Part of my master plan for my life was to drive my car into the ground so as to avoid having to make car payments until after I finished my degree. Unfortunately, the driving-the-car-into-the-ground part of that happened earlier than I would have liked (although, not earlier than I could have reasonably expected). This last batch of necessary repairs included a new serpentine belt and belt tensioner, a new starter, and new motor mounts. It would have cost approximately $1400 in parts and labor to fix, and that didn't even take care of whatever was dumping water (water pump?), the alternator that's starting to show signs of wearing out, and the oil leak that would have taken another $800 to fix. It all seemed like a little much to try and take care of on a 1999 Mercury Mystique with 166,000 miles. Most vehicles from Ford Motor Company tend to crap out at about 120,000 miles, so I feel as though I've been pushing my luck for the past year or so.
So, after weighing my options, I decided to start looking around for another vehicle. I simply can't afford to sink a couple thousand dollars into a car that isn't worth that much. Especially when there's a very real possibility that something else would go wrong shortly thereafter. Even though I dreaded the thought of having to deal with all the weasely used car salesmen in Vegas, I figured it was the best option. I told you about the slimeball sales manager that my friend and I talked to the other day before the BRMC concert (seriously, if I were to write a movie script where one of the characters was a used car salesmen/drug dealer, I would want the casting director to find this guy and offer him the part). I was afraid that they would all be like that.
Fortunately for me, my friend knows a guy who works for a car dealership, so he arranged for me to go out and see him. I have to say, that's definitely the way to shop for a car. My friend told me that the salesman was a great guy and that I wouldn't have to worry about him trying to screw me over. So I called the guy and he told me to come out and see if there was anything on the lot that I liked, and that if there was, he could get me a deal for $300 over invoice. I figured it was worth a shot, so I borrowed my roommate's car and went out there. Honestly, it felt a little weird pulling up to a car dealership to shop for a used car in a $30,000 vehicle that's only about a year old, but that's just how I roll.
I met my friend's friend, told him what I was looking for, and he showed me several vehicles that would suit my needs. After a couple of test drives, I settled on one (a 2006 Nissan Sentra with 16,500 miles), and signed off on all the paperwork that night. I just might be the worst car shopper in the history of car shoppers, because I feel like I rushed into things. Plus, the vehicle I got was a couple thousand more than I was looking to spend, but it should also be a very reliable car that maintains its value. I should be able to drive it for a long time.
Earlier in the day I'd told my mechanic to fix the bare minimum on my car, so that I could drive it to a car dealership and use it as a trade-in. I knew I wasn't going to get anything for it if I couldn't even get it to the dealership under its own power. They'd called me earlier to tell me it was ready, but I hadn't picked it up yet, so I couldn't take my new car home until the next day (I could have, but that would have required two of the employees to follow me home, then one of them would have had to drive me back the following day when I dropped off my trade. I told them it would be less hassle for everyone for me to just pick it up then, and that I could make it that long without any severe emotional stress).
Yesterday I drove my old car out there. I have to admit, it was one of the more stressful drives of my life. There was still a rattle coming from somewhere in the engine and I knew I had to make it all the way across town (about a 30 minute drive) without it breaking down on me in order for them to take it off my hands. I was also afraid that they'd start it up, hear the rattle in the motor and say they couldn't give me the agreed amount for it, but everything went fine, and I got my new car.
I'm currently suffering from a great deal of buyer's remorse. While it was a great deal, and my payments are exactly where I wanted them to be, I'm nervous about how I'll be able to afford the increase in insurance along with that. The better gas mileage will help with that (~8 mpg better than my old car), but it won't cover all of it. Now seems like as good a time as any to really start marketing the tweaker-on-the-go meth kit (described here and pictured here). Also, I'm once again accepting applications from potential sugar mamas.
6 comments:
Yes, because a Nissan Sentra is totally a sexy car, and all the ladies will definitely flock to you now. ;)
Actually, you did get a good deal. The car's a year old so it's still fairly new; however, it does seem like it's been used A LOT within one year. I'm not entirely sure, though.
2 years Lauren. You forget that the 2006 model really came out in fall of 2005. The average mileage on a car that old is around 23,000 miles, so it's about 6500 miles under that.
Obviously, I would have had to go out and purchase a Ferrari or BMW in order to get the ladies to flock to me. Unfortunately, I don't get paid enough to teach labs to make that a reality.
Jesus, if you're gonna get all technical on me...sigh. That does make the mileage more reasonable, like you said.
Also, it looks like you'll to up the number of labs you teach next semester then! ;)
Maybe you could sell your meth labs to your students.
You would get better reviews, and maybe be able to afford that BMW.
Or, barring that, you will get "three hots and a cot" when you go to jail and you won't have to worry about a car or insurance.
Yay! We are Nissan brothers.
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