I Have A New Car!

 

Well, not brand new but new to me anyway.  Let me start by saying buying this car was not a sudden decision.  I am always looking at cars.  I just needed to get to the point of being okay with actually making the purchase.  I thank my friend for his advice and the nudge to get me thinking and bringing a lot of things into perspective. 

I had decided after selling our five year old Scion, actually long before I even put it up for sale come to think of it, that I'd probably find a nice older car to have as a backup vehicle.  You know, run to the grocery store and do errands with and maybe be good for my oldest to drive when she is in driver's ed.  I had planned to make this purchase once we were settled in Arizona. 

I had set aside X amount of dollars to make this purchase.  My plan was to find a basic used four door sedan with low miles that I could pay cash for.  I also wanted it to be inexpensive to maintain, license, and insure.  I then changed my mind.  Really good gas mileage would be nice as well.  In other words fairly cheap all the way around. 

That's the problem - cheap.  I don't even like that word and it isn't how I like to live  Thrifty is one thing but to me cheap is a whole different ballgame. 

Sometimes it just takes an outsider to point out the obvious.  Even if you already know it.  After much thought and a few discussions with a friend I was able to reel in all my different thoughts and ideas and this is what I decided to do. 

I decided I wanted more than just a basic commuter car and to get something I really wanted.  Something that I loved and made me feel really good while I was driving it.  Something a little more special.  At this stage in my life I've earned that.

 

I'll post later this week on why this purchase made sense and why I was finally okay with it.  For now I will admit to complete car love and to getting a thrill driving to the grocery store or anywhere for that matter.  My little heart swells every time I look out the door and see her sitting in my driveway. 

I'm not looking for status or to keep up with the Jones.  I just wanted what I wanted.  When I found this girl I knew she was the one for me.  When I test drove it, not once, but twice, it felt like my car.  I felt good about buying this car.

The best part is it cost me less than the amount I had set aside to buy a car.  I have all the service records from the previous owners.  This car has been well maintained and taken care of.  The interior is in wonderful condition and she still looks like new both inside and out.  It has a brand new set of tires on it.  All the glass is intact.  It's the color I wanted. 

I don't drive a huge amount and therefore I don't put a lot of miles on my cars (My 1997 truck has under 70,000 miles on it right now) therefore a used car is a good option.  This car should last me quite awhile. 

Best of all I'm really, really happy with it.