Jul 8th, 2007
Sometimes the smartest financial decision…is not the decision for you
If I were giving advice to someone, I would tell them not to buy a new car. I would also tell them not to finance a car, but instead to save up and buy a late model used car. I would also advise someone to buy a car with low insurance premiums that gets excellent gas milage. All of that said, this weekend I bought a new car with higher insurance premiums that gets average gas milage (though much better than my previous car). I also financed it through my credit union. However, it wasn’t an impulse buy, it was something I did a lot of thinking about.
There were several reasons I went the route I did:
Professionalism – my previous car was fun (A Dodge sports car) but was more akin to something a high school kid would drive than a college graduate working for a consulting firm.
Need to get rid of my previous car – I was almost up on my warranty and did not wish to pay for an extended warranty. Also private party sales of my car are very slim.
Low interest rate – I was able to secure a very low interest loan through my credit union.
Personality – The car I got is very much a reflection of my personality.
Carpe Diem – I actually deteste this saying, but for me to have a new car, this is the time.
Budget – It fits into my budget
Resale value – It is one of the highest resale value cars on the market…which was actually one of the reasons I decided to get one new instead of used. The used prices were not much lower than the new prices.
Color – As odd as this sounds, the color I wanted was only available on the ’07 model.
Without further ado:

That color looks great on you