Car Woes

It might be time to say goodbye to my beloved Jetta which is 13 years old. Lately we’ve been having to dump more and more money into it that it’s not worth it anymore. This week the airbag light came on so we took it to the dealership which found a slew of things wrong with my car. The front airbag and harness needs to be replaced at the tune of $1100, the driver’s side lock is failing which will cost $500 to replace or eventually I won’t be able to lock my car, and there are other expensive repairs and maintenance work that needs to be done that will well exceed the blue book value of the car.

As it stands now I’ve been shopping online to get an idea of which cars I may be interested in so that we can go on some test drives Saturday. My choice of vehicles is a bit narrow thanks to my current must-haves which include heated front seats (can’t live without those now) and a price tag that doesn’t exceed $23k as cars are a huge waste of money and it sickens me to even pay that much. Also, I want 0% financing or forget it. My credit is excellent so I’m confident I’ll get it if anyone wants to actually sell me a car since there’s no way in hell I’m paying interest on one.

Part of me is pretty excited about the prospect of getting a shiny new car. Plus all the models I’ve been eyeing integrate the stereo with an iPod which is awesome (CD player? Who needs one of those these days? I haven’t used my 6-disc changer in years).

The other part of me is sad to be parting with my baby. My car handles like a champ, the engine packs a punch, and it still looks pretty damn fine for its age. I looked at a 2013 Jetta today but I’m not sure I care for the style now that they changed the exterior so much. Ironically, it bugs me how much the interior has remained by and large the same. I’m thinking if I have to get a new car why not get something different than what I’ve owned the past 13 years? Plus I’d prefer a car that isn’t so pricey to maintain and gets better gas mileage.

As it stands now, and keep in mind I’ve been researching for all of a couple of hours (another thing that irks me – I don’t have the time to do massive research like I normally would as I wasn’t planning on getting a new car anytime soon but have no choice now that my car doesn’t have a functioning airbag and I don’t want to spend any more money on it), the cars I’m interested in are the Subaru Impreza, the Kia Rio, and the Chevy Sonic. All of them get better gas mileage than my Jetta (including a new 2013 Jetta) which is fantastic, although I’m still keeping the 2013 Jetta in my back pocket, so to speak, in case I can’t find anything else I like.

Ugh, I just hate spending money! I’d much rather be saving it.

3 Replies to “Car Woes”

  1. Geez I still remember when you first got that Jetta… I can’t believe it is 13 years old!! :O

    Have you looked into Honda? They last a long long time and are not expensive to maintain like VWs.

    Good luck, whichever car you decide on!

  2. I forgot to mention, I recommend Hondas because I kept my 1997 Honda Civic until it was 13 years old and there was not a thing wrong with it when I finally sold it.

  3. I understand – new cars are so fun but SO expensive. I love my Ford, but I agree with Kristi – Hondas are really great. I have never seen them in person, and know nothing about them, but from the commercials some of the new Kias do look nice.

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