New Cars

Christmas was great and 2009 has started off well - at least until today... I got a phone call today at lunchtime that I've been hoping to avoid but suspecting I'll get for awhile. T's car died today. And it didn't die at home. He was on a major road through our town (but thankfully not on the freeway he was on yesterday when his tire went flat). He limped into the parking lot of an urgent care facility, walked a couple of blocks to a restaurant we frequent and called me to come get him when he was done with lunch. At least he got some exercise and food out of this. I went and picked him up and he dropped me off at the office and went to look for a new car. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, we'll be the proud new owners of a new Camry or Tacoma and the Protege will be donated to a worth charity. I wish it had happened 2 weeks ago so we could have the tax write off. Now, I'll have to hold on to the receipts and donation paperwork for a whole year!

At first, he called and asked me about the truck. Then, he called about the sedan... totally different options, but he can see benefits for both. The only down side is the truck he likes only has 2 doors. It has a back seat, but it's hard to get into. At least it has a back seat. I started looking up prices and information on them, trying to find something in stock - he likes a manual and I managed to track down one of each kind of car in my search. Neither are at the same dealership, but the guy he talked to said he could get either of them to the dealership within 24 hours. His 2 choices are very different, though about the same price. Getting a manual definitely is cheaper!

I've been trying to talk him into a model that has some incentives - cash back or 0% financing seem like a good deal to me - you get a nicer car for no extra money if you do the cash back and no interest is a good deal even if you have the cash to pay for the car. We are very blessed to still have the majority of the money he's earned doing Navy work over the last year still in savings. It's not as much as thought he had, but it's enough to buy the car. It makes me nervous to spend that much money all at once because I like the cushion of savings, but since his car leaked all the oil in the parking lot and the blew the engine block, I am just feeling happy we can afford this at this time. God has been very gracious in extending the life of the "Blue Bomber", as the crew in CA named it. It's a 1997, has well over 130,000miles on it (it's made rounds trips between AL & VA, AL & TX, TX & PA, and TX & CA) and has been a fantastic little car. I know he's distraught over losing it and frustrated to have to buy something quickly, but he's very much due for something newer. We've recently looked at gently used and discovered right now, a new one isn't that much more, so I think it's pretty much a done deal. He just needs to decide between a truck and a sedan. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like that would be a choice you'd make before you start researching prices and features and stuff... but, T and I don't do very many things the same way!

We're starting off 2009 with a Hail & Farewell party in our house. Fair winds and following seas to the Blue Bomber! Welcome aboard new car!