When we discovered I was pregnant almost a year ago (has it really been a year?), one of the big changes we discussed was our car situation. Since we moved to North Carolina four years ago, we have shared one car. We lived in an apartment close to the campus where Tony worked and took classes, so I took the car to work. It worked out great, and we were able to save a ton of money by sharing a single car.
That car, a tiny Hyundai Accent, is fuel-efficient, reliable, and perfect for a married couple with a dog. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work so well for a family of three. Judah’s car seat barely fits, and there’s pretty much no space for the dog in the back when we travel to visit family.
By the end of 2010, the Hyundai Accent was paid off two years early, and we now own it outright. We’d been talking about the possibility of buying a second vehicle ever since we moved back to Indiana. Since we no longer live close to Tony’s job, I had to shuttle him to and from work in the morning if I needed the car for a doctor’s appointment or other errand. Now that Judah is here, it’s not so easy to get out the door, and we run the risk of making Tony late if we can’t leave on time, especially since we live about 20 minutes from the college where he teaches.
Right now, staying home all day while Tony works isn’t so bad. But our neighborhood isn’t walkable, and I know that as Judah gets older, we’ll want to go to the park or playgroups, not to mention doctor’s appointments. Since we plan to live in this apartment for at least 2 years, Judah and I need our own transportation.
Throughout my pregnancy, I spent a lot of time researching cars to find a reliable, family-friendly vehicle that hopefully wouldn’t cost us a fortune in fuel.
It wasn’t until Tony was hired in his new job that we felt comfortable enough to start really shopping. We had many discussions about whether it would be best to pay cash or finance something. It seemed like most of the SUVs and vans in our cash price range were extremely high mileage and potentially unreliable. Since this car would be used predominantly to shuttle my 3-month-old baby, I wanted something reliable. We needed something bigger, but we’re both committed to living as green as possible, so we didn’t want to throw fuel-efficiency out the window just because we need a family car. I also wanted something that would last us a long time (hopefully as long as 10 years).
After looking over our budget, we determined a monthly payment we could afford. We decided to use money from savings for a 20% down payment. Once we had a budget, we started shopping. This is the first car we’ve bought together (Tony bought the Accent on his own before we were engaged), so we were very picky. I wanted something big enough to accommodate at least two kids and the dog. I wanted at least 20 miles to the gallon, preferably more. I wanted something that would last a long time, so I didn’t consider anything with more than 60,000 miles on it.
I loved the idea of getting a fuel-efficient, reliable Toyota, but most of the used ones in our price range had more miles than I wanted for a financed car. I looked at several less expensive makes and models, but I wasn’t looking forward to the money we were going to have to spend on gas. It seemed that every car with the mileage we wanted in our price range was a gas hog.
After a ton of searching, I stumbled on a 2007 Toyota RAV4. It was priced slightly higher than our budget at a “no-haggle” dealership with a good reputation (I won’t name it, but you can probably figure it out). A quick search on Kelley Blue Book told me it was $2,000 under market value if it was in the condition they claimed. We decided to take a look.
We test drove it, and I fell in love. It gets an amazing 24mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway (which isn’t much lower than our tiny Accent). It was previously owned by a business and used as a fleet vehicle, so it was extremely gently used and looks brand new. It only has 44,000 miles on it, and since it’s a Toyota, we’ll hopefully easily be able to get over 100,000 miles out of it without problems. There’s plenty of space in the cargo area for Howie to ride, and the car seat fits without pushing the passenger seat up as far as it will go. In short, it was perfect.
We decided to put a little extra money down to keep our payments where we wanted them. Because we have good credit scores, we qualified for a great interest rate. And now it’s ours.
It’s the first major purchase we’ve made as a married couple, and I couldn’t be happier. And the freedom I have now! I can go where ever I want even when Tony is at work! I can take road trips to visit friends on the week days! And there’s a special compartment for my sunglasses! I am giddy just thinking about the possibilities.
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{ 4 comments }
My first car was a Toyota Corolla that had 244,000 miles on it by the time I got rid of it. And with a recently rebuilt transmission it was still running great when I sold it. They’re beasts. I hope you get plenty of usage out of your Toyota. P.S. It’s super cute!
Oh wow! That really is reassuring. I was hoping to get 150,000 miles out of it, but now that seems a little low!
And I KNOW ISN’T IT SO CUTE. I would go drive it right now if it wasn’t midnight.
Cheers to your new car! I had a 2006 RAV4 for three years and I absolutely loved it! It drove well and had tons of storage, but my favorite feature was the little cell phone holder in the middle console. :)
After 70,000 miles on my RAV4, a long commute and frequent road trips led me to trade it in for a gently used Prius with a lower payment and even better gas mileage.
What’s with you younger generation people? My last car, a 1993 Oldsmobile wagon, had almost 300,000 miles on it with the original a/c, motor, transmission. A workhorse of a car. Was given a 1993 Buick Roadmaster wagon that now has 162,000 miles on it. (Hey, when your family gives it to you for free you take it!) Still runs great. Get’s 26 mpg city and 36 hwy, and I can put a 12′ long board in it and still close the tailgate.
I think you need to think a little more far ranging on the mileage of your cars. I’ve come to believe people just want to upgrade their cars when it still has plenty of life in them!
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