Car Options

10:05am                     Writing Practice                          59°  Boise

Wow, this month buzzed by at the speed of light! I spent several weeks in the pits, weeping and napping and not leaving my house. I haven't been to my studio except a few times all month. When I do go out, it's to run errands and car shop. I've tried to tell myself to stop looking for a new car but so far, I haven't been able to mind me. And so today I'll hash it out again and see if I can make sense of the options.

Option One: Don't buy a new car at all right now. Get Sybil's horn fixed, get her detailed, have Robert give it a look-see about any leaks or radiator issues, and drive her for another six months to a few more years. She strong and healthy, no reason she won't last another 20,000 to 50,000 miles. That's another three to eight years the way I drive!

Option Two: Try to buy the 2011 Subaru Forester that I drove and fell in love with yesterday. It's above my budget by several thousand dollars and I'd have to put all my cash down to make it happen and then still have a $250 car payment for six years. Yikes! I could call USAA and find out what the insurance would be for that vehicle, that might help with this decision. It's such a nice ride, AWD, great condition, I could go to the mountains again, go camping and still take trips to Portland or California. Down side is, it's used and five years old, the potential for repairs is real and it has huge tires that will cost a fortune to replace when the time comes.

Option Three: Lease a new Chevy Cruze for $119 mo for 27 months. I was surprised by how much I liked it when I saw it yesterday, it's really a beauty that I would appreciate for trips and such. Plus it gets great gas mileage. But it's not a mountain car, it's a actual car, not an SUV. It's just like the car I have, the back seat lays down. My car has served me well for 22 yrs and I really don't need an SUV type vehicle. The kind of camping I want to do can be done with a car. Plus it's got a total warranty bumper to bumper for the life of the lease and that includes oil changes and maintenance, so no out-of-pocket expenses except gas and car washes. I could save money while enjoying a brand new car again. Then when the lease is over I could keep it or get another one with the money I've saved.

After typing all of this out, it appears to make sense to try to lease that Cruze. It's white and very classy and comfy. It's a much nicer car than I thought it would be. Again, I need to ask about the cost of insurance before I finally decide. So I'll do that next. As much as I want the Forester, I don't need it and it's too much money and uses too much gas. It may turn into a money-pit vehicle and then I would hate it. The best deal for the buck is the Chevy. And if not that, I'll keep my car and wait for fall. Sybil doesn't like the heat of summers but she's still good on the freeway, loves a nice drive where she can stretch out and go fast. I just won't get into much camping but then I probably wouldn't go anyway, not alone. But trips alone are certainly doable, I enjoy those a lot.

Now, there is the possibility that I'm using this car business to distract me from my primary goal of writing books. Distracting myself is my best thing, I'm very good at it. However, my car is 22 years old this year and it quite possibly might be time to make a change in that regard. Or maybe I just want a change in something and because I can't move house, I'm focusing on a car to provide the change. And yet I don't want to get rid of my car, all my memories of Stephen are tied up in that car and this house ... so many memories.

My birthday is this coming Sunday and that may be causing all this confusion about wanting change. I'll be 63 yrs old, not bad and I'm very healthy and strong. I have a lot of miles left on me and a lot of things I want to do.

But for right this minute, I think I'll go fix my breakfast and call it a morning. No writing is being done lately, I'm certainly not productive at all. But I do need to go to the studio and print some things for Stephanie and a photo for Jodie. I'll be going to Baker next week and I'll pay the vet bill I owe for Sue's dog and I'll meet with my reunion committee at noon. That will be nice!