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Sparkly New Car Envy

  February 8

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Saving for a new carMy little sister in law just got a sparkly new car, and I have to say, it looks sooo nice! Through a combination of credit card points from a GM card, a trade in, and buying a 2013 model (with only 50 miles on it) she was able to get a new car for a very affordable monthly payment.

It’s all white and sleek and has that new car smell. Ah, so fancy. I just want to hug it.

I’ve never been one to advocate buying a brand new car, but when you can get one for the same price or even better as a used one, it actually kind of makes sense. I rode in it yesterday, marveling at everything that comes standard in new cars these days, and I’m really happy for her that she found something safe and nice and purty.

Y’all have met my car, right? Just to jog your memory, his name is KAL and we are in love. Despite his 12 year old status, his war wounds are kind of sexay. There was the time a tree fell on him, the time he avoided flooding by the skin of his teeth in Hurricane Katrina, and the time I backed him into a telephone pole when I was only 17 years old.

He’s come so far with me, and even now, I kind of chuckle when I think that I’ll be putting my two children in his some what beat up ol’ leather back seat. Maybe the twins can learn to drive on it.

After living in Grenada for so many years and seeing all our friends drive 20 year old beaters, I was pretty convinced that I’d drive my car forever. After all, KAL is still working pretty great, and he just got a sweet pair of new shoes. Plus, I just don’t think I could pull the trigger on a new-to-me car just yet. Hubs thinks an SUV would be good for the lil’ twins, but someday he hopes to get a truck (click here to see that swankiness). Who knows where we’ll end up on our car journey, but until then, I’ll be having some sparkly new car envy and enjoying my lack of monthly payments.

How old is your car? How long are you going to keep it?

Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

22 responses to “Sparkly New Car Envy

  1. My car will be three years old this June, I’m planning in keeping it for at least seven to ten years. If it lasts longer with no probs, bonus! I really enjoy the car I drive now and don’t want to part with it! Lol

  2. My car will be 4 years old this year and my wife’s is a few years older than that I think. They both have less than 70k miles so they should still last us a very long time from now 🙂 Hopefully at least!

  3. What make / model of car did your sister in law get? The “new” car vibe seems to wear off after a few months for most people. I hope your sister in law is happy with her vehicle choice.

    1. Sister in law here, I got a new 2013 Chevy Sonic. For cheaper than we could even find a used one!! Woohoo. I had a 2008 Cobalt with over 100k on it, with that tiny chevy engine she started breaking really often. I am moving further away from my dad, and as the youngest he was concerned for my safety. Plus, I totally needed a four door to transport my niece and nephew whenever I can! 😀

  4. My husband and I bought a 2011 Toyota Corolla last year after my 1995 beater needed to be junked because the subframe completely rusted through and broke a lot of stuff. We’ll drive this thing into the ground and hopefully it lasts a long time. It’s got about 33,300 miles on it right now.

  5. I still have the same car that I got when I was 16 years old, so it is about 12 years old. Our vehicle is a 2002 also, and we bought it to replace a vehicle that was totaled in an accident (also a 2002). I will probably never ever buy a new car. If I did, I would keep it for ten years or so. I see people get new cars every 2-3 years (and they aren’t leasing them!). The only thing I can’t help but do is shake my head. I guess better them than me. I would rather have a nicer house than car. I do get kind of jealous when people get new cars though :- However, I remember, I have never had a car payment.

  6. I recently bought a 2007 Corolla with some war wounds included for $6,500. Since I ride on public transit to work, it no longer makes sense to have a nice car. My plan is to keep it until it won’t drive anymore and pay cash for a replacement one day, but who knows. It vibrates more than I’d like, which I should have had checked out before I purchased it, so who knows how long it will run. It’s not bothersome enough to take it to a mechanic, yet. This sensibility has been difficult for me because my last car was a BMW, but when I had that car, I drove 40 miles daily, plus.

  7. I’m driving a 1996 Honda Accord with over a quarter-million miles. This thing just won’t quit. I’ll probably continue driving it until it simply can’t be driven any more.

  8. Sounds like you’ve been through a lot with KAL lol. My car is starting to get old, 6 years now, but I don’t drive it very much so it only has about 60,000 KM on it. Oops, I meant 37,500 miles 😛 Some of my friends ask me if it’s a new car still heh. It’s a 4 door hatchback so it’s very functional for someone like me. I plan to keep driving it for at least another 10 years 🙂

  9. Totally know the jealousy feeling! My family are car loan flippers so they are constantly getting new cars. I’m always jealous of them (even though I know it’s a crazy irresponsible thing to do!).

    When we bought our 2012, we told ourselves that this car is going to last at least 10 years. No more. No less. We’re in it for the long haul.

  10. My car is a 7.5 years old 2007 VW rabbit. It has many more years in her, I hope. I am conservatively saying 3, but would love 5… without major repair.

  11. Last year my 13 year old car broke down at 5am in the middle of nowhere. That was unnerving. The problem was deep in her engine and although I was seriously attached to that car I decided to trade it in for a sparkly new car. While people love to tout the purchase of a new car as one of the biggest wastes of money, I am completely happy with my decision and my car payment is actually my favorite payment to make. I bought the same model that I had but they make them much bigger and safer these days. Plus the other features that come standard in cars these days have made my life safer as well, just one of which is the bluetooth for my phone. Not something anyone needed 13 years ago, but with the amount of driving I do and our complete dependence on our phones these days it is more than just handy. I love my car and I’d make the decision to buy it again and again. I would never dissuade anyone from buying a new car.

  12. My car is a 2001 Chrysler Sebring. It just turned 100,000 miles. I drive only a few miles a day and my husband has a newer car for longer trips so I just can’t justify car payments and full-coverage insurance right now. Plus, I am working on improving my credit and it should be taking a big jump within the next 2 years.
    Once that happens, I will buy a car that is about 4-7 years old and has less then 75,000 miles on it but I can’t imagine buying a new car. My grandfather always taught me that doing so was like flushing money down the toilet. Sure, dealers can make it appear you are getting a good deal by giving you money for your trade-in but in reality you will nearly allways get far more money for your used car (thousands more)-by selling it yourself.
    I don’t like to drive but I DO love to travel and fix up our home so that is where I chose to spend my “extra” money.

  13. The newest car we’ve ever had was about 12 years old (which is fairly typical in NZ). Right now T gets to drive yard cars – he’s in sales – so we’re getting used to driving cars from this side of the century, which is nice.

  14. My husband and & I both have cars that are 12 years old and we still love them! I hope they last a very long time. I couldn’t imagine spending a lot of money on a depreciating asset. When the time comes to buy a “new” car we will definitely be paying cash 🙂

  15. The car I have right now is a 2006. I got it back in August. I wish I could say that I’m one of those that keeps her car for up-teen years, but I’m not. My husband has a bad habit (I call it) of vehicle fever. He buys and sells vehicles like it’s a hobby. Definitely not as bad as he used to be and I can honestly say he’s never lost any money doing it. The only downfall is the vehicle payment.

  16. Our truck is a 2004 with only 30,000 miles on it. We bought it new and plan to keep it until it rolls over and dies. We also have a 2007 Lexus RX that we bought from my brother-in-law under very sad circumstances. It only had 15,000 miles on it and we paid him cash. We plan to hold on to that vehicle for many years as well. I hate purchasing vehicles so the longer I can avoid it, the better. I just hate the whole car buying experience in the dealer’s office so I can wait a loooong time before subjecting myself to that again.

  17. My Nissan Maxima is 15 years old with almost 150,000 miles on it…It runs really well and I take good care of it. I really don’t ever want a car payment, but a nice new shiny car sounds nice 🙂 haha

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