Here's the deal:

I'm about to be a 22yo college graduate(bachelors degree) this December with NO student debt.

I shipoff around Jan-Feb for my slot in the 18X program, as an E-4.

I have no kids, no wife, and no bills. I'm completely free.

And now my truck is acting up, and doesnt look like it will last much longer.

I will be recieving a nice graduation gift($$$), plus the reimbursement off my schooling which was paid out of pocket, plus a signing bonus(which I recieve when I pass the program).

Would it be wise to purchase a new vehicle now(looking at the 2011 Tahoe), so I can start paying it off during the begining of my military career?

This is just me, what I learned when I was in. YMMV.





Get something nice and reliable, but something that you can leave behind in a lot when you're deployed, and not worry about it getting dinged up.





Don't build up any debt that you don't have to - in fact, avoid it at all costs. Save as much as you can.





When you've been in for a while and have a deployment under your belt, you'll have enough to buy whatever you want, straight cash. Or you could just keep saving.



You're in a great position, don't screw it up.

Remember you will be going for training, and once you are done you will be getting stationed somewhere state side or over seas. If you go over seas you will be able to pick up a BMW, Mercadies, you name it for cheaper then buying it here. And then have it shipped back (on uncle Sam's dime) state side once you get stationed back state side. If you look at any major military base at the banks back parking lot it's the used auto lot on base. Unless your going to put you vehicle in a storage shed while your deployed and having some one check and run it monthly while deployed. It's going to be a good idea to get a semi decent used vehicle, that you can off load easily if you need to/ should you want to because of change of duty station. Also your MOS once you make it through it all is high deployment, it's usually a 6x6, 6 in country and 6 home unless you can get a scheduled for a school during your units deployment rotation.

Good luck

Do you have a link or any info on thetution reimbursment that you are recieving. I try to stay up to date on enlistment options as people often ask me about enlisting. I have not heard of this program at all, I know about student loan repayment and that a few states offer tutition reimbursment as part of their guard programs, but this is the first I've heard of Active Army paying out for an already paid for degree.

Not in the least.  Limp your truck along until you are in a better position to buy a vehicle.  When your military training begins you will have little to no use for a vehicle for a long time.  The vehicle is going to sit and depreciate meanwhile you are not even able to drive it.



I would also advise against buying brand new.

No

Keep your curent vehicle, learn to fix it.  Buy a new one when you reenlist

dont buy a new vehicle from anyone within 5 miles of your base. ever.

wait till you get to your station and go to the lemon lot on base. get a newish car for half the price from someone less fortunate

youre at bragg, north post PX i think. theyll be lots of 2010 everythings

this is alot of great info guys. it helps alot.

as usual, first post and what not...

Isn't there a link on AKO to get a serious discount on Chevy vehicles right now?

I don't have any authority to give advice on this but from what I know about the 18x program, you'll be in training for a pretty good chunk of time.  Do you want to be paying for something that wont be used very much?



My advice would be to fix your current truck and save money so you can buy in full a vehicle down the line.

Right now keeping my truck isnt in the picture.

For the curious folk, my truck is a '96 Chevy Silverado ext-cab Z-71.

It's had sooo much $$ put into it in the last few months, and shit still keeps breaking. I only drive to school and around town(probably 10miles tops every day), no offroading, no long distance driving, But shit still keeps breaking.

I think I'm going to go with a older model(i.e. 2004-2006) Tahoe to get me around bases, home, and such. It's not expensive, and I wont worry too much about it if I have to leave it be for a while.

Well you won't need to worry about a POV for many, many months when you first get in. IF you make it through selection you'll get plenty of deployments and have a bunch of money to spend on a new car if you choose to do so.

If you absolutely have to have something right now I'd buy something cheap. really cheap.

Good luck.

Even when you get to Bragg I recommend you have a POS car and travel light.

IM Cityslicker, he was in your boots a few years back.

done. thanks.

I still can't come up with any good reason to buy a new vehicle, I've gone over it and over it again in my head and i just can't see why anyone would want to make payments on a 20,000 dollar vehicle plus interest when you can get a nice vehicle used for 3,000.

yeah, ive had a couple cars and never made payments on them. all used, takes some work but its worth it. a new car is worth the most the day you buy it. next day, it just starts to drop in value, and it NEVER goes back up.

For a vehicle your going to have for a long time and you can afford to order it just they way you want it do that. I've always purchased my wife a new car and keep her in it until the warranty runs out and alway try to pay it off early. When I buy her a new car I am buying myself the piece of mind that goes with it.

     However I drive a 45 year old pickup and a 3 year old motorcycle. But I am mechanicly inclined and I like fixing old iron.

   Like everyone is said don't buy a vehicle for a long while wait till you arrive at an operational unit to purchase one. If that unit is slotted to deploy in the near future wait till after you deploy to buy. It's entirely possible that by the time you come back you might be in a position to purchase the vehicle outright with cash. When that time comes post back for advice on how to do it.

First, keep fixing up the truck.  Do NOT go into debt on a vehicle.  Pay cash for something you can afford, but that said, take the money you have coming and save/invest most of it.  Set yourself up.  Or use it for some life experience travel.  Don't sink everything you've got into something that will depreciate every day and every mile.



Buy an older jeep. Pay cash. Fix it up but don't put a ton of money into it. You can camp with it, take it to the beach, whatever you want. Chicks will like it because it is outdoorsy and has a convertible/open top. You're not going to be commuting, so you probably don't care that much about mpg.



Resale is usually quick if you don't put a ton of cash into it (as in, don't put monster tires and rims, massive stereo, etc).



If you are an older outdoors guy like me, I'd recommend another pickup truck, but you're still young.



You can go the sportscar route but I'd stick with something with some utility, that's fun, easy to work on/upgrade as needed, and easy/quick to unload if you get shipped out to a locale that forces you to park/store the vehicle.