My New (Used) Car: An FAQ
Posted on: 5 April 2010 /
Categories: Self, Self Promotion
- Dear God, what is that *thing*?
It’s a 2001 Toyota Prius.
- And you bought it?
Yes. I’ve looked at Las Vegas used cars for ages and I’ve finally bought a car for myself.
- Seriously?
Seriously.
- Why?
The reasons are as plentiful as they are interesting. Or maybe not. Depends on your definitions of terms. For one thing, I didn’t want to be driving my big ol’ pickup around in Pittsburgh — it’s expensive to operate and too big to fit on city streets.
- So you’re selling your truck?
Not sure yet.
- So why a Prius?
It was a good deal and it’s fuel-efficient. Not just that, you can find cheap car insurance no deposit deals on cars like this, and you’d be a fool not to look for one yourself. These are the sorts of things you should consider when buying a new vehicle. You may want to look into something like personal leasing specialists who can help you find the best deals to match your budget.
- How much?
$4,625.
- But — a Prius?
I was looking for an econobox. My first choice would have been something like a Honda Fit or Scion xA, neither of which are ego-enhancing, but both of which are fuel-efficient and small enough to fit in Pittsburgh and more fun to drive than a Prius. However, thanks to (I’m guessing) the current economy and (I’m also guessing) Dear Leader’s societal engineering projects (read: Cash for Clunkers), the prices on used cars, small ones in particular, are insane.
- Saying small car prices are insane is racist.
Probably.
- Like — how insane?
Like ElEff bought a 2008 salvage title Fit two years ago for $8K. Today, a 2008 salvage title Fit will cost you $9,000+ — unless you want one that actually runs right, in which case add another thousand or just buy non-salvage for $11K. Similar story for the entire category — Scion xA’s, Civics, Mazda3s, Matrixes (Matrices?), et al.
- So why didn’t you just sell your truck and buy something more expensive then?
Because I wasn’t going to buy a salvage Fit for $9K. And then because if I’m going to spend $10K+ for a car, it should be a car I kind of want and would enjoy driving, not one I’m buying for the sake of being pragmatic for a while. Nothing that’s any fun to drive and that’s under 80K miles and eight years old costs less than $17K right now. And I’m not in a position to spend $17K on a car. All hail reality.
- So does this make you some sort of environmentalist now then?
It’s just a car.
- Hmm.
Exactly.
So I’m not necessarily *excited* about the car, but then again, it’s not a car I bought for the sake of excitement. It’ll definitely get good mileage. I bought it from a known source that I know isn’t trying to scam me. It was cheap enough that if it spontaneously combusts RIGHT NOW, I’ll recover financially. It’s not pure driving excitement, but OTOH it handles and responds better than the second-gen Prius I drove from Phoenix back to OC, so — you know.
ElEff called this car the vehicular equivalent of the house I’m (hopefully) buying in Pittsburgh. Sounds about right. At least I’m enjoying a new level of consistency.
bkd
Marcus can race you in “his” new car. It was more expensive than yours, but it cost us less because we are skillfully using Dear Leader’s agendas to our advantage.
Car: Street-legal electric car (i.e., glorified golf cart). Though the car is street-legal, Marcus is not, so for now he will have to make due with the 50 acres in Curlew.
Cost: $6495, plus $300 shipping.
Tax Credit from Dear Leader: $6495
It was a hard choice to make last year: write a check to the government and get “nothing” (or worse, the government uses the money in some way that “hurts” me) or buy an electric car.
Think about how much better off the environment is because of Dear Leader’s agenda. Instead of walking or running around the property, Marcus and Kellan will be using an electric-powered car, and of course most electricity in this country is produced by burning coal.
But then again, we are probably not the typical purchasers. Those would likely be golfers, who now instead of getting exercise walking around looking for a little white ball, can ride in their electric/coal powered golf cart. And because they are not getting as much exercise, they can take full advantage of the new health care system.
Mrs. Telk
I’d be all aggrieved, except that for some reason you’re paying me $8,000 to buy a house. A $41,000 house that I’m buying from Fannie Mae, who has already had to eat a lot of their original cost. Can’t wait till the government’s paying me to sit around and play XBox all day — hopefully early-2011. Why do you people even bother working any more?!
That’s why I don’t feel guilty about my free car.
Of course, we did have to work last year to get the tax credits, so I suppose there is still cause to work.
Suit yourself. I’m trying to get ahead of the curve. 🙂