The car thing
My car is developing new fun issues and sounds at a rapid rate. It's time to start looking. I wanted to wait but I also am afraid if I wait too long I'm going to to need ANOTHER big repair and at this point it's now costing more to keep this car running than it will to make payments on a more reliable car. Or I'll be stranded and have to make a rush car purchase decision. And if I'm being honest with myself about car prices, they're not going to drop. The gap between new and used prices might widen, but it's not like used cars are going to plummet any time soon. I worked in an auto-lending adjacent industry for a very long time and I can't tell you the last time I was like "whoa, cars are cheap right now!" Now interest rates - we've seen some CRAZY interest rates over the years, high and low. Fortunately we're on a low swing right now so even if cars are high I'll catch a break on the rate.
I emailed the broker today and told her I have a three month window where I want to purchase, gave her my ideal price and mileage situation, some preliminary financial stuff, and will let her take a look. I'm also eligible for some kind of cash back thing through work, so I'll let her sift through all that.
I figure if she starts looking now, there's a chance something might pop on the radar over the next three months, whereas if I start looking in September and am like NEED CAR BEFORE WINTER I might not have that luxury of choice over time.
This is my first time using a broker, but having seen a few friends rave about brokers I don't know why it never occurred to me before. Their entire job is to know the dealers, prices, rebate plans, special finance deals, and whether or not a car is a "deal" or not. There's so much that goes into car buying, why NOT let a professional manage that? Plus I already know what I want and what I can afford with a little wiggle room on both, now she can do the shopping around.
A couple people I've discussed this with were like "ugh can't you wait another year?" while driving their new SUVs and living in households with multiple cars. If they break down they can call their spouse to come take them home and they still have a car for emergencies and errands. I remember the days of being a double income and double car household. Even if you're both not earning much, there is a security to having two income streams and of course to having multiple vehicles. There's a lot more planning and less wiggle room for risk when it's just you taking care of everything. I'm not complaining, I like living alone, but it's a factor in decision making too.
I feel like I should be more excited about making this purchase decision but I'm just so over it. I've spent a lot of money this year on car repairs (hah!), vet bills, and home repair/maintenance stuff so having to buy a car feels like an additional kick in the pants. But man, I'm so grateful to be in a work from home job - this would have been a BRUTAL year if I'd been commuting the 45 minutes each way to the old job, my car might have actually exploded on the highway.