In Pursuit of a New Car

I love to shop for shoes, for clothes, make-up, gifts, etc. Shopping for a car is a different story. Having to do the research, find the right financing, negotiate the best deal...too much work. I'm into instant gratification, and the path to finding a new car is obviously a very long process.

When I purchased my current car, a 2000 Eclipse, I was in and out of the dealership in a relatively short period of time. Mitsubishi had a $0 down, 0% interest for a year deal that I was itching to take advantage of at the time so it was essentially a no-brainer for me. I was still able to negotiate a decent interest rate and reasonable payments despite the hook, and I knew I could find alternative financing later too that would be in my favor. When I bought that car, I simply needed a compact car to drive around town and to get me to and from work. Everything was standard, and I wasn't looking for anything fancy, so the Eclipse was perfect.

That was nearly 10 years ago, so my taste and requirements have since changed. Sure, functionality geared to my personal standards is important, but do I compromise style and luxury for it? Without hesitation, the answer is yes. While a decade ago I envisioned myself driving a cushy ride in my 30's, I've realized that acquiring such assets translates into debt. This contradicts my 30-something lifestyle, when all I really want to do now is invest in the intangibles - travel, leisure - and instead have disposable income to enjoy the world. Screw this ownership thing! It irritates me to think that in the past few years, I've poured thousands of dollars into repairing the Eclipse in an effort to keep it running. Now it's brought me to a level of distress that I'm having to deal with. Car payments? Ugh. Having to repeat this car ownership cycle again? Blah. I may turn to leasing as my ideal solution, but still have to do my homework in the meantime. Wish me luck!