Stylin’ and Profilin’!
Mama's got her a new set of wheels! Wheeeee!
I finally took the plunge. My old Saturn, which you can see in the background, is in its final death throes. It's still running, and can probably be fixed back to being a decent car. But I can't take the chance that it will crap out completely on me ... I gotta be able to get to work. One thing after another just quit working. First, the horn and the back-up lights, then the CD player, the gas gauge, and finally the odometer. I have no clue how much gas is in it right now. The engine has been making a peculiar whine and someone told me that was a sign that there was an impending major belt problem. It was using oil like mad, I had to put two quarts in every 1200 miles or so, in addition to regular changes every 3000. Last year, I had to replace the alternator, then the starter. The year before was the water pump. I think it needs brakes now too. For a car with a blue book value less than $1000, it ain't worth fixing to keep as a primary vehicle. So, off we go car shopping.One major obstacle has been that I cannot afford much of a car payment, thus, not much of a loan. And despite the fact that I have excellent credit, no one wants to lend less than $10,000 without some ridiculous terms. There are plenty of good used vehicles out there for less than $8000 and I found several that I liked. But I couldn't get decent financing. Oh well ... I have to bite the bullet here, and maybe try for a re-finance in a few months to get a better APR and shorter term.
But, I did find me a honey of a deal. For just over $7500, including a 2yr/24K stem to stern warranty, I got a 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue GX with 46,000 gentle, little old lady driving to church once a week miles on it. It is in pristine condition with almost every option available. (OnStar would have been cool as hell, but the subscription is killer!) Power everything, clean as a whistle ... and baby, what a ride! Smooth! It is a lady's car, for sure!
I've had my heart set on a Toyota Camry for years now, but this will do quite nicely. I'm over the sports car fascination, I had my Celica. I'm way beyond basic transportation. I wanted something nice. I was hoping to wait a couple more years when I could get some cash saved up and get something better, but hell, this thing will last longer than that. I set out to get whatever would do me for a while, I think I did quite nicely.
It's time for a cruise ... be back later!
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.
Next entry: Happy Fourth!
Previous entry: Expression Engine 1.3 released!
