Cars

[bertine]

My car is a 2000 Saturn SL1 and has 100,000 miles on it. It gets ~30 miles to the gallon and I maintain it pretty well. In the last year, including the $600 I am putting into it today, I have paid about $1300 to maintain it. That was mostly things I could have lived with out like recharging the air conditioning, fixing a seat and fixing a window.

Still, sometimes I want a new car so badly because it would look nice and have a sunroof and wouldn't need things like oil valve gaskets and serpentine belts replaced. Then I look at the car payment and get sticker shock.

Comments

[inkedmama.livejournal.com]

my thoughts exactly!

jake didn't seem to think that gas would get above $5/gallon, but i'm not willing to take a chance. i don't see our income going up exponentially within the next few years to offset that increased expense with the cars that we currently have, let alone try to figure out how to pay for a less fuel efficient car.

[bertine.livejournal.com]

With, more fuel costs and a car payment. Though he is a car guy, right? So that might be part of why he wants a new one.

[inkedmama.livejournal.com]

yeah, he perpetually wants a new car. :) when he got his new car 2 or 3 years ago now, it was THE car he'd always wanted (white honda accord coupe with 6 speed manual transmission, leather, sunroof). he's been scoping out his next new car since he brought that one home. :)

his car gets pretty good gas mileage (~26 mpg) considering he drives about 40-45 miles round trip daily for work, so he can't even justify it that way.

[bertine.livejournal.com]

Yeah, so he will always want a new car. How old is your car?

[inkedmama.livejournal.com]

both of our cars are 2003s, so we definitely don't *need* new cars. my plan was to drive my car for at least 3-5 years after it was paid so it would still have decent resale (we paid it off this spring).

with car & gas prices, driving it another 8-10 years doesn't sound so bad. if it's still puttering along safely & without many problems, it could be chase's first car. :D

[bertine.livejournal.com]

That is a good plan. My plan has always been to drive my car until it has something that isn't worth fixing.