Takin' a Ride
I bought only the 6th used car of my entire life this past week. My late father told me a lot of things and gave me a lot of advice -- some good, some not -- and one that has stuck is "Don't buy a brand new car. Buy one that has already taken the depreciation hit and get a good deal." I can't say my new(er) car was a 'great' deal but I think I got a very fair deal and at the end of the day this is the most satisfied I have ever felt in buying a car.
A quick history...
Geo Prism #1 came in 1995, right before I got married. I'd gotten in a wreck (black ice, car meets rail guard) in my first ever car (1986 Toyota Pickup, given to me on my 16th birthday) and since I was getting married soon it was time to to a) get a sedan and b) enter the world of car payments. It was in many ways a 'starter' car in that sense, just as the small home you buy your first time, etc. This lasted until late 1997 when Kelly (my then-wife) got in an accident and the insurer scrapped the Geo and we bought...another Geo! Geo Prism #2 was pretty solid and it became the 'family' car, even after we had kid #2.
After my first raise in my new job (first true real career job post-college) in 1998 I bought I used 1995 Toyota Tercel. It became our "work" car because it was a 2-door. This wonderful beast of a car is still running! It has over 200K miles on it. It will soon meet the scrap yard but Baley has been driving it for over 4 years and when you think about it that is pretty incredible. It left the factory before he was even born and came into my possession when he wasn't even 2! He learned to drive a stick on it and, quite honestly, if we felt like dumping a few hundred dollars into it it could go another 50K. But it's time for Bailey, at 20, to do as I did near his age. He needs an upgrade. I will be sad when we sell this to the local pick `n pull because I could write a fucking Springsteen song about the Tercel. I mean...really...bought with my first raise, I got it in the divorce, I taught my kid to drive on it, I gave it to the kid...
In 2004, with 2 growing kids and a mortgage, we traded in Prism #2 and got a Dodge Grand Caravan. I have to say that at the time I was genuinely excited for that car. It was perfect for kids, a dog, and all the things you need in small city/suburban life. It had a few issues along the way but it was a good family truckster. I have no regrets even though it was funny in hindsight because there was nothing cool or hip about the minivan. It is more like a prideful resignation that you're a grown-up with responsibilities.
Kelly got the Caravan in the 2012-13 separation and divorce saga. I got the previously mentioned Tercel. And once upon a time I had promised Bailey that if the Tercel was still running when he turned 16 I'd give it to him. I both did and didn't expect that damn thing to still be in such good shape! So I gave it to him because a promise is a promise and after the financial tsunami that came with the divorce I needed a credit rebuilding project. It was 2012 and I bought a used 2010 Chevy Aveo with zero frills. I've never been less psyched about a car buying experience. I was financing it through a credit rebuilding program and even with that assistance the interest rate was awful, so that limited my choices for cars considerably because I needed cheap, cheap, cheap. I was so focused on value that I even got one in a color (maroonish-red) that I have always hated. The damn thing has been a money pit, too, with almost everything under the hood minus the engine needing to be replaced with a better part. But making the payments did as promised and that and other measures got my credit back in order before too long, I refinanced it along the way, and paid it off early. I still own it because it does run and as in-town car it should work nicely for Gavin (he's 17 and has held off getting his license until I could have a car for him).
So this past week I got to buy, for the first time in my life, the car I wanted that really is just for me. No thoughts of "Oh, is the back seat big enough for the kids?" or "Can a dog ride in it?" or "Can I put 4 people's worth of stuff in here?" I just needed to focus on what I need and what made sense for what I use cars for. And with all that in mind I still avoided the single Dad, 40-something, midlife cliche. I did not get a sporty car or a big truck. I got a gas sipping (50mpgs on average!) Toyota Prius C in a color I've always wanted in a car (charcoal gray) and I absolutely love the hell out of it. It has some bells and whistles I've never had before (to be honest, it is stuff that is standard for most like power windows, locks, etc. but that neither my Tercel or Aveo had) and, more importantly, it is what makes sense for me at this time in my life. I mostly use a car to commute. I don't take huge road trips (in recent years I have rented a car for such things anyway; why tack so many miles on your own ride?), I don't drive my car off into the woods or up a mountain. I basically drive around the Portland metro area. This car is perfect for now and the foreseeable future.
There is also a great satisfaction in getting it just after the 4 year anniversary of my divorce. I got normal, solid financing for it. I qualified for more if I wanted but I didn't. And I didn't trade in my Aveo because Gavin needs a car now and it should last him into his early college years (beginning fall 2018!). It feels good to be able to do that even if the damn thing is nothing fancy in the slightest. And, not to bash her too hard, but it's another thing I am able to supply that my ex-wife can't or won't (it's usually a combination).
Is it materialistic to write an LJ entry about a car? Maybe.
Do I care? No.
Because this isn't even really about a car.
J
A quick history...
Geo Prism #1 came in 1995, right before I got married. I'd gotten in a wreck (black ice, car meets rail guard) in my first ever car (1986 Toyota Pickup, given to me on my 16th birthday) and since I was getting married soon it was time to to a) get a sedan and b) enter the world of car payments. It was in many ways a 'starter' car in that sense, just as the small home you buy your first time, etc. This lasted until late 1997 when Kelly (my then-wife) got in an accident and the insurer scrapped the Geo and we bought...another Geo! Geo Prism #2 was pretty solid and it became the 'family' car, even after we had kid #2.
After my first raise in my new job (first true real career job post-college) in 1998 I bought I used 1995 Toyota Tercel. It became our "work" car because it was a 2-door. This wonderful beast of a car is still running! It has over 200K miles on it. It will soon meet the scrap yard but Baley has been driving it for over 4 years and when you think about it that is pretty incredible. It left the factory before he was even born and came into my possession when he wasn't even 2! He learned to drive a stick on it and, quite honestly, if we felt like dumping a few hundred dollars into it it could go another 50K. But it's time for Bailey, at 20, to do as I did near his age. He needs an upgrade. I will be sad when we sell this to the local pick `n pull because I could write a fucking Springsteen song about the Tercel. I mean...really...bought with my first raise, I got it in the divorce, I taught my kid to drive on it, I gave it to the kid...
In 2004, with 2 growing kids and a mortgage, we traded in Prism #2 and got a Dodge Grand Caravan. I have to say that at the time I was genuinely excited for that car. It was perfect for kids, a dog, and all the things you need in small city/suburban life. It had a few issues along the way but it was a good family truckster. I have no regrets even though it was funny in hindsight because there was nothing cool or hip about the minivan. It is more like a prideful resignation that you're a grown-up with responsibilities.
Kelly got the Caravan in the 2012-13 separation and divorce saga. I got the previously mentioned Tercel. And once upon a time I had promised Bailey that if the Tercel was still running when he turned 16 I'd give it to him. I both did and didn't expect that damn thing to still be in such good shape! So I gave it to him because a promise is a promise and after the financial tsunami that came with the divorce I needed a credit rebuilding project. It was 2012 and I bought a used 2010 Chevy Aveo with zero frills. I've never been less psyched about a car buying experience. I was financing it through a credit rebuilding program and even with that assistance the interest rate was awful, so that limited my choices for cars considerably because I needed cheap, cheap, cheap. I was so focused on value that I even got one in a color (maroonish-red) that I have always hated. The damn thing has been a money pit, too, with almost everything under the hood minus the engine needing to be replaced with a better part. But making the payments did as promised and that and other measures got my credit back in order before too long, I refinanced it along the way, and paid it off early. I still own it because it does run and as in-town car it should work nicely for Gavin (he's 17 and has held off getting his license until I could have a car for him).
So this past week I got to buy, for the first time in my life, the car I wanted that really is just for me. No thoughts of "Oh, is the back seat big enough for the kids?" or "Can a dog ride in it?" or "Can I put 4 people's worth of stuff in here?" I just needed to focus on what I need and what made sense for what I use cars for. And with all that in mind I still avoided the single Dad, 40-something, midlife cliche. I did not get a sporty car or a big truck. I got a gas sipping (50mpgs on average!) Toyota Prius C in a color I've always wanted in a car (charcoal gray) and I absolutely love the hell out of it. It has some bells and whistles I've never had before (to be honest, it is stuff that is standard for most like power windows, locks, etc. but that neither my Tercel or Aveo had) and, more importantly, it is what makes sense for me at this time in my life. I mostly use a car to commute. I don't take huge road trips (in recent years I have rented a car for such things anyway; why tack so many miles on your own ride?), I don't drive my car off into the woods or up a mountain. I basically drive around the Portland metro area. This car is perfect for now and the foreseeable future.
There is also a great satisfaction in getting it just after the 4 year anniversary of my divorce. I got normal, solid financing for it. I qualified for more if I wanted but I didn't. And I didn't trade in my Aveo because Gavin needs a car now and it should last him into his early college years (beginning fall 2018!). It feels good to be able to do that even if the damn thing is nothing fancy in the slightest. And, not to bash her too hard, but it's another thing I am able to supply that my ex-wife can't or won't (it's usually a combination).
Is it materialistic to write an LJ entry about a car? Maybe.
Do I care? No.
Because this isn't even really about a car.
J