Stress...

Well, I took the Monte Carlo out for a test drive and mechanic's check today (a little bit of phoning around saved me about $55 on the mechanic's check, yay!). She's in pretty damn good shape for a ten year old car - a couple of minor issues (windows a bit jerky when you roll them down, etc.) and one semi-major one, an exhaust manifold leak. (According to the mechanic it wasn't too serious at this point, but it should probably be fixed within the next year, and depending on whether they just have to replace the gasket or put in an entire new manifold it could be anywhere from $200 to $1000. Hm.) The only other serious problem she had was more of a design flaw - the "sporty" styling means that she has this incredibly tiny back window that's located pretty high off the ground, which makes for really crappy visibility out the back. Definitely a car I'd want to park backwards - I'd rather not back out into a parking lot and hit a dog/porcupine/small child/Fiat, thank you very much. Visibility out the front is fine, however; it's a very comfortable and well-designed interior; and the handling is pretty good for a car of its make. I think I'm going to print out some info to bring the dealer and then see if I can talk him into selling it to me for four grand even. I might pay $4200, depending, but not more than that - if nothing else, I can wait until another opportunity comes along.

Emotionally, this has actually been somewhat stressful for me. Owning a car is a big responsibility, and while I'm pretty sure that I can handle it, I'm not at all certain about whether I want to deal with all the stress that comes with it. On the other hand, my schedule as it stands is rather stressful, anyway, and being able to drive across town rather than paying for a cab/taking the bus might well help a lot with that. Not to mention just the freedom to go driving at 3 in the morning if I want. ;) So I've got rather a lot of little doubts about this (it'll mean having to take more responsibility for myself, especially considering the destructive power a car can have in the "right" circumstances), but on the other hand, there are a lot of benefits to owning a car, too. Like any aspect of growing up, I suppose. *sigh*

Yes, legally I qualify as an adult...so why is it that I so rarely feel like one?

But on the plus side, the vanity plate I want to get is available. =)

Stress...

Well, I took the Monte Carlo out for a test drive and mechanic's check today (a little bit of phoning around saved me about $55 on the mechanic's check, yay!). She's in pretty damn good shape for a ten year old car - a couple of minor issues (windows a bit jerky when you roll them down, etc.) and one semi-major one, an exhaust manifold leak. (According to the mechanic it wasn't too serious at this point, but it should probably be fixed within the next year, and depending on whether they just have to replace the gasket or put in an entire new manifold it could be anywhere from $200 to $1000. Hm.) The only other serious problem she had was more of a design flaw - the "sporty" styling means that she has this incredibly tiny back window that's located pretty high off the ground, which makes for really crappy visibility out the back. Definitely a car I'd want to park backwards - I'd rather not back out into a parking lot and hit a dog/porcupine/small child/Fiat, thank you very much. Visibility out the front is fine, however; it's a very comfortable and well-designed interior; and the handling is pretty good for a car of its make. I think I'm going to print out some info to bring the dealer and then see if I can talk him into selling it to me for four grand even. I might pay $4200, depending, but not more than that - if nothing else, I can wait until another opportunity comes along.

Emotionally, this has actually been somewhat stressful for me. Owning a car is a big responsibility, and while I'm pretty sure that I can handle it, I'm not at all certain about whether I want to deal with all the stress that comes with it. On the other hand, my schedule as it stands is rather stressful, anyway, and being able to drive across town rather than paying for a cab/taking the bus might well help a lot with that. Not to mention just the freedom to go driving at 3 in the morning if I want. ;) So I've got rather a lot of little doubts about this (it'll mean having to take more responsibility for myself, especially considering the destructive power a car can have in the "right" circumstances), but on the other hand, there are a lot of benefits to owning a car, too. Like any aspect of growing up, I suppose. *sigh*

Yes, legally I qualify as an adult...so why is it that I so rarely feel like one?

But on the plus side, the vanity plate I want to get is available. =)