I am not real big into cars. Matter of fact, my first car was a 1972 olds with a 455 engine. We nicknamed it "The Bomb". It was a classic! From there I upgraded my senior year of high school to a 1985 Nissan Pulsar 2-dr with a sunroof. It had a stick shift and was my baby. By the time we had our first real baby 9 years later, it had about 225,000 miles and was no longer very practical with a baby seat. Being the family man and all, I then drove a 1998 white ford taurus. Nothing flashy at all, but it got the job done. Then finally, I moved up to a toyota 4-runner. Great vehicle and has been a blessing even now just crossing the 100,000 mile threshold.
That leads to Sunday night.... I was at the student center and there drove up a 4-door jeep wrangler with a for sale sign on it. Boy, it was nice and it even had a stick shift. I fell in love right then and there. My friend Dan Wooten saw my admiration and took a quick snap-shot. I already could see myself driving around with the top down, music playing in my new jeep.
Then of course, Dave Ramsey pops up in my head. "Live like no else, so later you can live no one else." So true - my toyota 4-runner was just fine and best of all, it is paid for. You know, they say when you get close to age 40, you start making some weird decisions, especially with cars. Maybe that's it? It was nice for a minute and I appreciate Matt from Keffer Dodge in Charlotte allowing me to indulge for a time. Who knows maybe one day, I can own one. If and when I do, I stick to paying cash for it. No loans - being debt free is worth it!!
By the way, through our Operation Blessing series, if you find yourself in a pinch and need a little financial counseling, give us a call at the church office at 843-672-2761. We are giving away free, "Total Money Makeover" books by Dave Ramsey to each person or family that attends a session. Just a thought....
BTW, the jeep shown above was a 2007 with 33,000 miles and was being priced at $23,000.00. Jeep is pretty proud of their product, huh! :)
Paid for is the way to go! Clunkers are really nice cars especially when they are paid for.
ReplyDeleteMost people pay attention to your new car for
about 2 weeks (max). Enjoy the old beaters.
I remember that '72 olds with the rocket v-8....remember when you got that hole in the gas tank? ross
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