New Car

Audi A4

We have a new car in the family.  Not mine of course.  I'm sticking with my fully paid for no nonsense 07 Honda Civic.  Mj has been enjoying no car payments for the last two years but it was finally time to take the leap and trade in his eight year old Murano.  There are SUV's with way worse gas mileage; it actually wasn't all that bad but the new car has even better gas mileage and that's mainly what he was after.   Why do you have to get such an expensive car? I asked.  Don't you like anything else?  His answer was no.  Well, then he's gonna have to pay for it.  My stomach dropped  when I found out what his car payment would be.  I told him he better pay off this car and then drive it until the wheels fall off, put them back on and then drive it some more.  The car doesn't even have an actual key.  It's this square thing that you sort of plug in.  And you better not lose them.  A replacement is about $400 bucks.  Audi's retain their value and may even appreciate which is something you don't find on too many cars.  He would have been fine with a pre-owned one but it's impossible to find a 1-2 year old used Audi.  They just don't exist.  I guess nobody ever sells them that soon.  It's his first new car and he loves it so I'm happy for him.

I didn't even know for sure if he was going to buy it on Thursday.  He sure didn't take me along.  He took his friend who knows how to negotiate and got a good deal.  The car came from a different dealership so I did get to go with him to pick it up on Saturday morning.  I definitely don't ever need a car like that because I probably couldn't ever figure out how to use it.  You can actually talk to this car and it talks back.  I was so confused listening to the salesman go over all of the features with him that I just started tuning it out.  I will probably never drive it anyways.  I'm too scared.

Award winner

  No, Mj doesn't just run around town in Army fatigues for the hell of it.  Right after that we had to go to an award ceremony so that he could receive a military award.  He's switched over to a new unit and his old unit awarded him a medal for his service with them.  He has a Raspberry beret (yes, like the one in the Prince song) that goes with it but I didn't get a pic of him in it.  I love a man in a uniform and I am very proud of him.

Dream Cars of Years Past

Dream Car #1: Chrysler LeBaron[Photo Source]

Mj got a Kia Sportage for his rental car while he was out of town a few months ago.  He started to tell me what it looked like and I stopped him.  I know what a Kia Sportage looks like because it used to be my dream car.  Odd as that may sound.  He laughed because a Kia Sportage, while a decent car is not necessarily dream car material.  Don't people usually aspire to such things as a BMW or a Lexus?  But that's not even the worst of it.  I sat there and thought of all my dreams cars of the past and it dawned on me that I never really wanted for much when it came to a car.  My dream car list is an assortment of so so economy cars that most people settle for and don't actually consider their dream. OK, well maybe all except for the Lebaron.  That was the first dream car I can remember (I was only 10) and that's a pretty snazzy car.  It was the car you could be lucky enough to win if you were the grand prize winner in Ed McMahon's Publishers Clearing House contest that I used to dig out of the trash after my parents tossed it.  I could never make them sign up for magazines but it did say no purchase necessary to win so I'd tear out the little stamp of the Blue LeBaron and assemble our official entry.  We never won.

Dream Car #2:  Geo Metro [Photo Source]

Dream Car #3:  Kia Sportage [Photo Source]

After the LeBaron my next dream car when I was in high school was a hatch back Geo Metro.  I loved the ones with the cool little stripe down the side and how it said "Geo Metro."  It was just so cute.  The next and last car I can recall dreaming about was that Kia Sportage when they first came out.  I found the body style adorable and I liked it that it was like a mini SUV.

What I ended up with as my first car was a brand new Red Ford Escort.  By that time my dream was really just to have my very own car so I was thrilled.  Did I mention I hate red cars? Don't ask me why 'cause I don't know but it was the only automatic they had on the lot besides White and beggars certainly can't be choosers so I drove it home.  My parents put some money down on it and made the payments while I finished up my last year in college.  I took over about the same time my student loans payments kicked in and as soon as it was paid off at just five years young it promptly broke down.  After that my dream car was one with automatic windows, locks and a working AC Unit.  I briefly admired the Acura TL's but they were super pricey and I thought an SUV might be cool so I ended up leasing two Jeep Liberty's in a row.  Never thought I'd lease but it happened.  I loved the leather seats, sunroof, automatic everything and being up so high.  It was about as close to luxury as I'll probably ever get in a car.  It sure was a cute little SUV but  how much it was costing me at the pump was not cute in any way so my next dream in a car was good gas mileage.  After the lease was up I focused my energies on getting a sensible, dependable, fuel efficient Pre Owned Honda Civic with low mileage.  Heaving myself in and out of a lower car was annoying at first, I missed my cool rear limo tint windows but I still had a sun roof so I got over it real quick.  I even got GPS for the first time.  Filling up for $44 bucks totally made up for not having leather and I was able to pay in full so I wouldn't have a car payment.

My First Car [Photo Source] 

My luxurious Liberty.  I leased two of these in a row-Silver then Blue

My trusty Civic.  I plan to drive this car into the ground

I've never much been into having a luxurious car.  I don't want to drive a beater but for me it's mostly been about getting from point A to point B in a well kept car with as little money wasted as possible.  I don't plan on buying a new car ever again.  I've had my fill of new cars and I'm not so sure it's worth the extra money.  My jaw drops when I  hear that people are paying close to $1,000 a month in car payments.  That's rent or a mortgage.  And remember when rims were all the rage?  They could cost thousands and for what?  I probably won't be able to buy it outright but I at least hope to have a hefty down payment for the next car I get.  I've had my Honda for 2 years now.  I have a near nervous break down every time I purchase a car so it's not something I'm looking to do any time soon.   My only dream now when it comes to cars is just to drive my cute little Civic for as long as it will let me.

Mean People Suck

I was so determined to skip the whole angry and irritated phase and not allow myself to waste any energy on being upset. Bad things happen. They just do. There is nothing you can do about it so keep moving forward and don't let it get to you right? But after a day of looking at the two ugly rows of deep grooves that run along the driver side of my new car hitting three different panels I finally got angry. I last saw my car on Saturday so it happened sometime between Saturday night and Monday morning. Although I didn't notice it until I walked out to my car on Monday after work, I am pretty sure it happened at home during that time. It is obvious that it was an intentional act. Someone literally walked along the side of my car with a key or some other sharp object and dug it along the side for probably no good reason at all. I have no enemies that I am aware of. Why would someone do that? And now I am left with another expense that I don't really have the money let alone the time to spend on fixing it.

Yesterday was just one of those days. It started off fine. I did a bit of going back and forth with some different wedding location people. They are all booked for Saturday viewings until next year and the only other time to go is when I am at work. I don't want to miss out on available dates for the other locations but don't want to make a decision until we explore these other options. I already know that once the holidays are over all kinds of brides to be are going to come out of the wood works and start booking dates during the ever popular July.

I got a call from Chrysler demanding their $425 dollars that unbeknownst to me is apparently 14 days past due. When I turned in my lease I was never asked for money but it's in very tiny tiny print in my four foot long lease agreement so I should have insisted on site that the woman who collected my car take my money even though she didn't ask or tell me it was due immediately. I assumed I should wait until I get an invoice. I went to pick up my two prescriptions after a long day of work and find that only one had been approved so now I have to e mail my doctor and hopefully go back again and pick it up between today and Friday. I have some packages I need to mail but with the holidays I am not sure I can fit it in on lunch and by the time I get off work it's too late.

Just a bunch of little irritations and frustrations on top of the car vandalism and by the time I got home I was just really tired and upset. That much hated out of control feeling that there are things to do and no time to do it and that recurring stress about money got the best of me. But this time instead of an empty house and being left alone with my sad thoughts I had Mj to greet me at the door. He wraps his arms around me and tells me that everything is going to be OK and because he is there I know that it is. He reminds me that I don't have to handle everything on my own anymore and that he is there to help.

So, I tried to skip the whole getting upset about the fact that some mean person who sucks decided to vandalize my property but instead had a delayed reaction and got upset the day after. I have had my little meltdown moment so now I am OK. I will deal with the car damage next year. Mj has so kindly offered to go view the 3 military base wedding locations today so that we can make a final decision. He is also going to take care of mailing my packages.

Moving on.

Home Alone For Halloween

Well, some of the car purchase stress has subsided and I am actually starting to feel more excited about my new little car. I went back today to buy the warranty. No amount of badgering could have convinced me to buy it yesterday on top of everything else but after sleeping on it I decided I had better go ahead and do it. Mj offered to pay for it but I think I've already taken enough money from him so I put it on one of my low interest credit cards. So doing the numbers it has basically cost me close to 20K to get into this car and out of my lease. Ouch!!! That includes the cost and warranty for the new car, the return to dealer fee and cost to fix the front windshield for the Liberty. Incidentally, that windshield crack showed up only about 3 weeks ago.  I had to replace the whole thing just last year. This is all quite shocking for a budget minded frugalista such as myself.

So, I picked up Subway for dinner and one pack of Mike & Ike's in honor of Halloween. I will watch a movie-The Proposal. Then thanks to Universal Sports which is broadcasting my favorite sport that is only popular during the Olympics, I'll get to watch World Championships (Gymnastics).  Super exciting I know!!

My New Ride

My cute little fully loaded gas guzzling Liberty

My new fuel efficient, dependable yet sporty Civic

Oh my what an exhausting week it's been. Running to car dealerships on my lunch break and after work. Getting home late. Carting stacks and stacks of papers with different car listings on them and fielding calls from car dealerships all day. The haggling, the negotiating. It's awful. After working my 9 hour days I got my Friday off today and it felt so good. I really needed it. So, I didn't like the Sebring. It just didn't do it for me. It had some of the bells and whistles that I wanted but I just didn't like it. So, the search continued and after test driving a Honda on Tuesday I decided that I would let go of my Jeep and try to get into a Civic.

Mj and I agreed that 17K out the door is the most that we would spend when it quickly became obvious that I was not likely to get a low mileage EX for anything less. I almost gave up after yesterday when a dealership would not accept my offer. Then, silly me I realize that I had a 39 and not a 36 month lease like I assumed. My lease isn't due Halloween...it's due in February 2010!! Well, that really took the pressure off so I decided that I'd keep searching anyways and if I didn't find anything today then I'd just wait for Mj to come back so I don't have to do it alone.

I hate it that I am putting so much money into a car but this is it. I wanted something dependable with good gas mileage that appeals to me and that I can keep forever. And, I got it. The first place I went to wouldn't take 17k but they countered with 17,800 which is $16,100 plus tax, title, license. An amazing bargain for an 07 Honda Civic EX with navigation.

I almost had a nervous breakdown and Mj had to talk me "down" numerous times. I am soooo grateful to him that he helped me get this car. He is so sweet. He said he was actually proud of me for handling the whole thing as well as I did. So, I felt a little sick to my stomach for a while but that feeling is slowly subsiding. I found out that my credit scores from the big 3 are 831, 788, and 819. My frugality and fiscal discipline have paid off in some way.

I am excited that I will no longer be held hostage by my poor gas mileage. I literally would avoid leaving home sometimes just because I didn't want to use up my precious gas that didn't last for very long in my Jeep. It almost feels frivolous what with house hunting, Christmas and wedding planning approaching. Really, that money could have been used towards so many other things. I am still going to have to face the $425 turn in fee and any other charges from Chrysler when I turn in the lease. In the long run I think it's a good decision though and ideally, I won't be in the market for a car for a long time to come. I am so glad it's over.

Lease Up Decision Time

I'm tired of dating. Although I am ready to settle down I have come to a point where I still want to explore my options. Just to make sure. I am engaged to be married and we plan on setting the big date very soon but I'm not talking about men I'm talking about cars. My 3 year lease is up and I will not be leasing again. I love everything about my adorable little Jeep Liberty. Everything that is, except the gas mileage. The car before this was also a Jeep with poor gas mileage and so was the car before it. Bad gas mileage that is, but not a Jeep. I have had horrible gas mileage on every car I've ever owned. So, before I buy out my lease I've decided to see what I could get that is comparable to what it will cost me to buy out my Jeep AND has a lot of the features I love about it, but with better gas mileage. Practically impossible. In fact, I wasn't even considering it at all and had long ago made up my mind about buying my lease until this week.

Used is fine. I won't go lower then 06 or higher then 40,000 miles. Considering my price range I know I might loose out on some of the features I love about my jeep. The leather seats, sun roof, 6 CD changer, and the little thingy that tells me what temperature it is and how many miles there are until my next oil change. And, I'll have to go sedan when I really love sitting up high in my little compact SUV. I've always thought a Honda would be a dependable solid choice of car that I would want to keep forever so I've priced those. I also found a Chrysler Sebring with super low mileage and a dynamite price from the same dealer I leased my car from so I stopped by after work. However, when I showed up the car was nowhere to be found.

The manager wanted me to wait because the car was due to arrive in an hour, but I wasn't having it. It was 6 by now, it had been a long day and I was ready to go home. He basically tried to threaten me into staying by saying that another person was interested in the car and that it may no longer be available if I wait until tomorrow. He tries to get me to "start paperwork" and sell me a car that wasn't even there. The thing he doesn't understand, is that I love my jeep. I really do. It was the first car that had everything I wanted and I've been really happy driving it ever since. I will not be devastated if that Sebring is gone tomorrow. I have a feeling that he may have fabricated that phantom buyer anyhow because when I refused to stick around he said he'd see me tomorrow. I hold the cards here. In fact, I am going to try to negotiate the price even lower then it already is. I have some cash and I am more then happy to stick with my Jeep so he can't scare me into making an on the spot decision.

He underestimates how much I really love my jeep. I am so over spending money on cars. I need to have one and it needs to be dependable but as everyone knows they are not a good investment. Leasing is not considered the most economical thing to do but the first time I did it I really needed security. My first car had gave me such problems then died inexplicably one day forcing me to make a quick decision. I fell in love with the jeep and I couldn't afford it any other way. I planned to buy it but didn't because the 2nd time they offered me such a dynamite deal that leasing and then buying it would only put me about $600 over the actual sticker price. I couldn't have done better if I'd straight out financed it.

Whatever car I go with will hopefully be with me for a long time to come. I will need to keep it until it dies. I need to see how I feel when I first lay eyes on that Sebring and what it's like to sit behind the wheel. If there is no wow factor, no connection then I will keep my Jeep. Not caring is really the best negotiation tool there is and I plan to use it to my advantage. The lease is up on Halloween so I should have my answer very very soon. Thank goodness because I hate having decisions like this to make.

Dunce Alert

I enjoy sharing and writing about the good stuff, but I am also willing to share the stupid stuff too. I definitely know how to laugh at myself. I generally don't mind if others laugh along with me as long as you make sure I'm laughing too before you start laughing hysterically at my expense! My car has had some electrical problems not too long ago so I was only mildly surprised when on Friday I noticed that my interior cabin lights were staying on while driving. I didn't go anywhere all weekend so I didn't worry about it until yesterday. I played around with the light switch to see if maybe it was on the wrong setting somehow. I carefully verified that they didn't stay on while the car was shut off and exactly how long it takes for them to turn off on their own so I could tell the service center. I woke up extra early today so I could take it to the dealership by 7:15 am and get to work by 8:00. Annoyed by the task, but glad to get it over with-and within my warranty period.

I pull up into the service line and give them my name as I prepared to take things I would need out of my car. When asked what the problem is I say, "My interior lights stay on while I am driving." Well, he fixed my so called problem even faster then it took me to tell him about it. He promptly reached through my window and turned my interior lights off the permanent setting with the switch that was designed to do just that. "Uhhhh....oops. I didn't realize I had switched it on to permanent, I'm so sorry. I guess I don't need to leave it then." The service guy was very nice and told me it's OK and that I must have just accidentally hit it. Now that service guy has a funny story for he and all of his co workers to laugh about today. Glad to be of service.

I felt like such a "girl." Well, to be fair not all women are like this but apparently I am one of those!! I do have my moments of brilliance [according to me] when setting up equipment, putting things together and trouble shooting certain problems. But, I am 100% girly girl when it comes to my car, household repairs, most complex technological systems. I don't even know how to change a flat tire even though I know it's probably something I should learn. My garbage disposal is still out. The lights in my kitchen went out months ago but it's a huge fixture with multiple screws. It looks heavy and who knows what kind of dirt or creepy crawly things are lurking inside that fixture. Needless to say, I really don't even want to attempt to do it by myself. Good thing I don't spend too much time in the kitchen.

So, I went to work early to do some overtime after my aborted vehicle drop off and that was that. The good news is that there is nothing wrong with my car and because I got to work so darn early I managed to get a premium covered parking spot which is helpful when I relax in my car for lunch breaks on hot days. The bad news is that I am so freaking tired because I got up earlier and that I am officially a dunce for the day!