My car, and my fears

After a serious talk with my brother in law about cars the other day I have come to the scary reality that I am only two-steps away from buying a car. I have a car in mind and have had this car in mind for a while now, though it is not my dream car, but a care that I could possibly be driving. My dream car is a Mazda Protégé 5 but after some research that car is above my price range. Many cars are, however, my new dream, an Oldsmobile Alero isn’t. I’ve done some research into cars and dealerships lately and many dealerships are way higher then the dealership where I found this car and many cars are much older then 2002 and still priced higher. But the thought crosses my mind too. Should I buy this nice 4 year-old car for $9000 or should I buy the neighbours shitbox car for sale and pay less then $2000 for something I’ll drive for a third of the time. Tom and I talked about the insurance I’ll need and what to do first when purchases it. He told me a great deal about insurance processes and what to look for when calling around, he told me what to ask when I look at the vehicle and make sure I note what I’m looking for in a car. I concluded with a sigh saying that I can’t afford one now but maybe I’ll have a job in a month and he said “well you’ll be making car payments all your life, what’s one more month?”

So I sit here, day after day playing the sims, quilting, checking emails and looking up cars and insurance quotes. Am I really this close? I don’t even like the thought of the responsibility and the damage of what I could end up doing to myself but yet I like the thought of having a car and having a life. It’s true, what is one more month?

I know that when I get a job a car may be essential, but there is sometimes the possibility of moving into town and taking public transit, like good environmentalists. But with my present lead I would need a car and if this job happens, I would need a car soon. So I’m stuck, I want a car, but I want to put off the payments of a car as long as possible. I don’t know …(sigh)