Getting A New Car...Well, Not New-New

The last vehicle our family purchased was back in 2010, a 2004 Pontiac Vibe. We traded a minivan for it. We didn't need two minivans--very few do. I've mostly driven that Vibe to the bus stop every workday, to get groceries on the weekend, and to go to church. I've put about 25K miles on it in almost seven years.

So far, it's been a good car.

That begs the question: do we need another car?

My in-laws had a car in their garage they no longer use. It was my father-in-law's, a Ford Taurus. We sort of had an agreement with them for years. When my kids got old enough, it would be nice to have another car. I had a car in high school. Okay, it was a 1965 VW Beetle, so half a car. Fortunately, my fiends had more reliable cars, or I borrowed my mom's car if I absolutely needed to get someplace.

My Vibe is showing it's age. The starter's being a little squirrelly (even thought I left it at the mechanic's for three days and they couldn't get it to be squirrelly for them...). And since my daughter wants to get her license (so do her parents...), we decided to move the Taurus from it's cushy garage and put it into the hands of a first-time driving teenager.

And, it's go a sunroof, too!

Our Cars...As Seen Through Our Youngest's Eyes

Last night my youngest child was sitting in our room watching TV as I did some editing. A commercial for a new car came on and I watched it without really watching it.

My son, however, he paid attention.

"Dad, why do people always want to get new cars?"

It's an extremely honest question coming from a child who wants nothing but understanding.

"Well," I said thinking about new cars. "People get and want new cars for many different reasons. Sometimes they want a safe car, or their cars are old and worn out. Sometimes they want something really nice because they like how they feel driving a really nice car, or to have something nicer than what other people drive."

The comment was sort of a throw away one for me. I mean, I just said it without thinking too much about it. That's when my son said, "Our cars are good. I like our cars."

That made me stop and think. We have two vehicles, a van that seats everyone and my little compact that does not. My car is three years older than the van and neither car is driven very much--taking the bus to and from work everyday and homeschooling helps with that. They're both built by Toyota and both have years and miles still left in them.

But are they "good?" In his eyes, yes, they are.

I try to not do things that can bring me down. I've found that comparing myself to others is one of the quickest ways to ruin my day. And when I slip and do it, I get mad at myself because when it's all said and done, comparing myself to others is basically a huge waste of time. I could look at my cars and see all the faults, all the problems. My car has no hubcaps--one by one they fell off. And one door is not like the others and the desire to fix this issues hasn't been worth the cost for me to do it. 

The van's got issues too, though minor, we can always find reasons for wanting something better, something newer, something flashier. Humans--especially adults--are great at doing that. But to a child, he doesn't care what color the doors are, or that there's a small ding in a side panel that occurred when we drove it into the garage. To him, the cars have always started and taken him where he wants to go. We do have good cars and the best part, they're paid for.

My little comment turned out to be a learning experience after all. Except, it was me that did the learning.

When You Wish Upon A Car...

Tonight I saw the Jeep for sale as I drove up a hill by my house. Now, I need to say from the beginning that I am not a jeep person--not that I don't want to be, but I've never found myself with the available funds to enjoy Jeeps.

When I think of Jeeps, I automatically think of my brother. He IS a Jeep person. He was even president of a 4 x 4 organization in Moab, the Mecca of Jeeps and other off-road enthusiasts. He loves Jeeps and has owned several over the years.

So, when I saw the Jeep and the fact that it was for sale, it reminded me of my brother for another reason. He loves looking at cars that are for sale. When we would gather for Sunday dinners at my mom's house, he would talk about one or several vehicles he saw for sale. And when I participated in such discussions, I caught the "it would be cool to have that car" bug (by the way, my weakness when it comes to cars are VW's...). I admit, thinking about owning different cars is fun, but it has it's downside, too.

As with a lot of things, wishing too much on stuff you don't have can be discouraging. In fact, it can down-right depressing. So when I see a cool piece of Americana perched majestically on a street corner, and it makes my mind think about actually owning that thing, I realize that buying an antique vehicle is probably not the best decision to make at this time. My brother, however...he may think otherwise.