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Friday, April 7th, 2006
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11:19a
Agoness has leaked a quart of oil in the past week, and her front struts are now broken.
Ford Mustang 2005 convertible. The monthly cost on an 84-month (which would be renegotiated in about 8 months to a 60-month or hopefully even shorter) is $320.00 if we get the interest rate we want (if we get socked on the interest rate, add another $20). And they're hella reliable and long-lived cars as long as you take care of them.
Then you factor in the opportunity cost. I spend around $1500/year on repairs to Agoness, none of which I have spent or am planning to spend this year, but would carry over if I get a cheap car that would cost a lot less (which I would also not be happy with anyway). I generaly spend $50-$75/month in gas, though that cost is going up as well, because Agoness's gas mileage is less than half the mileage in the Mustang.
So, factoring in opportunity cost, I'm looking at
$3840 (payments), less
$1500 in repairs I'd BETTER not have to make on the Mustang this year, less
$300 in gas saved from a car that doesn't have crappy mileage, maybe more because that's based on winter/spring gas costs, and summer that tends to double
and the car's real impact to my budget this year is $170/month. Now, that will be increased somewhat with insurance, because now I'll have a car that's worth something. But thinking that it's going to increase our budget by $320 every month - which is actually less than I spend on going out every month, to be honest, which I've been looking for an excuse to cut out so I have something to show for what I spend - is highly inaccurate thinking. And since everybody and their cousin owes me tab for MONTHS at this point, it just means I don't pick up the check every time, not that I wouldn't be going out.
And it will be a little bit lower because every time I need to drive somewhere long-distance (which isn't that often), I need to rent a car at $200-300/week. I'm getting this car so that I don't have to do that.
Now, I could get a car that's a lot cheaper that represents the same opportunity cost and a much lower real cost; but I've never had a car I've liked. Call it a midlife crisis if you want, but I'm gonna be 30, I don't have kids, I'm not gonna be ready for a house until this car is paid off anyway, and even the big ticket items I've gotten... have been castoffs and second-bests and things nobody else wanted and things I've settled for. ('Cept the husband of course.) Sure, I'll take the horse, what's that? She's vicious and untrained? Yeah, I want a car, what's that? The heater doesn't work and the undercarriage is coming off in little rusty flakes? Yeah, I want a cat. What? He has only three legs and he's off-brand? I take the minimum aesthetic and often the minimum function because it's cheaper, and it bites me in the ass. I wind up less satisfied. Believe me, I love the cat, kinda. But I think I've invested more than my fair share of karmic austerity and settling and everything else in my life, and to be made to feel like this is more than I deserve or should do because it's something nice - I'm the one who has to live with always feeling a bit claustrophobic when there's a solid car roof overhead, with not fully enjoying myself on road trips because every time I even reserve a Mustang convertible the rental agency's always given it away to someone else just before I get there and I say "oh, that's fine, that's okay." You know what? It's not okay. I want to not "settle for" something. And considering it's a something that tends to last forever - take care of a Mustang and it will run for 200,000 miles or more - it's not that unsensible a choice.
Does it make sense to spend $23,000 on a car I love and restrict going out to afford the payments, or $15,000 on a car I don't even like just so I can continue to feel like I only deserve the second-best or the cheapest options? Which, exactly, is the stupid choice?
(Also, ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif) snapple might be sharing the car until I go to grad school. If she wants. Which she does. But totally up to her. Because neither of us need a car full-time or on the same days unless we're going to the same places at the same times anyway.)
(It's either that, or I'm gonna buy this. And I don't have a use for that yet.)
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10:12p
I got a new car!
No, not the Mustang. I sat in it and I was so danged uncomfortable. So instead I got this one, a 2005 Taurus SEL, about $10K cheaper as well. And maaan, this car is already spoiling me. We named her Lavyrlle.
OK, so you know how when you're driving at night and some jerk with big huge halogen lights comes up behind you and blinds you? OK, so Lavyrlle's rearview mirror has a light olive green tint you can't even see during the daytime, and all car headlights look pretty much normal. I'll never be blinded by headlights again. It's got leather seats (poor cow), a 6-CD changer, more options than I can shake a stick at, and it's pristine. Absolutely gorgeous. I want to drive to Canada now just so I won't have to stop driving.
They gave us $300 trade-in for Agoness, and I figure that's pity money. A bunch of the salesmen were standing outside during the power outage watching us clean her out and jeered, "I hope we didn't give you any money for that thing." I said "Far too much, gentlemen. I guess it's $300 worth of fun to set it on fire just to see what that looks like."
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