Palm Trees in southern Florida

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Our 'new' car!

I have to admit that one of my vices is buying used cars, cheap used cars.
For some time a good $100 car was a good used car, drive it for a year & sell it for $100 again, everybody wins!

Of course it took some work keeping a $100 car going, maybe that's more of a hobby than a vice?

One of the changes over time is that I don't find $100 cars any more, under $1000 is working well.

I picked up a 1999 Dodge Caravan with under 200k miles, under $1000 and no rust!

No Rust!  I'm happy!






Another way things have changed is shoes. For many years cheap Walmart tennies worked well. As I've got older I needed better shoes for my older feet so I bought these. These cost more than many of the cars I've drove over the years... Like I said, times have changed.


New Balance walking shoes, my feet are happy!

Last year here in Iowa we bought a 1990 conversion van, it was ok but I was not thrilled with it, we sold it in Texas before we drove back.
This was another cheap used car

Bicycles work ok for the most part but I like buying cheap used cars. It's a nice feeling being able to buy the big pack of toilet paper & not have to worry about carrying it home on the bike!

The van does need a few things ... a tire, a spare tire, some brake work & a radio but this is all part of getting a $100 car... but this one is a lot more fun to drive than the conversion van was and the air conditioning works.

10 comments:

  1. AC is good in the humid Midwest ... worth the price of the car.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like your new van and what I like best is the price! What a great score.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was on my way to look at a different one (a Grand Caravan that was not as nice as this one). She was not going to be around until late afternoon & this was one the way & available all day.
      I took my bike to the bus stop, the bus to the bus station & transferred to a different bus, then a 20 min walk.
      It was a good deal. After I bought this one I canceled with late afternoon appointment, I've waited around for someone who wasn't going to make it because they bought what they needed on the way and didn't bother to call.

      Delete
    2. My goodness you really went out of your way to see this car, glad you were amply rewarded for your efforts.

      It is always good manners to cancel an appointment, wish there were more people that took the time to do this.

      Delete
  3. New Balance is the only brand that makes shoes my goofy feet can tolerate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I realized I needed a 'quality' walking shoe I did a survey on a couple of different email lists & New Balance was the winner by far. These shoes cost far more than I wanted to spend but they felt far better than the others... The money is gone but the feet are still smiling!

      Delete
  4. I like that buying and selling used cars sounds more of a habit than a vice. It somehow sounds like a business as well, although you're not getting anything from it, but the enjoyment of driving the car for a couple of miles. Anyway, the van looks good for a $100 car, like seriously, I'm surprised at the price you got it for. In any case, enjoy! :)

    Floyd Pratt @ XL1 Motorsports

    ReplyDelete
  5. Buying a used car is ideal, because it’s one of the simplest ways for you to get your dream car. It may require a bit of work, but once you’re done with the remodeling and whatnot, it’s very rewarding. And it's great to know that it was the case with you and your car. Cheers!

    Rhonda Burgess @ Bob Dunn Hyundai

    ReplyDelete
  6. Buying used cars seems like a fun, yet expensive, hobby. But I’m sure you get a good amount of satisfaction with it, which is really the point of it all. Anyway, the 1999 Dodge Caravan seems to be in decent shape; I think you’ve made a great deal for it. Thanks for sharing this with us. Have a great day!


    Victoria Robbins @ Diviniti Auto Dealer

    ReplyDelete