The car

[pegkerr]

I've been mulling over making this entry for a couple of weeks. I've worked up the courage to do it, but I don't want people to misunderstand me. I'm not asking for money, but ... ideas.

My car really isn't safe to drive anymore. Ginny the Jeep is seventeen years old, and it's rusting so badly that the body is flaking apart. It takes a half quart of oil every time I fill up the gas tank. The roof leaks whenever it rains. The front bumper is crumpled. The doors cannot be locked. There are no airbags. I am now resorting to keeping the driver's side door closed with a bungee cord, because the latch is broken, and it just isn't worth spending the couple of hundred dollars necessary to get it replaced. In order to close the driver's door, I have to roll down the window and pull it closed by the door frame every time--the internal door handle is pulled out of the wall of the door. The gear shift lever comes apart in my hand unless I hold it just so. I'm afraid to ferry the girls in it. I'm afraid to drive it myself.

Help me strategize, people. How can I get another car? I wouldn't have believed I could have managed to repaint my house with Rob out of work, but I managed to connive a way to do it. Now I need to figure out how to get a car. Not a new one, heaven knows. But does anyone know of a used one in semi-decent shape (well, better shape than Ginny) that someone is just dying to see go to a good home? I think I need to get an automatic, because Fiona needs to learn to drive, and it'd be easier for her to learn on an automatic. And it has to have airbags because, ditto.

I have some money in savings--the refinancing money that we're eking out as long as we can, because my salary alone doesn't cover all the bills. I could spend some of that, but I'm scared to do so because I don't know how long it'll take Rob to get a job. My god, I wouldn't have believed we could have scratched along for over two years without being late on any of our bills, but we have. And I don't want to add a car payment, because I'm not covering my bills with my salary alone as it is, and hello, Fiona starts college next year. OMG how are we going to do that? But one problem at a time.

Please, please don't misunderstand. I am not asking for money. We need to figure out how to do this ourselves. I'm asking for...I dunno. Ideas. Or leads to someone who has a little cream puff of a car, cheap, that needs a new home, something not fancy, just reliable.

Or a miracle.

How can I get another safe car to drive while not adding a car payment or depleting my rapidly diminishing savings too much? Any guidance or suggestions would be deeply appreciated. Thanks.

Comments

[wintercreek]

When I got my first car, a 1997 Ford Escort, it was one that had a branded title ("Totaled/Reconstructed") and as such was available fairly cheaply. It had been in an accident while almost new (~10,000 miles), was sold off by the insurance company, and was repaired by a retired guy two towns over. Now, by "totaled" they really meant "airbags deployed," but the damage to the car itself was not that significant. It had just needed a new front bumper and headlights, iirc. Anyway, we found that by some combination of luck and diligence in the classified ads and it lasted ten years for me.

Actually, I still have that car but since we got a newer one recently we're planning to donate it. Because of its age and branded title, the Blue Book value is $0, but the car is fine aside from some maintenance due by mileage. It's too bad that the geography is inconvenient (the car and I are in Seattle) and that it needs a new timing belt (~$1000 of work, probably), or I'd say you should just buy it from me for $100 or whatever. (I add, $100 is the trade-in value we were offered at the dealership. It is the fair value of a car with a Blue Book value of $0.) If you happen to know anyone driving from the northwest to the midwest for the holidays, and the maintenance cost doesn't seem prohibitive, let me know.

Otherwise, don't be afraid of cars with branded titles is my advice. If a reputable mechanic thinks they're okay now, it's possible that whatever caused the brand has been repaired. Good luck!

[commodorified]

Is ZipCar an option for you at all?

[castiron]

There definitely exist inexpensive used cars in decent shape with less mileage than you'd expect for their age. My car is a genuine belonged-to-someone's-grandmother-who-rarely-drove-it -- 1989 model, 35k miles when we bought it, $1500, needed an alternator and tires but otherwise fine. The family van (a 1993 or 94 model, if I'm recalling correctly -- new enough to have airbags) isn't as low mileage, but it was still relatively low mileage for its age, inexpensive (under $5K), and so far runs well. It's possible that it's harder to find such cars up north, though, given the road salt and resultant rust. If a trusted online friend found a decent car in your price range in another state, how feasible would it be for you or Rob to travel there and drive it back?

Are there any auto mechanics in your circle of friends or at your church? Based on my limited data (i.e. being married to one), they have a knack for finding used cars or knowing a friend of a friend with a decent car for sale.