Gods, I am totally exhausted from Brother T's wedding weekend and family.
Brother T is spending time with his bride's family in New York City before they fly home to Lima, Peru. I love my family. I didn't go to work today, but will stop by the office for a few hours after supper and then head to the riverplex.

Detox!! Green Tea. Fiber. Exercise. Steam. Meditation.

My 1998 car reached the limit of my repair versus buy new one. I was going to have to put in another $1200. Yes. Still cheaper than payment. But. I was looking down a dark tunnel. So. Having watched prices of vehicles for the last 6 months, I found a 2008 Chrysler Sebring Touring Convertible with 13K miles (program car) for just under $15K. The credit union ranked it with NADA as $16.5K; KBB was $17.9K; Last year, the price was $19K (new, it was $28K). With my trade-in above KBB, it was $13.5K well below my upper comfort zone. I did opt for a maintenance contract since I am going to change the oil every 3K miles for $20 or more a pop and I might as well do it at the dealer for warranty issues and maintenance. I also got a "new car" warranty at $30/month (as opposed to a used car warranty). Vehicles are much more complex than 10 years ago. I took a look at the "repair" prices for the 16 different computer systems. Did you know that the gas pedal sensor sends a signal to the fuel pump rather than use a cable? Yikes! Perhaps I won't need it, but peace of mind.Bonus: FlexFuel for E-85. There is only one E85 station in our area, but I tend to take weekend drives that way along the river so I don't anticipate a problem fueling up.

Yes, honestly, somewhat ego-driven as well. Silver steel metallic. Simonized. I like the image that I have of myself driving this convertible.

Upon getting pre-approval with the credit union, the loan specialist told me I have "near perfect credit." Win!!

I am going to check with them about refinancing my home mortgage from 7.15% to <5% and perhaps a shorter term.

I need to update my monthly budget as I now have a car payment, and I am sending money to the parental units for their health care. I still have a healthy cash position for my emergency fund. I may pay down the car loan quickly because the cash is sitting at 3% while the loan is at 4.74% unless I can find some short term CDs.

I am scheduled to attend a retreat with the good Benedictine Sisters at St. Mary's Monastery in Rock Island, IL this weekend. I need some time alone and in community to clarify my inner voice.

Finally, I want to thank you, my friends, for your journal entries. I love reading them and sharing your lives in a small way.

It's going to cost $1400 to fix my car. It is a 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible with 115K miles on it.

If I were to buy a used car (say a 2006 with 30K miles) it would cost around $15,000 which is $450/month for 36 months at 5.5%

$1350 is 3 months of payments (the cost of the repair) and $4050 for 9 months for car PLUS $5400 for year 2 assuming a major repair every 2 years. So I do not spend $9450 which is almost a 2/3 a new (used) vehicle.

I am ahead of the game.

Edit: Am I saving the $$? I automatically put $200 into a money market deposit account (at 3.4%) and $200 goes to the parental units for support. After all, they did a pretty good job raising the family. Yep.

Edit: A great discussion over on Get Rich Slowly on repairing older cars versus buying new(used).

( even internally )
It's been one big suck for me this past month.

My first ride to the grocery store went well this morning. I left about 8:30 am and was home by 9:30 am. Crossing US 150 wasn't too bad - hardly any traffic. Picture of my bike & trailer under the cut.

( Here is my bike & trailer. )

If I remember, I'll try to pack my camera and take pictures of my travels about the city on my bike. My confidence is high so I might actually ride to work this week.

One thing I noticed is that people in cars are in a hurry to get places. I'm a little more resigned accepting of the time spent traveling and enjoying the breeze and view.

You wish you had my life problems...

I went out to look at the 2008 chrysler sebring convertibles. My 1998 has 110K miles on it and I was thinking about replacing it. I was looking at program cars (2008 models with 5K miles sell for around $19K instead of $34K). Points in the 2008's favor? FLEXFUEL. I couldn't believe it when I looked at the 2008: The new sebrings have NO leg room in the back seat unless you are a munchkin and there is NO cargo space in the boot. In 1999, I chose the sebring over other convertibles because of these two things. Surprise! I don't have many oompa-loompas as friends. The old body has room for 2 sets of golf clubs plus extra baggage in the boot. The new one barely has room for a knapsack; I'd never get a dead body suitcase in there. The new body design is boxy like a cut down pt cruiser and handles like a tank crossover vehicle not a sportscar. I am sorely disappointed.

However, I'm sure that this means my 1998 will last forever another 100K considering I give it indecent loving good care. It burns through a quart of oil every 3K, but hey, it's time to change the oil right? Maybe I'll just spend a couple hundred and get my baby detailed and looking like new so the cosmetic issues don't weigh me (or my image of me) down.

Edit: OK, OK. All I really wanted was a new shiny-shiny. I've decided to spruce up my girl and ride out the storm of desire.
wo xiang mei er, mei xin, bian shi tou