Day 529 of 1000

Well, we got our check today for my wreck last friday.  I was actually a little surprised that the deemed the pickup “totaled”.  I really liked that truck and very much would have liked to have had it repaired.  As a person who likes to think he has the attitude, “like the stuff you are stuck doing because it really doesn’t do any good to not like it”, I REALLY do not like to shop for nor buy cars.  This is all compounded by the fact that I am a big Dave Ramsey fan and do not like the idea of spending money on something for which I cannot pay cash.

So, because this is my second bad bad car incident in less than three years I have a choice.  Do I buy a car for $5K that will get me where I want to go and spend the rest on paying off my now diminishing rapidly car loan or do I spring for a new car with a small payment in addition to the one I have left on the previous new car purchase.  Throw Jon’s advice into the mix and I have quite the conundrum.  In the end though, I think it is a no-brainer.  I really need to think about how I am going to pay for the kids school for the next year or so, so I am pretty sure we are going to get an inexpensive used car and to from there.

So now we are down to logistics.  I have to find a car, negotiate the price, figure out how to get it to a decent mechanic (if I knew a decent mechanic) to see if it is any good, get the insurance swapped, get the license tags swapped, and do this all while all three people who are capable of helping are trying to go to two different schools, church, and shopping on wildly different schedules while I am in Arizona.  Maybe I should be thankful I am in Arizona.  Honestly, I feel guilty that I cannot do all this myself, but I cannot.  On the other hand, it makes a lot of sense not to buy anything until I get back.

That is what I am going to do.  Wait until I get back.  I will have the rental car in Arizona.  The rest of the family will do what they always do and drive the mini-van to school, church, and shopping while I am gone.  Then I can deal with it when I get home in a couple of weeks.  Procrastination is my friend!