Tuesday, July 03, 2007

My big news is...

I'm getting a new car! This is only the second time in my life I can say that. The first time was way back in 1993. That car was one month from being paid off when my ex-wife totaled it. Since then I have never bought a new car. I should be more excited but I am thinking a lot about the payments since I have gotten used to not having a car payment. My old vehicle has over 243,000 miles. I decided it was time for a change because I am on the road a lot. I take the boys on trips every year and we drive to numerous ball games, family visits, and other trips. I needed something reliable.

This is a decision I have been thinking and praying about for several months. I actually was approved for a loan the first week of may but decided to wait. Thursday morning I had a blowout on the way to work. I realize that was not an indication that there was anything wrong with the motor, transmission, etc., but I think it served as a wake up call. I recently replaced the belts on my car and there are numerous nagging issues. I am concerned that it is not reliable enough and would soon be prone to be breaking down on the highway.

Thursday I applied for a loan and it was approved. Back in May I had already worked out a budget so I knew what my spending limits were and I knew how much my insurance would change. I already knew what type of vehicle I was interested in and Friday after work I took a test drive and worked out a potential deal. I could have completed the deal on Friday but I decided to sleep on it one more night. Saturday afternoon, though, at about 5p.m. I drove a new vehicle home.

I have had several people at work and others I know "congratulate" me and tell me how much they like it. One lady at work actually said that she was happy for me and that it was "about time" because I "deserved it". I appreciate their sentiments. In reality, though, it is mostly just a tool. It is an inanimate object that makes travelling safer, more reliable, and more pleasant for my boys and I. Thank you Lord, though, for that blessing!

5 comments:

Tom said...

Congrats, Mike. Where's the pic/description?

Sharp said...

I agree. I just see cars as transportation, not an indicator of my value as a person. I bought the cheapest car on the lot, the no-frills loss leader whose price looked good in the paper but no one wanted to take home. It has no power windows or power locks. I went 10 years without them before so I can live without them now. Mainly, it gets 30-35 miles per gallon. That's a big deal when you put 20k miles/year on a car.

Mike Wilhelm said...

Congrats...you needed it. When you put that many miles on a car you need reliability and good gas milage can really save you a lot of money.

Sharp said...

I need to take some pics of mine. Of course, it's already caked with bugs!

Mike Wilhelm said...

I'd like to see it!