It’s More than a Car Issue

I have been carless this past week. The car was in the service center. It’s a good car, a sporty Cadillac Catera 1998 complete with sunroof, leather seats, Bose sound system, crome wheels and new tires. We were so happy last year that we finally paid it off. It’s a vehicle that I wanted to hold on to for the next 5 years or so, even planning to have it around until our daughter can drive. It is starting to show it’s age in the engine. We are feeling the high cost of maintenance and repair, this time $1,100. According to our trusted adviser(ASE certified), we should sell it now while it’s worth something. He says if we don’t, keeping it will cost more because the parts are very expensive(repair will cost more than it’s Kelly Blue Book value). I asked for a second opinion, this time a friend who works in a huge GM dealership service center and he strongly adviced me the same thing. Of course in my case- a mom, we do travel alot and carry around what seems like the whole house each time. It only makes sense to get a minivan. I was eyeing a GM Yukon for a while back but an SUV is out of the question because with the gas prices these days, we want to get the most mileage out of a gallon of gas. I’m for Honda or Toyota because they have the lowest TCO(Total Cost of Ownership), their transmissions are well built(unlike the other counterparts, they had 4 Chryslers come-in last week alone for transmission problems) and parts are cost effective thus less visits to the service center(labor is expensive, reputable ASE Certified shops).

I was not prepared to make this kind of decision at this time. I was thinking I will be in this position 3 years from now. Giving up the car for a minivan is more than just giving up a mode of transport. The car is a symbol of being young and cool. I have given up so much in my past 5 years- my maiden name(my identity, a name that comes with a good reputation earned for 25 years), my carefree days(night-outs until 5 in the morning), my career, my old country’s citizenship and I cleaned out my closet in my parent’s house last month(you don’t know how emotional it was, even if I moved out 9 years ago, I still had a whole bunch of clothes and knick-knacks there). Giving up all these finalizes the whole deal of being a wife and a mother. At the brighter side, I may have given up so much but I have gained so much more, a loving husband, a bundle of joy and a balanced life(no more all nighters and weekends at the office). For me, the minivan is a symbol of motherhood, as I call it a mommy-mobile. As part of a family, I have to think about what is best for the whole unit instead of just myself.

We really don’t want a car note(car payment) again but here in the US, it is a neccessity to have your own transportation.

Like I always do, I make decisions based on hard facts and look at long term basis.
So now we are on a look-out for a Honda Odysey or a Toyota Sienna, but that’s another blog.