"New" wheels
I've never owned a new car. Neither has SM. My first car was a 1982 Datsun 200 SX, bought for $3K in 1986 with 33K miles. I sold that to a friend when I moved to Japan in 1990. It had 66K miles after I drove it for four year. My second car is the one I still own and drive, a 1988 Toyota Corolla, bought for $5600 in 1994 with not even 27K miles. Now it has all of 90K miles.
So, yeah, I've only owned two used cars, but I bought them both myself.
SM's first car was a 1976 Plymouth Volare, cherry red with white leather seats, given to him by his father in 1986 (it was the family's extra car). His second was a 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, bought from his grandfather for $600 later in 1986. SM's dad traded that in when he bought a new car (SM was annoyed because the Cutlass was his car). SM's next car was a 1986 Chevy Nova that he got from his dad in 1991 as a present. That one got totaled in a minor accident, and he got $900 from his insurance for it.
So basically, SM is $300 ahead in terms of cars, and he has never gotten a new car, nor one that was not previously owned by a relative.
Well, we are about to get a "new" set of wheels. It's a car that we have borrowed many time from my parents, and every time we do, SM says how much he loves it. It's a 1998 Acura RL. Apparently, my dad wants to get a new car, so they need to get rid of one of their fleet. Not to make room. Not for money. But because they just don't need as many cars as they have now. And adding one more on top of that would be just silly.
So dad offered to sell us the car. SM was very excited about it. We only have one car right now, my 1988 classic. We were going to pay something between trade-in and private resell Bluebook value for the Acura. Then, yesterday, my stepmother called and told us she would just give us the car. I don't know why the change. I guess it had something to do with my father bitching about how they needed to cut spending but then wanting to go out and buy a brand new car (yeah, that's my dad's logic). So my stepmother said they needed to get rid of a car, but I guess she wasn't so impressed that he was going to sell it to his kid. I dunno what they were thinking, but it looks like we're getting a very generous Christmas present.
Soon we'll have two cars, and the "new" one will be 10 years old. Yup, that's us. SM continues his trend of only getting cars from relatives. I continue my trend of only getting used cars, but this is the first one I haven't bought all on my own.
Even though it has 150K miles, the car is in good shape -- and much nicer than anyone we could ever afford on our own (or would consider buying).
So, yeah, I've only owned two used cars, but I bought them both myself.
SM's first car was a 1976 Plymouth Volare, cherry red with white leather seats, given to him by his father in 1986 (it was the family's extra car). His second was a 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, bought from his grandfather for $600 later in 1986. SM's dad traded that in when he bought a new car (SM was annoyed because the Cutlass was his car). SM's next car was a 1986 Chevy Nova that he got from his dad in 1991 as a present. That one got totaled in a minor accident, and he got $900 from his insurance for it.
So basically, SM is $300 ahead in terms of cars, and he has never gotten a new car, nor one that was not previously owned by a relative.
Well, we are about to get a "new" set of wheels. It's a car that we have borrowed many time from my parents, and every time we do, SM says how much he loves it. It's a 1998 Acura RL. Apparently, my dad wants to get a new car, so they need to get rid of one of their fleet. Not to make room. Not for money. But because they just don't need as many cars as they have now. And adding one more on top of that would be just silly.
So dad offered to sell us the car. SM was very excited about it. We only have one car right now, my 1988 classic. We were going to pay something between trade-in and private resell Bluebook value for the Acura. Then, yesterday, my stepmother called and told us she would just give us the car. I don't know why the change. I guess it had something to do with my father bitching about how they needed to cut spending but then wanting to go out and buy a brand new car (yeah, that's my dad's logic). So my stepmother said they needed to get rid of a car, but I guess she wasn't so impressed that he was going to sell it to his kid. I dunno what they were thinking, but it looks like we're getting a very generous Christmas present.
Soon we'll have two cars, and the "new" one will be 10 years old. Yup, that's us. SM continues his trend of only getting cars from relatives. I continue my trend of only getting used cars, but this is the first one I haven't bought all on my own.
Even though it has 150K miles, the car is in good shape -- and much nicer than anyone we could ever afford on our own (or would consider buying).
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