A new era begins
For most of my twenties I only owned used cars. I'd run them until the died, and usually get whatever car my parents were through driving. For years I kept throwing money into repairs, spendiing more more than I did for the car itself. When the engine seized on my Pontiac in 1999, I resolved: no more used cars. I got a loan from my parents for a down payment and bought a Suzuki Esteem. It was the cheapest car I could find at the time, and all I cared about was that it had a warranty. It had power nothing, manual transmission, and my one frill: a multi CD player in trunk. That Esteem, dubbed the Silver Bullet, drove me from one adventure to another for thirteen long years. Raves, parties, tournaments, relatives, I drove it from Montreal to Georgia. Finally the engine seized on it (after I had spent lots and lots of money on repairs over the years) and it was time to buy again.
Things have changed in the last thirteen years. My roommate had recently bought a car, which she researched as the best value for her buck. It turns out we both knew a friend who worked in a dealership that sold that car. I looked at my income and decided how much I could spend a month, and took money out of my savings for the down payment. Saturday past Sara drove me down to Hanover, where I test drove two cars: a Subaru Impreza Premium and a Legacy. Both were roughly equal in price, the Impreza had more extras (all weather package, moon roof) and better gas mileage. It handled a bit better, and looked a bit nicer. And in the end, that's what I ended up with.
I'm in a far better place in my life than I was in 1999. Financially, emotionally. I could have settled and bought the cheapest thing I could, but I got something within my means, that has both flair and smart features. I feel like my car reflects that. Here's to thirteen more years of great adventures!
Things have changed in the last thirteen years. My roommate had recently bought a car, which she researched as the best value for her buck. It turns out we both knew a friend who worked in a dealership that sold that car. I looked at my income and decided how much I could spend a month, and took money out of my savings for the down payment. Saturday past Sara drove me down to Hanover, where I test drove two cars: a Subaru Impreza Premium and a Legacy. Both were roughly equal in price, the Impreza had more extras (all weather package, moon roof) and better gas mileage. It handled a bit better, and looked a bit nicer. And in the end, that's what I ended up with.
I'm in a far better place in my life than I was in 1999. Financially, emotionally. I could have settled and bought the cheapest thing I could, but I got something within my means, that has both flair and smart features. I feel like my car reflects that. Here's to thirteen more years of great adventures!