End of an Era

There she is in all her beauty. The first car that I have ever purchased on my own at a car dealership. My old car pictured up top was the car that I had been driving for 3 and 1/2 years. I originally had a Toyota 4Runner that was costing me a cool $560 dollars a month. Not including insurance. I decided that it would be smartest to sell the 4Runner and get something easier on the wallet. So I sold it literally the day before I left for Africa and when I got back I purchased my little red Civic for a whopping $800 dollars. Three and a half years and close to 2,000 in repairs later she decided to get hurt enough to the point where I wasn't willing to fix her.

Enter my new beauty. I purchased her on July 2nd and I could not be happier. It still hasn't fully registered in my mind that she's mine. From what I was driving to what I am in now, I feel like I'm driving a Lexus. Small things like the radio having more than one station that works. The windows rolling up and down like they are supposed to. My locks actually locking. The AC working is a HUGE blessing! I still look down at the odometer to make sure she's not going to over heat. I forget that this car doesn't have that issue. It's honestly just another reminder of what a blessing these small things are. I'm sure most people don't think twice about the fact that their doors lock or their windows roll up. To me, it's a luxury.

The crazy part about this whole car buying experience is that I did it on my own. I didn't go in their with a man like I was told I should. I went in there knowing exactly what I wanted, how much I was willing to spend, and what I was and wasn't willing to compromise on. When it comes to buying cars and negotiating anything financial my dad was the one who would be there for me. He was the one who would say what was and wasn't a good deal. He was a super intimidating guy, having him there with me would have been nice, but I know he would have been proud of the way I handled myself. Silly how something as simple as buying a car would make me miss him, and yet holidays like Father's Day don't phase me much anymore.

The car has not yet been named. When she is officially named I will share with everyone.