I was looking at getting one of those after field training. But I wanted the 135i, and thats a weeee bit outa my price range as an AFROTC cadet haha. So I think Ill just the Camaro SS with an RS package when it comes out since Ill get military discount, GM Employee pricing, and I have a few grand saved up on ma GM card.
Take some advice from someone who's seen hundreds of Lt's do just that...
Get a used car first. Make it a really nice used car if necessary, but spend *half* or less of what you would otherwise spend on your ideal first new car. Beat the hell out of your used car until you make Capt, and then buy something really nice.
I drove a beater until my O-3 promotion and since then I've never had any problems with money simply because I waited a few years before buying the car I really wanted. By the time I met my wife, I owned a house, owned my car outright, had been maxing my non-taxable retirement investments for years, and had a year's salary available to do dumb/fun stuff like buy a big engagement ring and go on a 10-day Hawaii honeymoon, without putting any of it on credit. If I'd bought my dream car a few years earlier instead of driving a beater for a few years, I have no doubt I'd have been in a lot worse shape financially.
My personal suggestion - Buy a 2000-2002 Camaro Z-28 or SS. You can get one heck of a nice car for under $10,000 and it'll still beat most mustangs on the road today (and will still beat ANY factory stock mustang on a road track). Yea it's only 4th gen but the LS-1 engine is bulletproof and has far more power than you'll need. And if you want more power, you can easily add another 100-200 hp for around $4,000 and put a few grand into the suspension or detailing, and have a car that will beat the living crap out of a new camaro for less than half the price.
Another good option is to buy a previous-gen corvette. They're fast, sexy, will cost less, and will grossly outperform the new camaro.
Or buy the new car and be yet another poor Lt, but don't complain when you meet the future Mrs. superpug and have to explain why you need to get an 18% signature loan in order to buy a sub-scale engagement ring because your Lt pay has been eaten up by a new car payment.
Just wait a few years, and you'll be happy you did.
