A Car Update

In late October 2007, I mentioned that our car (a 2001 Daewoo Laganza) had died. It is shot, but still has some value (although not much).

After a lot of thought, I have decided to sell the car on eBay. I took some pictures, gave an accurate description and listed the car last Friday night. I was hoping to get around $400-$500 for it.

The auction doesn't end until this Friday and, to my surprise, the car is already at $400, and has over 10 people watching the auction. While it may not "move" a lot from here, it is nice to know that it is already where I wanted it to be.

Since that day in October, Leah and I have been living with one car. Some folks at church loaned us their car for awhile (and we are extremely thankful!), but we have decided to try it with one for awhile. It gives us a chance to get out of debt faster (since we have less insurance to pay) and to make sure that, when we buy another car, we are informed and ready (read: to pay cash!).

We are moving to Nashville at the end of March and we aren't sure how this whole "one car" thing will work, but we also don't want to buy a car that we can't afford just because we "need" a second car. (Note: I was watching a car last week on eBay, but the price jumped and I stopped looking.)

I have been trying to look for information on reliable used cars, and today Yahoo! Finance has a good article about buying used instead of new. In the article, the writer mentions her personal blog, where she recently wrote about reliable used cars. I found this brief article interesting, too.

It's not the most fun in the world having just one car, but we can make it. We are saving up slowly for a good, cheap car to buy, but I'm thinking it would be smart to wait until we move (or at least until very close to the move). The reason? We'll have to get tags in Tennessee. Why pay for tags twice?

If you have thoughts about car buying--especially recommendations of reliable and inexpensive used vehicles--feel free to leave a comment.

And, if you want a Daewoo Laganza for parts...check out eBay!!!

Sometimes It Hurts

Getting out of debt isn't easy. It takes focus. It takes sacrifice, at least to some degree.

But sometimes, like today, it hurts a bit.

I know we aren't supposed to be attached to "stuff," but some "stuff" has sentimental value, and today we got rid of two pieces that were a little hard to get rid of.

First, we put some things in a yard sale with a neighbor. We didn't have enough items to have our own, so we asked if we could just combine with them. They were kind enough to allow us to do that. One of the items was a futon that we bought just before moving to Haleyville. It was our "big piece" in a den in our first house in Haleyville. Not a major loss, but it still was a part of us that moved from Somerville to Haleyville.

But, the other WAS a big deal. About 5 minutes ago, a guy drove off with a car. My 1991 Ford T-bird sold on eBay yesterday, and the man came to pick it up today...and actually hauled it off! This was the car that Leah and I dated in. We took it on our honeymoon. It's been to Kentucky many times. Faughnmobile II is no more.

But, while getting rid of stuff like this hurts a bit, the cash in my pocket is really helping things. And, then, when I think of going to the bank tomorrow to put that cash on our loan...things really start to brighten up!

...and it's just "stuff" anyway!