July 14 2007: On The Automobile Market
The time has come for me to buy a car.
It’s now 100% certain we’re going to move sometime in September. The new house is sufficiently cut off from public transport (this is what I mean about needing improving public services in outer suburbs!) that I’d need a car to get around to where I need to be (university, jobs, etc.).
It’s actually quite sad. Despite the fact that one occasionally encounters some very strange characters on public transport, I’d have been happy to continue taking it for the rest of my life, and foregoing buying a car at all. Not only is it more environmentally friendly, but it’s cheaper too - excluding the cost of the car, there’s still the costs of insurance, registration, petrol, repairs, etc. However, living somewhere where there’s only one bus every hour doesn’t exactly allow you any choice but to buy a car.
I’ll be paying for everything myself (bye bye five and a half years worth of savings from a million hours of working…), so really can’t buy any car that’s more than $15,000AUD (adding on insurance and the like will take the price up to about $20,000AUD in the first year - which is all that I have to spend). Preferably new with no kilometres on the dial, for the sheer fact that I don’t want to drive an old bomb whose maintenance and repair bills will add up over the years to more than the cost of a new car.
Shelling out this much money at once though…well, it means no China at the end of this year. It means no Europe at the end of next year. It means the end of everything I’ve been saving for since I first started working at the age of fourteen and a half. It means, quite literally, the end of my dreams. Will I have anything to look forward to when I graduate other than to immediately enter the workforce? Will I have any chance to be young and carefree, to travel and have indiscriminate relations with fellow backpackers?
8 Responses to “On The Automobile Market”
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It just shows, no matter how hard you plan and work, one thing can completely throw the spanner into the works. I’m sorry you can’t go to China at the end of the year though. :(
Amber on July 14 2007 #
Too bad you can’t get a small apartment in the city so you could keep your job; I bet rent wouldn’t be much more than a car payment would be.
Jack on July 14 2007 #
I live in a place where cars are a necessity and that really is terrible. I miss subways and walking…
If possible don’t spend all of your money on a new car - an almost new car would be a lot cheaper and perhaps you could still afford to travel.
And as you’re a student, traveling to far off places is possible even if you don’t have money. Look into fellowships, scholarships, or travel grants?
Chantelle on July 14 2007 #
Are you sure it’s the end of your dreams? It might not be. I’m sure there must be something you can do.
You could also consider buying a second hand car - we brought a second hand Toyota Corrola for GBP £5,000, which would be about £10,000 dollars. It’s quite a big car, so you could get a smaller one for even less.
Anyway best of luck to you!
Anastasia on July 14 2007 #
Er… well if it’s that important you could er… suck it up and wake up an hour earlier :P
Then again, good for you that you can drive. I was too lazy and too chicken to take the classes, so I can’t even do that :P (even if I did have the money).
Vera on July 15 2007 #
Wait, are you paying for the whole care, all at once? Or are you just predicting that the car payments will cut into your savings so much, that you won’t be able to go on trips? ‘Cause you could always work out a good payment with the dealer, and only have to pay monthly.
Reply: In the long run, monthly payments would cost more than paying upfront. Interest and the like.
Josh on July 15 2007 #
What a bummer. I’d give you suggestions but it seems like everyone has already done a good job of that.
marMARmar on July 15 2007 #
Sleep with the dealership owner and get it for free, silly!
I kid.
My car is second hand. I got it for $3000 and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. It looks new, it feels new, it smells new… and if you get a Toyota, it doesn’t matter how many kms it has clocked up!
Nellie on July 15 2007 #