Went and got another car this evening. Slightly newer, slightly larger. It's a '97 Saturn S Series wagon. Needs a little work but seems pretty solid. Vibrates a bit because it needs a new motor mount but it's an easy one to get to, at the top. May need a new battery. I also got it for less than a down payment on a commercial used car.
I've decided to keep going this route. Even if I have to get another used car every couple of years, it still costs less than having a monthly payment and/or some massive down payment. This is more secure. If I run into any financial problems, nobody is threatening to repossess my vehicle because I can't afford the payment. I'm also not juggling other bills to avoid exactly that problem. Instead, I can put money into savings.
Speaking of which, I have money I can put back in the bank and maintain some of my savings which allowed me to buy this car. I will check this car over real well first and find out what parts are apparent I need at the moment. Check the oil, transmission fluid. I already think new headlights may be a good idea. It may need a battery but not entirely sure yet. Need to change the insurance and get plates for it.
In the end, this car isn't great but it drives. Looked up specs and it seems to have a good maintenance record for the series and gets over 30 mpg highway. So, for the price I'm not complaining. It is also large enough that I can carry some home improvement supplies in it which would not fit in the Mazda. I may check and see if it will pull a small trailer. Probably not.
I am happy I didn't have to take off from work to get the car. I probably broke some kind of record going to the bank to cask a check today. From the time I left the house, rode the bike to the bank, got through the drive-through, cashed the check and got home took only 9 minutes! I did write the check out before leaving home, so only had to hand them the check and my ID.
I did give the guy who sold me the car and extra $20 to help me get it home. He lived pretty close, so he followed me in his car. Then gave me a ride back to his house, where I picked up the scooter to ride it home. He was nice.
One thing I am happy about may sound a little silly. Winter is coming and last year daughter loved it when we took a drive a couple of times to the mountains to go sledding. Though I think she may have enjoyed the ride more than the sledding. In any case, we should be able to do that again. Plus go to the corn maze this weekend.
I've decided to keep going this route. Even if I have to get another used car every couple of years, it still costs less than having a monthly payment and/or some massive down payment. This is more secure. If I run into any financial problems, nobody is threatening to repossess my vehicle because I can't afford the payment. I'm also not juggling other bills to avoid exactly that problem. Instead, I can put money into savings.
Speaking of which, I have money I can put back in the bank and maintain some of my savings which allowed me to buy this car. I will check this car over real well first and find out what parts are apparent I need at the moment. Check the oil, transmission fluid. I already think new headlights may be a good idea. It may need a battery but not entirely sure yet. Need to change the insurance and get plates for it.
In the end, this car isn't great but it drives. Looked up specs and it seems to have a good maintenance record for the series and gets over 30 mpg highway. So, for the price I'm not complaining. It is also large enough that I can carry some home improvement supplies in it which would not fit in the Mazda. I may check and see if it will pull a small trailer. Probably not.
I am happy I didn't have to take off from work to get the car. I probably broke some kind of record going to the bank to cask a check today. From the time I left the house, rode the bike to the bank, got through the drive-through, cashed the check and got home took only 9 minutes! I did write the check out before leaving home, so only had to hand them the check and my ID.
I did give the guy who sold me the car and extra $20 to help me get it home. He lived pretty close, so he followed me in his car. Then gave me a ride back to his house, where I picked up the scooter to ride it home. He was nice.
One thing I am happy about may sound a little silly. Winter is coming and last year daughter loved it when we took a drive a couple of times to the mountains to go sledding. Though I think she may have enjoyed the ride more than the sledding. In any case, we should be able to do that again. Plus go to the corn maze this weekend.
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