Thursday, June 4, 2009

I Love My Old, Foreign Car

OK, so my car's not that old, and it was made in America...but I have been driving it for almost six years, and it does say Hyundai on it. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about both of those things, and sometimes I commend myself for changing my habits and standing up for a different way of life.

See, I grew up thinking that cars should be replaced every couple of years...mainly because my dad drives like a bat out of hell, and maybe a little bit because his dad owned a (foreign) car dealership, and also because my parents COULD replace their cars when they got tired of them. I still don't know how they did it on their salaries back then, but they did. When I started driving, I had that "gotta have a new car" mindset and a lot more funds. Just for fun, here's my car history:


  • 1981 Ford Mustang (handed down from my father...I've got some good stories about this one!)

  • 1989 Nissan Maxima (totalled this one in a ditch...wheeee!)


  • 1993 Isuzu P-up (cheapest new thing I could find...hate it when I unexpectedly destroy things!)


  • 1995 Isuzu P-up (this one had s-weet rims and custom pink pin-striping...should have never gotten rid of it!)


  • 1998 Isuzu Rodeo (the biggest piece of crap on the road...I'm surprised I didn't die in this thing!)


  • 2001 Nissan Frontier (upside down on the Rodeo...had to go cheap again, damn!)





and here we are now with the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe! Sometimes I can't believe I paid off a car, and I'm not sick of it yet. I hope this car lasts five more years! I love this car! I need this car, because we have a house payment that goes up every year due to a crooked appraisal district and a daughter in private school due to my concern for her soul and her safety.

Somewhere inside us all, I think there is a place that can ignore the ads, and the media, and our friends, and anything else that tells us spending our hard-earned money is a good thing. A good thing is being happy with what you've got. A good thing is being able to provide EXACTLY what your family needs...nothing more, nothing less. A good thing is living the simple life. So my car is not new and it's not very pretty anymore...but it's a good thing.

2 comments:

  1. I actually look down on people who live in debt because of their cars. Years ago I had a Mustang that I got at dealership... I paid too much and the interest rate was way too high. I was always late on my payments, and after I had paid off the car, but still owed them thousands in interest, and I was two months behind, they repo'd it. It was so humiliating.
    But then I went and bought my Mazda Miata for $2000, and I drove it for 4 years. I then sold it for $2,000 and upgraded to my Pontiac Grand Prix for $5,500. Once I started making smart decisions I felt proud.
    You should feel proud also. Let other people go into debt while you enjoy NOT having monthly payments!

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  2. Here! Here! I second the notion - like what ya have. I hate car payments, but it is a necessary evil for a time period. Just hope my suburban last forever too!

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