Not too long ago, I had a car.  A little red car.  It wasn’t a very pretty car, but it got me from place to place, and for that I was grateful.  One day, during a snow, I left for work as usual.  Since there was snow on the ground, I drove quite a bit slower than usual.  That probably saved my life. 

As is normal, stoplights sometimes change, and drivers must be prepared to stop when they do.  On this day, when I applied the brakes, the car didn’t stop.  Not only didn’t the car stop, it was not even facing forward anymore.  We had spun about 45 degrees to the left.  Eventually the car stopped and once my heart went back to normal, I was able to move on.   Everything in me was screaming to go back home, but I was more than halfway to work already and there were important samples arriving so I soldiered on. 

I didn’t get rid of the car just then.  I decided to stick to paved roads when it snowed and the problem seemed to be managed.  Unfortunately, when next it snowed, the problem was worse.  After that, I also noticed that the car pulled to the left even on dry paved roads.  I no longer felt safe driving that car.  I was holding on to it because it was paid for (which is nothing to sneeze at). 

It was time for me to begin my car search.  I had been burned extremely badly on my last car search in 2007, so I was not going to go through a private party to find a vehicle.  I was wary of dealerships also, and didn’t want a high pressure kind of sale, so I decided to use Carmax. 

Now, I am very ambivalent about car debt.  Cars are a depreciating asset, so they are worth less than you pay for them as soon as you drive off the lot.  On the other hand, there is a lot of sense in getting a new or newer car and driving it until it dies.  I chose the second option.  The best case scenario is to have enough cash to buy a newer car outright and keep it until it is undriveable.  That’s what I’ll do with my next car or when I win the lottery.  I think that since I’m young and have no other debt (besides a tiny student loan), I will be fine. I really hate debt, so the plan is to put extra money toward the car and pay it off early. 

Here’s what I’ve learned:

1.  Save as much money as you can to buy a car.  I had just depleted my savings to move to this city and to try to repair the old car, so I had to finance, but this is the least desirable situation to be in. 

2.  If you must finance, pay the car off as soon as you can.  I’m putting extra money toward the car, and I might also do some tutoring or petsitting for some more cash to throw at it. 

3. DO YOUR RESEARCH!  Know what car you want, the features, your needs, BEFORE setting foot in a dealership.  Also, research dealerships.  Know which ones have good reputations for customer service, reliable cars, and so on.  This can save you thousands of dollars, and keep you from ending up with a car you don’t want.

Here is my new darling:  It’s a 2008 Suzuki sx4 sedan, with 11,500 miles on it.  I know I’m going to have this car for quite some time.

And here’s a pic of Sokka.  I took this photo over the summer, but he looks like this now, since he spent today in doggy day care.  They told me he had so much fun; I think he really needs to spend time with other dogs.  One of the attendants recognized where his name comes from, so I like the place even more.   I’m taking him back tomorrow, and will look into their packages.