As I mentioned earlier, we sold our Jeep. We had planned to get a '08 or '09 Nissan Sentra on Memorial Day, but things did not go our way. They kept trying to sell us the car for $1500 over the internet price, plus tax, title & license, plus dealership fees ($3500). The car we were negotiating on didn't even have power mirrors & I didn't like the interior, so there was no way we were doing that. Then they tried to finance it for 7 years which would come out to around $23k. Are they serious? Anyway, the prices were too steep for us so we walked away. Needless to say I was ticked off. I had my heart set on a certain car & it was now off the table. After that horrible experience we decided to look for private sellers with not much luck. Lane found this 2007 Ford Focus for $7k, which means we could pocket some of the money we made off the Jeep.
That's what we ended up doing. Definitely not what I had in mind. I feel like I'm back in high school or college again driving this car around. Not that it's a bad car, but I've been having a hard time adjusting to it compared to the Jeep that although is the same year, was in a lot better condition on the inside & I didn't want to sell in the first place. So there you have it. I will have to live with this car for the next 3 years & then we can revisit the whole car shopping thing again. A couple of things that I do like about this car is that it's pretty zippy & the gas bill is around $37 compared to $70, so that's nice.
It's crazy that Lane is starting his first job where he'll actually get paid, although not much for the next 3 years, and we are doing all of these cut backs that we didn't do before when we weren't making any income. We will be giving up our cell phones in about a month, we no longer have cable & we have a crappier car. I guess it's different now that it's our money we're working with & not student loans. Plus our house costs $500 more than our apartment did, so that's a huge part of it. I just have to keep looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. One day I will get to buy whatever car I want. Although I was just talking to Regina about this & we were both laughing saying that it's just not in the cards for us to ever get a nice car until our kids are like 5. Let's face it, the next car we'll probably get is a minivan. That's just our lot in life...sigh.
9 comments:
It's not that bad. Justvso you know, kids have to be in a booster seat until they are 8 years old now. So after two kids minivans are it.
This sucks... but at least you have the willpower to make the cut-backs. I know a lot of people who live beyond their means (sometimes WAY beyond their means) and it's always a bad situation at some point down the road. So good for you for setting a budget and scaling back where you can. I know it's no fun at all... but it will put you in a better financial position once Lane's residency is over and he's making a normal ER doctor's salary.
Gah! Jared and I have been going through this. We own a truck and a tahoe, which we love both cars, but can hardly afford to drive them around! We're having a hard time making ourselves do anything about it though, so I admire you that you have the will power to make cut backs. I sure don't!
3 years will go by in the blink of an eye! You are setting a good example to your kids by getting what you can afford! And hey, in a few years you will be able to get a pimped out brand new car. Although it will be a minivan! :) I'll probably be right there with you!!
I'm actually surprised you blogged about it, I know how ticked you were!
Half the gas cost is pretty nice! I'm sure it takes some adjusting, but it will be worth it!
Minivans are the bomb. Not kidding either. I love mine. We are making major cutbacks, too. Slow economy sucks for us!!
cute car!!! i love it! i am still driving a 2003 cavilear and jimmy is still driving a 2001 mustang. i sooo wish we had an suv because of addison, but both cars are paid off! you guys are doing what it best for you now, not what most people do, which is having things they cannot afford! love it!
Jalei do you remember what I lived in for three years? And now I have a big beautiful home. The small sacrifice now will be totally worth it, I promise. And I guess for me cars aren't a big deal. Ours are old and we will drive them til they die. But I would rather have a nice home and a crappy car. Try to be patient and realize that with time you will get lots of nice things. This is just a short phase in your life.
omg...I'm SOOOO jealous of that gas payment! I spend about $85 or so to fill up my tank. My car isn't the best for gas...it's huge. I'm so glad that gas is dropping some lately!
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