New Car Part I

If I had to buy a car at a lot 15 years ago, it would have been a dismal failure.  It wasn't that I was a naive, innocent little girl, just didn't have a clue how to stand up for myself.  I knew the things car salesman said were not worthy of my trust....hence, I purchased my first three cars from family members.  The next 2 cars were brand spankin new and I purchased one through a wholesaler and got a stinkin good deal.  Of course, that is easy to do when you are paying cash for your car.  Next, was the Tahoe.  Great car.  We leased it and yes, we payed way too much.  That has since gone the way of the repo man and entered the Hippie Van.  We were trying to be all Dave Ramsey and pay cash for a car.  Also, going into a chapter 7 bankruptcy states that you can own a car but it's got to be worth less than 3 grand.  So  here I was, driving my money pit.  Every time I turned around, this car was in the shop.  It's a roomy car that my kids loved and can transport a ton of crap, but the previous owner had let it sit for too long.  That is like THE major no no!  All the rubber gaskets basically disintegrated.  That meant our car leaked from every possible point imaginable.  Basically, we spent 2 grand just potty training this van.  So we have $4500 in this van and all the major systems are working swimmingly and the water pump gives out.  To fix this, the timing belt has to be changed as well and the cam and crank seals need to be changed too.  I have no idea what this means only that it will cost $700 and I just want to say ENOUGH!  So while the van sits at the mechanics, I consult with my husband.  We have owned the van for 8 months and basically, it's cost us $562 a month to own this car....Holy CRAP!  Shouldn't I be driving a nicer car for that price?  I can't afford this car and how in the heck is this, Dave Ramsey, financially sound?  If ever there is an exception to a rule, I can find it and be the poster child for it.

In the past 2 months, life has changed considerably for the Laing household.  Patrick's income doubled and we were no longer able to declare a chapter 7 bankruptcy (we made too much).  This started a series of events that forced us to make financial choices now, or wait for 5 years.  That's right folks, if you didn't know before, chapter 7 gets all your debt forgiven and you can start rebuilding your credit right away.  Chapter 13, which is what we will be declaring the moment we move into our new home, is basically a restructuring of debt and a safety net for lawsuits.  Which, for my husbands business, is necessary.  But the unfortunate side effect, is you basically can't do squat for 5 years.  Yes, that's right, your credit is penalized for paying back your debt?  How screwed up is that?  Anyway, we can have working cars...not $3000 dollar money pits...so guess what this means?  Mommy gets a better car.  Continued....