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]

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.