LET’S TALK : Goodbye hoopty, hello Talkmobile ... have we met?
Posted on Sunday, July 13, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Style/231265/
When is it “the” time to get another car ?
If your car is a paid-for model long past the blush of youth, is it better to pay for a costly repair and avoid a car note, or just get a new ride, suck up the car note and other expenses and be back under the protection of a manufacturers’ warranty ?
And unless you’re unloading a gas-guzzler for a gas-hoarder, how insane is it to make such a purchase during the current economic climate ?
The thought of the carbuying process can be heartpounding enough when the economy is good and gas isn’t a firstborn a gallon. In these trying times, the thought of buying a car is enough to make the strongest person physically ill. Atop all those thoughts come fears of dealing with over-aggressive car salesmen.
Thank goodness for the Internet. Luckily, dealerships are happy to tout their inventory on Web sites and give you the opportunity to send an e-mail inquiry about a particular car.
It was said Internet, along with alternative financing, that resulted in a “new” Talkmobile.
The old one, bought new in 1999, was pretty much your basic American-made high school / college-student ride. The car had been faithful through thick and thin, but had racked up six figures’ worth of miles. And although it had been well-maintained, the years had taken their toll. It was running, but on borrowed time. The thought of getting another car was nearpetrifying... and the thought of not getting another car was near-petrifying. I did not want a car payment. But I’d also been dismayed by tales of friends and loved ones who, in their efforts to avoid car payments, had spent small fortunes repairing their paid-for, oldermodel cars. In more cases than not, the cars had continued to prove untrustworthy.
Oh, yeah, and there was the indignity of being in one’s mid-40 s and driving what looked like a car somebody’s kid’s first boyfriend would drive. During Thanksgiving 2007, Dre and I had rented a compact foreign car to visit Dear, my mother-in-law, in Lafayette, La. It was a pretty little thing, with an unusual pale color. Fully loaded, with power windows and locks — something I hadn’t been used to in a long time — and the convenience of “keyless remote entry,” which I’d never had. And it was really nice on gas. We nearly cried when it came time to turn the car in.
Skip forward to earlier this year, when we saw smoke coming from our old girl’s steering column. Fearing the worst, I began car-hunting online. But the mechanic was unable to find the cause of the smoke, which did not reappear. Plus, “carnoteaphobia” again took hold. Meanwhile, other friends, associates and loved ones who were fellow hooptydrivers began taking the plunge and buying new cars, leaving us in the dust. Misery was losing all its beloved company. By June, reluctant to pay to fix the old girl’s latest problem, we’d mustered up the courage to start looking again. I had two used-car models in mind: the car we rented, and one of my dream cars, a big ol’ honkin ’ Chrysler 300. I researched both, but Dre campaigned for the former.
Hubby won out. While shopping on one dealership’s Web site, I came upon our Thanksgiving rental car. Same color. Same features. And it was within our self-imposed price range. The e-mails between the Internet salesman and me resulted in a visit to the dealership for a test drive and a checking-out. Judging from its well-maintained condition and its mileage — a bit high for a year-old car — we wondered if this were indeed the vehicle we had rented in November. What we were sure of: This was the “new” Talkmobile.
Those dreaded payments ? Thanks to a g reat credit union, they’re not nearly as bad as we’d feared. Nor is the insurance-premium increase. Sales tax ? Hate it, but it will be taken care of.
So when is it “the” time to get another car ? Like so many other things in life, sometimes you just have to say your prayers and, as a favorite preacher of mine says, “Do it afraid.”
And as much as we’ve been through in our lifetimes, living in fear — no matter how scary the times might be — makes less and less sense.
As for the Chrysler 300 ? Wait for me, baby. Next time. You won’t find this e-mail anywhere else, baby ! hwilliams@arkansasonline. com