Okay, I have decided that I want to get rid of my car to get something with cheaper payments and insurance so I can get myself out of debt quicker so I can go back to school sooner.

Here is my delima(sp). The car that I have been leaning towards getting is a 99 or 01 Cobra. The price on these ranges from 12-16K. Another car I was looking at is the 96-98 Cobra which range from 8-12K. 3rd choice is another foxbody 5.0 mustang which can go from 2k with a stupid amount of miles, or up to 9k for something pretty nice.

As you can tell from my top 3 choices, I'm not a big import fan. I give respect where respect is deserved and I think a lot of these imports are nice, but I cant see myself owning one, much less modifying one. (I say import in general because I dont know what 4 banger i would go with, but the cars i have in mind are civics coupes and hatches 92-2000, DC integras, or maybe even an H22 accord or prelude. Not sure, thats why Im asking for advice )

So, my question is this: If you needed to get out of debt and wanted to go back to school to change your career, what route would you take as far as automobile choice goes?

If I go with one of the mustangs, the insurance will be higher and the payment will be higher (unless I go foxbody) but I will have a car that I will enjoy, sounds great, fast in straight lines, and makes torque(HUGE factor for me).

If I go with an import, It will be cheaper payments, cheaper insurance, paid off pretty damn quick, better gas mileage but my exhaust will sound like ass, will have to add FI to be decently quick and will make no power untill 5Krpms and to be completely honest, probably have a car that I wont be happy with.

As far as a "living in the now" stand point, I want to get a 99-01 cobra and modify the hell out of it and be proud of my ride, but looking at it from a "big picture" point of view, the smart thing to do would be buy a cheap "economical" import and get my bills straight asap.

Right now, I am kind of leaning towards the Import just because it is the mature choice and I think I am in the point in my life where I really need to concentrate on the future beyond "whats goin on next weekend".

With that being said, either choice I make, the car will be modded. Thats just me, its in my blood. I cant leave a car stock. If I get a mustang, I will put money all over the car, but if I get an import, I will mod it to look clean, but thats about it. no engine mods. If I get an import, I want it to already have an engine swap or some sort of forced induction.

What would you guys do if you were in my situation?

Sorry for the long dramatic post