Five years ago, we bought our first new car. Sure, we had the choice of buying an older model for a lower price. That’s always the question – should I save money or splurge on something new and shiny?
We got the new and, as with any new things we purchase, we immediately found things wrong with it. The seats were a little stiff. There wasn’t the same leg room for me, a long-legged driver. And there weren’t enough storage nooks!
But... It had Apple CarPlay. Nothing beats Apple CarPlay, my friends. All my podcasts, messages and music at my fingertips. I never really understood pleasure until I got Apple CarPlay... Shall I go on?
So yes, it was worth getting a new car. We paid a few thousand more for that new car smell (and Apple CarPlay), but I can’t say I’d change my mind in retrospect. I’m driving this one to the ground, or at least until the Apple CarPlay stops working.
All that said, I'm still open to buying a used car in the future. In years past I bought cars with at least 100,000 kilometres on them. The savings can be substantial.
The only downside is that you’ll hit 200,000 kilometres a whole lot faster. I know, some of you can only dream of hitting this milestone, but we’ve done it a few times. That’s the mileage when your car says, ever so subtly, “Are we done yet?”
The repairs gradually mount. Oil changes turn into long maintenance bills. You may suddenly realize that car payments are now a part of life again. Rest assured, these repair costs will be less than what you’d pay in finance payments, but at least a new car won’t stall in the middle of nowhere.
As our last vehicle neared the 270,000-kilometre mark, we experienced a few breakdowns right before our summer vacation. That was not ideal.
As an adult, it can be a drag (and embarrassment) to own an old cluncker, but when you're younger, you really don’t care. My parents once owned a 1977 Chevy Malibu Classic that gave me great joy as a teenager. The car was a beast, with a V8 that roared like a lion but, once you hit cruising speed, purred like a kitten (or something like that).
I recall doing some pretty wild things with that car... Things my parents will only find out about once they read this.
On one rainy day, my 16-year-old friend and I partook in car puddle jumping through our town, plowing through lakes of water along the residential streets. I recall my parents commenting on the car's appearance the next day at church. “It even has mud on the roof!” exclaimed my Mom. I quietly shook my head, wondering too how the roof could get so dirty.
In high school we would pile into that car with little concern for occupancy limits. This Malibu had a front-seat bench that could be slept on, which meant about eight of us could cram in comfortably. Loaded to the max and lacking in suspension, we would frequently bottom out on the pavement during our late-night excursions. Somehow the muffler stayed intact.
I won’t go into too much detail about the other times I gunned this silver menace to the max down our rural roads. Let’s just say that if my boy did this today (assuming I had a son), well, I’d have to kill him. I can still remember my dad checking the car’s oil, wondering aloud how it could go down so fast. “You haven’t been driving it hard, have you?” he asked me, peering over the big silver hood. I quietly shook my head, wondering too how the oil could go down so fast.
How we change... Now I’m a cautious 44-year-old who drives a perfectly practical SUV. It’s not too powerful, but great on gas! It’s kind of bland, but boy can we pack it full of groceries!
And did I mention it has Apple CarPlay?
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