Big Investments = Big Decisions
September 6, 2011 at 7:28 am | Posted in Life and Living | 3 CommentsTags: balancing budgets, driving, financing a new car
This past weekend was a very active one for me. Lots of going out and having fun, and lots of just catching up on things that were put on hold with vacation. It was also a much-needed long weekend where lots of sales were to be had. I took advantage of a big one — and bought myself a new car!
I’ve blogged in the past about my long love and hate history with driving. Since that post, not much has changed. I am rarely seen driving my current car — to the point where my friends have asked me if I even own a car — but it’s not from a desire not to drive. My car has been falling apart for a long time and I just don’t feel safe driving it anymore. It can’t pass inspection, the headlight is shot and can’t easily be fixed, and there’s a weird sound that I just don’t trust, so I keep the driving to a minimum.
With the engagement, the fiancé and I decided to fore-go the big move as we knew it would be too costly at a time where we really had to strategize to pay for our wedding. But this large expense was not one we could afford to fore-go. It seems like almost every week one of our cars has an issue and we just need one reliable car.
I didn’t need anything fancy. I just needed to feel safe and have a car where I wouldn’t have any problems for the next 5 years or so. But safety has a price, and it’s not cheap, even when you don’t get an SUV.
This is the first new car I have ever bought on my own (well, with help from the fiancé who is part owner). I bought my last car myself used, so the cost was significantly lower (as clearly was the value — I only had that car for 3 years!). But that car served its purpose. I was not in the position to buy a new car 3 years ago so it helped to bridge the gap. My first two cars were gifts from my family — one was new, and one was a hand-me-down.
So what this means is that I have a new bill to pay every month that is not a small bill. I definitely have some anxiety over it, but I know I made the right decision. So when I go pick up my new car tonight, I’ll have some piece of mind driving it home, and where ever else I decide to go.
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Pushing Thirtyy 
i used to live in L.A. and was tied to driving all the time. like seriously, driving to a grocery store two blocks away to buy a gallon of milk. yes. one. gallon. of milk. who does that?! when i moved out of state 9 years ago, i was fortunate to live in a public trans friendly city – i didn’t have a car at first then said i’d get one after a year just after i get settled and all – well, i still haven’t bought one. frankly, i’m kinda used to not having one. now when i go home to L.A., that’s another story. then i get road rage! LOL
Comment by reni— September 6, 2011 #
Yea, I actually live outside of NYC so I commute on public transport everyday. But my nights and weekends usually mean a lot of driving, and now I hope to enjoy it again!
Comment by pushingthirtyy— September 7, 2011 #
[…] said I was going to buy a new car, and I did, and I’m certainly enjoying driving more […]
Pingback by All Talk « Pushing Thirtyy— October 13, 2011 #