<prompt> Human: Long story short, crunched some numbers and a local dealer can keep my payments the same with minimal down when I trade in my 2015 Mazda 3 iTouring for a 2017 WRX Base. Those of you who have experience with both cars, or have had experienced trading up early, what do you think I should do?Heres my numbers:15 Mazda3 iTouring: 20.1k361.6336mo2.9Down: 3.5k17 WRX Base: 28k dealer installed accessories..400.0060mo5.5Mazda3 Trade In: 14,125Payoff: 12.7k 12 payments completedDown: 1000  <response>: Dont look at payments. Dont look at payments. Thats one of the worst ways of looking at ANY loan, but auto loans are especially egregious. A loan is 3 things: A principal amount, an interest rate, and a term. The number of months and the interest rate on the WRX are both pretty bad. If you cant afford a car over 36 months, then you cant afford the car. Taking a 5.5 loan out to 60 months sucks.Lets look at this through that lens. Your Mazda3 will cost you overall about 17,000, calculated by doing 361.63 x 36 and then adding 3,500. The WRX will cost you 400 60 which is 24,000. Thats really really bad. Youre about to trap yourself. Add in that a WRX only gets 18MPG city24MPG highway and thats with premium fuel since you have to worry about detonation, that it costs more to maintain, that insurance will SURE as hell cost you more, and youre screwing yourself up. You shouldnt do this. Looking at your post history, youre still in college, which takes this plan from just a really bad setup, to a catastrophe.Please dont do this. Go work hard in school. Get amazing grades. Land a 90,000 a year job. Pay off your student debt, set up your 401k, maximize your Roth IRA. Once thats set, yes you will have to wait a few years, but since that Mazda3 will last you for 15 years, youll be in a position where you can buy yourself an STi for the weekends without even feeling it, as a 2nd car to your Mazda3. If you buy that WRX today, instead, youll be stuck in it, and it will own your life. 