We have been talking for MONTHS about getting a new car. We have been so mindful of our debt and have been faithfully chipping away at it. By next year we figured we would be debt free aside from some student loans.
Both of our vehicles are shabby at best. The car will likely make it a while longer. I'll know better once I get it inspected in a couple of weeks. The truck needs some very important repairs that will likely cost several hundred dollars. Once those are accomplished, we consider the fact that it probably needs new shocks, tires soon, the air conditioning doesn't work and neither do the front windows, and the heater is stuck on. Aside from this the wiper motor needs replaced and it needs some body work too. I wonder if by the time we make the necessary repairs and then some, what it will be worth? Anything? Maybe as much as we spend to fix it?
Being that we were going to soon embark upon getting a new vehicle, might we just take the truck and the repair monies and put them down on a new car? We figure we can save at least 50% on gas. The insurance will probably be about the same. The monthly car payment has already been written into the budget.
OR
Should I fix the truck and suck it up as far as comfort while driving in the hot months? Or maybe I should just keep the truck, fix it, park it... and put less down on the new car? Perhaps I might find a sucker willing to give me something for the old beater?
We are constantly in search of wisdom. The Lord says he gives it abundantly to those who seek it. I'm seeking!!!! I wish the answers were more precise though.
Do we buy a new car? Do we buy a used car? How much should we spend? Which is the best model? Yada yada yada. Research research research. We really want a new car, but they depreciate so fast that one generally owes more than it is worth in no time. On the plus side, they generally come with a warranty, which is good. B U T ... for much less money, I could probably get a nice used vehicle with a little less warranty. We aren't really mechanical people, so we don't always know how to pick the best one. (This is where we tap into big brother who knows all there is to know about cars.) Still, that doesn't afford us any guarantee on long-term quality and such. Oh decisions decisions!
Why am I brewing over this? Keith will be quick to snatch up the first nice new squeaky clean car we set our eyes on. Me... well... I'm always the one that doesn't want to rush into it. I want to shop around. (He says it's because I'm too cheap) I have already done considerable research about all the models we are most interested in.
So... I will pray long and hard on this. Any advice is appreciated and of course... prayers are coveted. I simply want to make the choice that is most acceptable in the Lord's eyes.
1 comment:
New cars are great. Everyone should have one in their life. Once you get past that, you start looking for a good USED vehicle.
I love my Hondas, and have owned 4 of them to date. The present one we bought as a used car with less than 20,000 miles and a full 2 yr warranty, 60,000 miles. It was a year old then.
It's been a very reliable and excellent car to drive. The Hondas just go till the body falls apart.
My vote would be for a USED new vehicle. One about a year old. You'll have a new car at a reasonable price.
We have owned 3 new vehicles in our lifetime. All were under warranty and all but one had some major problem that the seller wouldn't support or that we had to fight tooth and nail to have the warranty repair. (these were NOT Hondas, by the way)
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