. I put 4 down. And now that I'm back living in Wisconsin, no longer needing to make said drive, ... paying hundreds of dollars for car payment and insurance every month is starting to bother me. The only setback is the car is basically the only 'reward' I have for how far I've come. When I drive it, I feel like I've gotten somewhere. I dunno how to explain it. It's almost like a trophy.
But any trophy that you lose this much money on ... I dunno if it's worth it ... especially since it's obviously not helping my credit score improve with Chase Bank ... enough to get a damn loan.