December 3 and far deeper in debt.

     First, I’ve been running older vehicles, which have needed repair and have had me without a vehicle while work was being done, expensive work that I have then put on my credit cards and paid high interest on, Never getting it all paid off since that car accident January 14, 2010.
     I was seriously worried that I would not be able to go back to work ever or if I did, it would only be for a very short time, so I admit that I would not finance a replacement vehicle for the little red Mazda truck I lost in that wreck, and that I really did like.  And I had it less than a year, because April 1, 2009 some fool in a hurry to get to the bar before closing time had to try and crowd past me in our company parking lot, going out to the highway.  That stupidity on a young man’s part totaled out my Hyundai Accent, which I had bought new, had less than 10 years and less than 91,000 miles on it....
    The Neon was bought because the transmission went out on that old ‘94 Ford Ranger I bought after the accident and I had been putting work and money in that since I bought it...  Jake lent me his vehicle but it had problems and it didn’t take me very long to be on Craig’s List looking for a low cost car so I had my own transportation while my truck was down for a very, very expensive shop visit.
     I’ve had that Neon almost 2 years and have put close to $4,000 into it, including purchase price and I still would not be confident to take it across country or try to make a long trip with it.
     So, I went on line car shopping for a new or nearly new car I could look at owning and driving for the next 15 years or so.  And I used CarFax.com to do a lot of that looking, with a 200 mile radius from my zip code for a location range and went down manufacturers web sites to look at their economic car lines for models to look at.
     The hunt was not about or for what I ‘liked’ but for what was or would be the best long term purchase for my life and my needs.  And Saturday I got my friend Jaime to go with me to Columbia MO to look at, drive, and sign papers and bring home a 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage, under 6,000 miles, was able to extend that original 50,000 mile bumper-bumper warrenty to what will be over 94,000 miles of bumper to bumper warranty/just under 10 years.  A 5 year payment plan at 5.5% interest and yes, the car is black, inside and out.  The very last color I would choose IF what I wanted and liked was the top concern on my list.
    On the way home I was able to check my mpg, a nice technology perk on new cars, and the car was 38. something at it’s lowest and 46.something at it’s highest during the 125+ mile return trip to home, with speeds between 40 and 65 mph.  I can sure adjust to black, oven hot in the sun, shows all the dirt and every scratch for that gas economy and for that long and far less worry warranty stuff.
    I’ve named the car Mit, and refer to it as the new Boyfriend.  I’m hoping for a very long and stable relationship and I know I will be supporting ‘him’ and buying ‘him’ things, including non essential stuff, and I already have stated.  He’s under a car cover now, and that back seat has a protective cover already.  I have cutie butterflies for sun shades in the car and today while I was in Springfield I got sheepskin front seat covers I will put on this coming week, some ‘girley’ stickers/decals to put on the car (so I can recognize it easier), some tiny lights that have a power plug in for the cigarette lighter/power port.  The interior seems so very dark at night, I can’t find my coffee cup yet.  The 2 tiny lights will stick somewhere underneath so the front floorboard area has a tiny bit of lighting when I plug them in.    I’ve ordered those window ventilation strips, that will make it easier to leave a window open a tiny bit, very necessary when it’s warmer or hot and prevent rain from getting in.
   And my hands get a sheepskin steering wheel cover, I’ve found those are the most comfortable for my hands year round and so are worth the cost to me.  The car came with new, never out of the package all weather floor mats for both the front and back, Jaime and I installed them while paperwork was getting prepared for me.  I called and got the insurance work done and paid for while I was also waiting on paperwork and then called today to give them the lender information.
     I should be getting a packet in the mail from the dealership with the 2nd key, hopefully the owners manual and the needed paperwork to get it registered and pay the sales taxes here, it has a 30 day tag on it now and I will run the Neon, which is up for sale already.
      I’m now carrying more debt than I am comfortable with, but I am also paying down some of that high interest credit debt, but will keeep funds in checking until after the taxes and registration is paid for, then pay down more high interest dddebt