More car

I bought a new car on Saturday, as I said I would need to. I love her, and am so happy to have her.

The requisite picture - too bad it is dark already, but we needed to get one snapped on the day the car was first driven home!

The need for the new car sprang of the fact that my old car (who I love and cherish and will miss terribly) was giving me transmission trouble on about 75% of my trips. This was a jump from about 15% earlier on in the year, so I knew it was time. That little lady’s been from North Carolina to Vermont and has over 173,000 miles on her. We got our first, and only, speeding ticket together. She’s a wild one.

New car is practical and lovely. She’s under warrantee for 10 years, she has enough safety features to avert a global nuclear disaster, and she gets 40 MPG on the highway. Oh, and she’s cute, the whole package.

Baby girl was born out of wedlock. Both mom and baby are doing great. Her name is Serena.

Buying new car was a fairly easy process as far as car buying goes. Our salesperson was enthusiastic, he knew the car, and he helped us get a fantastic price. The dealership took care of cleaning, permanent plates, registration, and the pesky annual inspection required for this state all before I picked her up. The only sticky situation was one we encountered with the finance guy, who took some sort of enjoyment in his incredulity that, with my credit and income, I wasn’t buying “more car.”

I suppose some might have taken this as a compliment, and in some ways it was, but I also see it as an unhealthy commentary on the American consumerist mindset. You see, other people might legitimately need “more car” for their family/life circumstances, and that might be the right choice for them. But not for me, who entered the “real world” in the midst of countless foreclosures, high unemployment, and unprecedented levels of student and consumer debt, etc., etc., etc. Definitely not for me.

I’ve been researching cars, car buying, and payment options since January of this year. You’ll see here and here that in my life, I’ve been preparing to buy a car, through saving and prioritizing and knowing my stuff. And he’s right, with my credit and income, I could have, in my 20s, financed my dream car - a luxurious, humongous, insult-to-fuel economy beauty. That would have been great.


I will buy this lovely in cash one day, once it's available in hyrid or electric.

But here’s the thing for me about “more car”:

1) “More car” is the product of a lie which tells me and you and others that a. your car defines your status in life, b. you should always try to get the most that you can for yourself, and c. that qualifying for a long-term loan/financing a vehicle is the same thing as being able to “afford” it.

2) More for me means less for others. This is a physical and natural law.

Instead of “more car”, I choose peace of mind and better off retirement, savings, and checking accounts. I choose paying off my credit card in full before due. I choose building giving plans into my lifestyle that allow my money to support the lives of the poor and the underserved instead of just me and mine. I choose a life where I am rich in spirit for all those other things.