I want a Supra and I've got a plan!
Written on June 13th, 2023 by Joshua Domingo
That’s Jackie Ding’s A90 Supra. Asian Driver, No Survivor.
Ok dummy, why. You JUST bought a car last year.
Yeah… I know LOL. But let me finish!
The MK4 Supra isn’t necessarily my dream, iconic car from my childhood days. I admire its heritage and everything… but it is too much money just for the nostalgia of it. The performance of the MK4 is only comparable to modern tech with enough money, well over the cost of the newest Supra. For me, the A90 MK5 Supra is something that got me interested. Mostly from a racecar driver named Jackie Ding.
Imagine your daily commute, probably a few turns out of your neighborhood area and eventually getting on the freeway. You might hit 60 or 70MPH at some point then get off the freeway to get to work. You’ll get on the gas once or twice to merge on the freeway and that’s it. Now, imagine trying to put your foot down like you would be getting on the freeway for the entire drive. The car is moving fast and you need to control it with everything you’ve got. On the track, he’s flat out the entire time.
I remember watching a video of Jackie’s POV with PhD Racing race on the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) with his A90 time attack Supra. At this time, I was just getting into SCCA racing myself and was learning what racing on a track is like. I was having a hard time trying to get a good time in SCCA with my car, barely getting out of the bottom times overall. And on YouTube all I see is win after win in the Supra. He’s getting podiums numerous times, year after year as I continue watching his past races. And each time he went out, he was in that car that obliterated the competition.
Yes, his car is modified to the fullest extent, but it was still a Supra. The image was still there. His videos felt relatable in his struggle to go faster, do better, and worked endlessly year or year to be a Global Time Attack champion. At that point, the Supra became an icon to me. It is an embodiment of all the hard work, struggle, and effort to reach the top and do something that you enjoy. At the core of it all, taking away all of the racing and story away, it’s still a pretty good-looking ship!
How can you afford it?
Retirement first, toys second. This is why I’m trying to get a cloud job.
I stepped into the IT career because I can do it and I know I’ll be able to make a good living out of it. I wasn’t sure what specific job I wanted yet when I was studying in college, but just recently, cloud computing looked like the place I wanted to be. After all, buying the Supra or any luxury isn’t the first money move I’d make. I won’t be that irresponsible. Hehe.
Before even trying to buy a new car, I’d need to take care of my retirement accounts, saving systems, and general expenses to live. The goal will remain, but let’s be some kind of responsible adult and pay future Josh first.
Once that’s taken care of, the target number is $60,000. That means, let’s find a way to afford to drop AT LEAST $12,000 and afford a $48,000 loan. Then we get into registration and other legal fees with the dealership and DoT, loan costs, etc. and we’re looking at dropping $17,000 upfront. Monthly costs to own with insurance and loan at 5 years at 5%? That’s $1,200 monthly. In some people’s cases, that’s rent money.
This is going to be ON TOP of my regular expenses too!
- I still have the Civic to pay off.
- I still have my finances to deal with.
- This is a ridiculous amount of money to purchase a car.
That’s the general cost of a new A90 Supra. Buying it used or brand new, we’ll get there when we have some money lol. There’s also the other elephant that I already have two working cars, where the Civic Si is still on loan. I’d need to be able to trade or sell that Civic, pay off the loan, and then have money to cover the Supra. Maybe I keep all 3? Again, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there because it depends on my potential salary.
Wait, so how much do cloud jobs even pay?
The average salary for the role I’m going for, Cloud Solutions Architect can range from $100,000-140,000+ a year.
Getting this job won’t be easy, nor is any of this a guarantee. But with a goal in mind and a lot of potential to achieve it. I know it won’t be easy and it won’t be as simple as the YouTube videos lay it out, but I know I can do it.
Why not save for a property with that money?
You’re quite right! But life is short and I want to make the most of it. You could substitute “The Supra” for anything in your situation in your quest for attainable luxury. And even if I don’t get the Supra, I would have still achieved a good-paying job with a lot of experience to boot and saved enough money in the meantime to put towards a property.
This whole goal, it’s a vision for me that is easy to explain and easy to understand. The housing market in Hawaii is a lot more pricey and complex for me to stay motivated. Maybe in the next few years, I’ll give it more thought, but for now, the Supra is the goal.
Conclusion: Work smart. Don’t settle.
I could easily stay at my current job and live moderately with the Civic. But I believe that if you have the opportunities and skills to do more that you should take advantage of it. I am in a privileged position financially with a lot of freedom of choice. I want to use this position to go further and share that path so others can do the same if not more. It’s not the smartest financial goal but I haven’t spent the money yet, haha.
Also, the Supra will not replace the cabby. That’s a whole separate thing, lol.
