We all make mistakes. I have made more than my share, that's for sure. I am used to "paying" for the consequences.
When I was fresh out of college (1998) I bought my first car, a used 1996 Eagle Talon tsi Turbo. I put a good chunk of cash down and had a very reasonable payment. The car looked amazing but ran like junk. In a few months I had to dump a few thousand dollars into it. So one frustrated day I pulled into a dealership, traded it in for a 4 year lease of...
... a brand new 2001 Jeep Wrangler. My payment was a lot higher (I was still paying on the Talon too), but I looked really cool. Seriously, I really loved my Jeep even though I never drove over rocks or through a stream. Until, it started making funny noises and a mechanic told me it would take a few thousand dollars to fix and it wasn't under warranty. Again, I traded it in with one year left in the lease and went into a new 4 year lease of...
... a 2003 Chrysler Sebring. What the...? What was I thinking? I am so ashamed I can't even bring myself to post a picture! After officially turning in my "Man Card" I quickly jumped into a new 4 year lease of...
... a 2005 Jeep Liberty (girl and dog came later). The payment was ridiculously high. I don't even want to know how much money I have wasted because of my desire to have new cars.
I am proud to say, that the stupid cycle is now over. I am turning in the Jeep tomorrow and walking away without a car. You read right. I said "without a car." No new car. No used car. No car period. The funny part is I will feel so much better walking out of that dealership than I ever did driving away in a brand, new car.
Kids, the moral of the story is DO NOT LEASE A CAR, EVER! You are throwing away money you will never see again. Get a reliable, used car that you can really afford and life will be so much better! Or if you really want to be cool, join the Junky Car Club and make a difference at the same time!
Janie and I will have one car payment now and in a short time we will own it. Ahhh, Freedom.
I'm a Christian and a used car salesperson. Is that an oxymoron? You don't know me, but I enjoy reading the blogs of you and the staff at The Pursuit. Keep up the "Good Work". By the way, I know Jake Follis.
Posted by: doug | May 02, 2008 at 10:52 AM
Doug, thanks for stopping by the blog. Jake is one of the best guys I know.
Posted by: Matt Mehaffey | May 02, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Congrats matt! I remember test driving the talon with you. Fun car...but expensive. Welcome to one car land. I'm thinking about getting rid of mine next month. Just one van then.
Posted by: chris | May 03, 2008 at 07:49 AM