Cash for Clunkers

Yesterday afternoon, I got off work early and Britton and I went car shopping. Do we need a new car... not really. But my 1997 Ford Explorer is only going to last for so long and, with the $4500 kickback from the government's CARS program, this might be a good time to buy. The only issue is that you have to buy a new car (not previously owned) in order to qualify, and I firmly believe that one should never buy a new car. However, with a couple of Gs under MSRP, the $4500 kickback, the trade-in scrap value, and free tinting, we think we got a great deal and are happy with our new Honda Civic.

I like to think that a car is just an object, 4 wheels and a hunk of metal, certainly not something that I would have any feelings about. But as we were clearing out the Explorer, it really was sad to let it go. Over the past 10 years I've had good memories with that car. When I was 19, my dad and I went to a car lot with a set budget to buy my first car. We figured we'd get something about 2 years old and Dad wanted me to do the negotiating. After many awkward moments with the saleman and several counter offers, I had a big luxury Explorer all to myself! I was on cloud 9! How lucky I was to have such generous parents - I knew it then, and now.

Then, as I moved from dorm to dorm in college and even all the way up to Atlanta after school, this car held all of my belongings. I used the Explorer to move 3 times while in Atlanta, including one time to move in with one of my best friends and another to move into my first solo apartment. I drove the Explorer, loaded up, from Atlanta to Columbia where I would spend the next 4 years in school once again. This time my parents followed with a U-haul; my stuff had finally outgrown the Explorer. The Explorer is the car I was driving when I met my husband. We used it to move in together in Columbia and then again when we became first time homeowners in Tampa.

So, in the end it was sad to see it go, especially because it is going to be scrapped. Sigh. But I'm sure the Civic will be a part of many new memories to come.

A toast: to new memories.