How Hard Can it Be???

...apparently very hard if you are trying to find a good "starter car" from a used car lot for $2k or less CASH. Kathryn has been enjoying the liberty of being able to driver herself hither to and yon lately and subsequently I have been stranded at home sans wheels on several occasions. That didn't bother me too much until Gina, mom to Kathryn's BFF Emily, pointed out that if something happened to Kathryn on the road and I got "the" call I would have no way to get to her! YIKES! So I have stepped up the car search. Today we hit as many Junior Samples type car lots as I could find or think about.



Well, at nearly every stop we got the same answer, "Sorry little lady, we just can't find safe cars at that price to resell." Another stop blamed the whole Cash for Clunkers joke of a government program. It seems it took all of the cars in that price range outta the pool of available cars and literally trashed them. Sooooo we are down to the limited options of private sales or the auctions. Seeing as how the private sales are proving less than fruitful via the usual search methods (AutoTrader and CraigsList) the auctions seem to be the next best bet. Besides several of the dealers told us today, cars in that price range automatically go to auction - so it must be true. Actually I have gotten that answer from a variety of sources so I'm going to be interested in seeing what the offerings are and what shape they will be in.

There's a weekly auction this coming Thursday near us. I've left a message with my dad to see if he'd go with us this. He's an old hand at auctions of many varieties and I value his opinion of the worthiness of a car.

I have to give Kathryn credit on this whole thing. She has been very patient, flexible and mature about the whole process. She knows what the budget is and that we can't go over it. She is painfully aware of a want vs. a need. She points out a lot of cars she wants but knows it is out of the question on many levels - insurance especially. She has a thing for Mustangs, Corvettes and other go fast cars. She is willing to wait on the right deal. She is also willing to go with a not so cool car if it meets our criteria; is a 1996 or later, gets good mileage, has a good engine, is rated safe and in our price range. I keep telling her, "We can buy new tires. We can get a detail job on the car. We can have it painted. Let's invest in a good solid mechanically sound and safe car." So she is, I am proud to say, good with that. I so enjoy not having a spoiled brat for a child! LOL That, and one that has embraced the Dave Ramsey philosophy.

Soooooo, now we wait for Thursday. Maybe we will come home with a car.