Yup I would take the 8000 and buy a cheaper car. Something like the 1989-1995 Civic Si or the 1988-1991 CRX Si. You can get any of those for about $1000-4000. You would have extra money left over and a better platform to start with.
Also I would wait til you move off campus or after you graduate since 90% of modified cars on campus get vandalized.
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