We sold our cars when we left for England not really knowing when we’d be back and wanting a clean break, nothing left to lure us back into the rut.
So, the consequence was that on our return we were carless, which in London was fine but here, well, even if we could get around by walking would we really want to in 100 degree weather?
We hired a car the evening following our return and spent the weekend acclimatizing to the temperature, the traffic and the culture.
The following week we took the bull by the horns and headed out for a couple of car viewings.
Our daughter, the barrista, had been keeping us posted as to what she had found on Craig’s list and the kind of car she was looking for. Some of them were in the right price range, which proved to be a little bit of a stumbling block when it came to discussing wheels with hubs.
He wanted warrantees, extended ones at that and there was nothing under $13,000 to be had.
I enlisted my faithful bud and started praying
Hubs called his insurance agent about a Saab we’d found on line and was warned off because parts were hard to come by since they were no longer in business. However he gave us a lead that proved invaluable. A client was selling his 12 year old Lexus which had been used as a first car by his children.
A Lexus huh? We hadn’t considered one of those and the price was right, for our daughter.
She was worried it may be a grandmama car but she looked it up on her iphone and gave it a half hearted nod of approval.
We had already established at the bank that she was not going to be getting a loan so in essence hubs and I were in the market for two cars. I wanted to keep the total cost below $10,000. What started out as an impossible desire in hub’s eyes was slowly becoming a reality.
I continued praying. We set off for our first viewing.
The Lexus was a beaut, we all drove it and loved it, clean, well looked after and pretty in black.
We paid in cash and left with the car an hour later.
One down one to go!
Daughter and I were off to the hairdresser without phones so everything halted as far as news and communications about another set of wheels until we arrived home.
Hubs had literaly stumbled upon another car!
As he was looking at a couple of lots (you know the places where salesman look at you as if you are crazy when you mention your price range?!), he’d seen a car parked in a Kroger car park and called the number.
Right mileage, terrific price, only snag, it was another PT Cruiser.
I’d been there done that!
We toddled back out to Lexus stomping ground with our new hair do’s
and test drove the Limited edition, bright red, Cruiser, 3 years younger than the Lexus and 100,000 miles lighter.
We paid with cash and left with the car an hour later.
Was this deja vu?
Thank you Lord, two under ten could only have been achieved with your help.
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
No comments so far!
Leave a Comment