<prompt> Human: Hey PF! Long time lurker, first post on reddit!I was hoping you guys could help me figure out if I can afford a car given my current situation in finances. A little background:-24yr old male, clean driving record.-52,000yr salary before taxes 3.4k usually after taxes a monthCurrent Expenses:- Rent 850month I live in a high-rent city- Insurance for my current car 120month- Food 200-400month; I eat quite a lot as I lift :3 I also enjoy food which is why it goes up to 400 sometimes- Gas 120month; Can vary, but never goes past this. - Student Loan Payments 163month; My minimum is alot less than this, I pay this to get the loans payed off quicker. I also just pay off what I can if I have surplus for the month- Gym 40month; I used to have a cheaper membership, but due to time constraint and sanitation, I had to upgrade.- Minimum Savings 150month; This was an arbitrary amount I just started a few months ago- Assorted Items 300month; This ranges anywhere from protein powders, vitamins, or other necessities I usually dont have to regularly purchase. Other tidbits:- Family is really supportive. Sometimes Ill be able to buy almost 2 weeks worth of food when I go home. Small things like the necessities like toothbrushpaste etc... I usually dont have to purchase. My Goal:I really want to purchase a 2015 Genesis Coupe Ultimate 35k MSRP, but I have no knowledege beyond the monthly payment calculation and APR. Should I really be saving more? I want to be able to save up for a house different area downpayment sometime within the next 5-7 years. Beyond this other goal, I dont have much else expense otherwise. I want to be able to have fun in a decently fun my opinion car while Im still young, but also dont want to be caught with my pants down when it comes time to buy a house in half a decade. Any help if greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!Edit: Wow, lot more responses than I thought. Thanks everyone! I think I can see pretty clearly that I CANNOT afford this vehicle right now. I think my next course of action will be to muscleup some patience, pay off loans, get a retirement thing started, then take a look once things settle down. Edit 2: I was on mobile, so sorry that my spaces between the bullets didnt transfer through.Assistant: Go buy a used one. No young man wants to drive a p.o.s. at your age. I get it. That dude that said go buy a 2K car obviously doesnt understand that you are lifting, chasing girls and want to enjoy your youth. Buy used, and keep your payments around 300 or so. Youd be surprised what you can fit in to that budget. Dont extend your financing to get more car at a lower payment. Youll just bury yourself. Human: I considered used, however Im still going off of my parents hard-ground notion that all used cars are simply unreliable. I find information thats so conflicting, I have no idea what to believe here  <response>: You can get duds with new cars too, they come with a warranty but you could still have the tranny shred itself a month after you get it, theyll replace it but youll still be down a car for a whileThe important thing is to shop for a car known to be reliable. If youre concerned about the car being unreliable look at Certified Preowned cars and do research on the models available to find out known issues with them. Once youve got it narrowed down to a couple options talk to a car guy at work about the ones your thinking about and see if theyll come check it out with you if you arent very car savvy.My family has only had used cars and not recent used cars either, but we kept them well maintained and they never left us stranded -1995 Dodge caravan, acquired in 2002, died due to headgasket failure in 2008-1995 Mitsubishi Galant, acquired 2004, scrapped due to frame rot in 2011-1991 Ford Explorer, acquired 1999, scrapped due to being clutch hungry in 2009-1993 Ford explorer, acquired 2001, scrapped due to dead transmission 2012-2002 dodge durango, acquired 2006, still chugging 190k... you get the pictureMany of those dont even have the best reliability record, the durango likes chewing through front suspension parts and chugs gas like an alcoholic at an open bar. If you listen to your car it will never leave you stranded, if you dont even the best car can leave you wanting 