tough choice

[jade]

hello all,
i do not yet have a ccw permit, but i plan to get one(don't meet requirements yet, that and the new law hasn't gone into effect yet). i have decided on a kahr k9 as my primary carry gun. i would also like to buy a bersa thunder .380, not necessarily for carry, just cause i want one. but i figure i might carry it as a backup some day.

now for my dilemma:
as far as purchasing these guns goes, i have two choices, complicated by the fact that i have to pay my summer tuition in a few weeks.
1. buy k9 now, pay only 1/3 tuition to start, pay rest later.
2. buy bersa now, pay all tuition, save k9 for when i am actually able to get my permit.

there is also one more thing to consider. my husband may purchase a k9 elite in the next two weeks. he has told me that i should wait before buying the k9, just in case he decides he doesn't want it (even though he has shot one before and liked it. go figure . ). i don't think it is likely he'll not want it.

in my area the k9 is about $550 + tax, bersa is about $230 + tax, and tuition is about $700.

so what would you choose?


thanks,
jade

 

[dairycreek]

jade!

I speak to you as a retired dean but, more to the point, the father of five children who have gone to college. Don't know where you are going to school but I assume that the tuition there is considerable. Don't know your source of funding but I am going to assume that you are paying your own way. I am also going to assume that you may have some financial aid and therefore some financial aid debt looming somewhere in the future. Don't know how close or far I am in my assumptions but with all that I would recommend that you stay as clear of short or long term debt as possible. So, buy the Bersa (a pretty good gun under any set of circumstances) and bide your time. Good shooting FWIW!

 

[Phantom Warrior]

From one college student to another (and someone who is fighting down some significant credit card debt) I'd strongly suggest paying all of your tuition now. Debt just makes you pay even more over the long run. And you have to keep paying it for years to come. Honestly, for the $300 difference why not just wait a few months and buy the K9 then? My $2*10^-2...

 

[Standing Wolf]

My inclination would be to pay the tuition later and buy the gun sooner: a college education makes your life better, whereas a gun's purpose is to defend your life.

 

[redhawk44p]

We must consider the danger level of the area in which you live. If the area has a high crime rate by all means buy the best means of defense otherwise you may not live long enough to pay off any debt. I prefer the best gun because I know that I will never be happy with a second rate substitute my little Glock 27 is a great comfort when I am out at night. I say bite the bullet and get the one you prefer.

 

[blades67]

I suggest you wait until your husband buys that K9 Elite and then do like many wives and "borrow" it until you get one of your own.

 

[Flashpoint]

As a college student w/ about $20,000 in debt I say look at your debt and figure out what your paying in compound interest. Then get up off the floor. After doing that then think hard about option #2. The Bersa would be a good gun to have, even for carry. It is cheap to shoot which would allow for more valuable training and practice. Then later when funds are more proliferate, get you a bigger more expensive gun.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

Pay the tuition first. AND DON'T MAJOR IN BIOLOGY!

 

[telewinz]

It should be an easy decision for an adult....school comes first, guns and entertainment are a very distant second. Get the first rate Bersa, and meet your more important obligation, school. Thats a very easy decision/compromise, they get a lot tougher later like a Beretta 92 or a Sig 226.

 

[jade]

telewinz,
i already have a beretta 92.


after watching my father and brother fall into piles of debt, i have managed to keep myself out. i have no student loans (or financial aid of any kind) or credit card bills. now i'm just considering paying tuition and saving the money i would have spent on a gun. this sure would be easier if my husband would just make up his mind.

thanks for all of your suggestions and insights.

jade

 

[Preacherman]

Jade, I'd put the bite on your husband to buy TWO Kahrs... after all, you must have a birthday/Christmas/Mothers Day/some other noteworthy day coming up sometime soon for which it can serve as a gift?

 

[jade]

Preacherman,

my birthday has passed, that leaves the anniversary in october. too far away. actually, he was going to buy me the bersa in january for my birthday, but i stopped him. :banghead:

he is a college student too, and i felt bad about him spending that kind of money on me.

of course, now, i'm kicking myself. next time when he offers to buy me a gun, i'm going to silence that little voice in my head.

jade

 

[Handy]

Always pay your tuition first.


Find a used K9 for $300 or so.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

From a former grad student with a M.Ed. in Teaching English as a Second Language, screw college! Save your money, and go into a trade. There's no jobs out there. Spare yourself the pressures of passing stupid tests that won't lead to employment. Get into a trade, have work, and money for guns -- Beretta, Sig, H&K or Glocks...

 

[telewinz]

Did you hear the "trick" in bringing a big ugly dog home as a replacement for the missing Bersa?

 

[redhawk44p]

 

[MoNsTeR]

EGAD, Handy I want to move to your state! There are very few used Kahrs for sale in the world, and I've never seen a K9 up for sale for less than $400.

It never ceases to blow my mind how bad the gun markets are here in CO. People post on this board, "Yeah I picked up a pre-M14 K38 NIB at the show this weekend. The guy wanted $300 for it but I talked him down to $200. Still pretty high, but what they heck he was a nice guy." Around here you can barely pick up a run-over-by-a-truck 686 for less than $400.

BTW all, I'm "the husband"!

 

[Soap]

As a poor married college kid I would say buy none. You already have a good house gun. Pay your tuition, wait for the law to go into effect, then get your carry piece.

Mastrogiacomo- That really sucks IMHO getting the post-skoo job really depends on your major and experience.

 

[PCRCCW]

"It should be an easy decision for an adult....school comes first, guns and entertainment are a very distant second."

Perfect advice...absolutely perfect !!!!!!!!God Im glad their is at least one logical person here.....

Now trivial things like car and health insurance, food for the kids...kids....hmmmmmm. This stuff you can pass on for the Kahr Elite 98....shiny 9mm with nights.....AAAHHHHHHHHH!

Hey, anybody wanna buy/trade some good kids for say a Wilson/Bear Commander size?

Shoot well