There are several things I put on my list knowing I would most likely not completely them, but I wanted to keep trying. Buying a new car is one of them. To say I haven't had the best of luck with cars is an understatement.
My first car, a Ford Tempo V6, was my moms before I bought it from her. It had to have a ton of work, but it worked for a year. My second car, I was the proudest of because I bought it. It was a Chevy Caviler. It was red and I was in love with it when I bought it. It was a great car. I got it in 2002 and had it for almost 10 years. After a few years though, it started going down hill. Partially because I didn't know anything about cars, regular maintenance, or anything I was supposed to be doing. And partially because money was not something I had. I would rather wait till the last minute to do anything. Don't worry --- I've learned my lesson!
Now on to the real reason for the post.... MY NEW CAR!!!
A little back story: I got my Pontiac Grand Prix about four years ago after my caviler had died. It was a quick purchase. I knew it wasn't going to last forever, so I was happy when I got four years out of it. It has been going down hill rather quickly lately. I've been saving for a while, but I really wanted to make it last until late fall. But that didn't happen. Obviously.
About a month ago, I was picking up a friend from the hospital and got pulled over on the way. The officer proceeded to let me know my tags were expired. Since they were expired I had to get an inspection for my car. I went to get the inspection done and it didn't go well. The mechanic told me I had about $800 worth of stuff that needed fixed before it would pass. And then he told me that even if I fixed all of that, it still wouldn't pass. The bottom of my car was so rusted it had a created a weak spot. He said he couldn't in good faith pass my car. I had a 'scrap metal car.'
I had been looking for a while for a car so I had it narrowed down. The Ford Fusion or the Ford Escape. I hadn't really looked at a ton of different cars. After looking at cars and suvs as I drive I knew just by looking at a car from the outside what I wanted. I really wanted an SUV. I've always loved them. It didn't have to be big, but I didn't want something super small. It needed to be just right and when I found it I would know.
I had been looking online at the Ford Escape for a few weeks but everything I found in my price range had over 150k miles on it. I was done buying a "for now" car. I wanted something that I would have for long term. Then came Friday night. I actually had a Friday night off. I happen to be looking online and found it... my car. 2013 Ford Escape. It has 81k miles on it and it was in my price range. I called the dealer about it and set up an appointment for Saturday.
I knew going into Saturday that driving anything would be wonderful compared to my car. But I wasn't expecting to fall in love with it when I got in. It fit like a glove. I loved it down to every little detail, including the dashboard having a blue tent (my favorite color). The dealer let me take it for a test drive and it was marvelous.
When I got back to the dealership I knew I had to have my game face on. I knew I couldn't let them know how much I loved it. And I couldn't get myself worked up because I knew there was a small chance I would even get a loan. As I walked in my salesman met me at the door and asked if I liked it. I said yes. He then asked me if I had a trade in. I laughed and said no, because I had planned on selling my car to the junk yard for $150 when I finally found a new car. Well the salesman said they would give me $500 for my old car. I laughed and asked him if they were sure. He said yes and we went to talk to the accountant. After being upfront with him about everything on my credit report, we started the paper work to apply for a loan. Then came the wait. It took about thirty minutes for us to hear back about the loan. As I sat and waited in the lounge area, I kept convincing myself that it wasn't going to happen and not to be discouraged. There would be other cars. When the guys came to get me we went in the office and he started saying this is my payment, etc. I just paused at one point and said "I got the loan??" He said yes, like it was no big deal. I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. Within an hour, I was walking out with a new car.
Crazy. It was not what I was expecting to do that day. But I did it, on my own. I bought a car.
Well here's the pictures. Some from the dealer. A few from me.
I love it!!
