Still Rockin' My 2010 Prius...

I know people who recently purchased new cars (in general, not Prii) due to fears about impending tariffs. One (rich) guy on a forum I post on boasted he just spent $300K total on 3 new vehicles -- all luxury german cars. <yawn>

Many years ago I might have succumbed to this kind of manufactured fear and purchased a new car, but really, it's not worth it. With a vehicle that has less than 40K miles on it, even though it's coming up on 15 yrs old, it still is light on the wear 'n tear side of the equation, there's no reason to get rid of it just because, AND the car is maintained on schedule, with oil/filter changes, fluid checks, car filter checks, tires rotated/balanced/alignment checked and anything else it needs. So, onward we go, and see what happens.

 

Tampa is approximately 700 miles away....nawwww.

I changed out my 12 v battery once or twice in the previous years. I have a batteryminder that will keep the battery topped off and conditioned. I do use the car several times a week, I just don't put a lot of miles on it when added up for the year.

 

OK, that I can do!

 

I paid cash for my Prius, no loan, so it's been paid off since day 1.

S.E. Toyota covers from NC to FL and includes other states in there too. Lots of miles.

 

Tell that to Toyota. NC is part of the SE Toyota Dealers network.

 

The day I picked up my 2010 Prius (12/29/10), as I handed the check to the finance guy I said, "guess what I'll be doing tomorrow?" "What?" he asked. "Starting to save for my NEXT vehicle, so by the time I need to replace this car I can pay for the next one in cash, if I so desire." He said, "that's really smart!"

 

Well the one I went to in my area was more than happy to sell me a Prius end of year, new, regardless of how I paid for it. I remember 2010 was a bit of a challenging year for Prii, with some impact to sales.

In the future, for whatever vehicle I purchase, I can always do a finance deal, make sure there's no pre-penalty for paying the loan off early, then pay the loan off the next month, if I so desire. So, it's not going to stop me. Better to have the full amount of money to pay for a car, than not...is my philosophy. In addition, IF there's a finance deal that is 1% or less (ideally zero %) then that's a no-brainer to take, regardless.

 

My dad was an accountant. I had my first passbook savings account at the bank when I was 7! I've always been a saver, it might be in my DNA, but if not, I sure took all the lessons imparted to heart. He also instituted a rule that when I wanted something and it wasn't my birthday or Hannukah, I had to come up with half the money *first*, then come to him and he'd match it. I got $3/week allowance and learned to prioritize what I wanted and save up for those things. Although that arrangement ended by the time I wanted a car and a house!