My darkest hour

Okay it wasn’t really my darkest hour or even close to it, but it felt pretty bad at the time.

After driving the Jag for a year, my wife and I decided it was time for some budget cutting. She had gone full time as a student and we were living in the city. One of the most expensive cities in the world, so we needed to start reducing our out goings. Cable was cut down to basic, we started cooking more often but two of our biggest costs were car related. Our second parking space was costing $250 per month and my loan payment was the same. Living in the city we really didn’t need a second car so I took the (crazy) decision to sell my Jag. I figured it would just be until she graduated and then I could buy something nice again and her car was fully paid for and reliable so it made sense.

After a few months of cost cutting we still hadn’t had many calls, so after a suggestion from the wife’s Dad we thought we would try South Orange County; the home of rich people who wouldn’t think twice about buying a 20k convertible.

We parked it on display at his friends gas station and updated the ad.

And waited for calls

And waited

And waited

Three months later I decided that any further cost cuts would be below what I owed on it so I may as well keep the car. We booked one way flights and flew south for the weekend to drive it back home (I was secretly happy).

After a nice weekend with the family, we got ready to leave…. And the phone rang.

“I’m really interested in your car, can I take a look, I can be there in a hour”

Two hours later the deal was done and we stood and waved as a very happy guy drove off in a Silver Jaguar convertible. My Jaguar…

But I still had a, slightly tired, white Nissan Sentra for my 45 mile commute. Excellent….

To her complete disgust, every single day I told my wife that a little part of me died when I drove that car….. It had been her college car and full of great memories.

Which is why absolutely no one believed it was an accident when I rear ended a Ford Fusion….. it was, I swear (we all know that I am familiar with a far safer way of totalling a car – See Saabs don’t float )

So time for another car….. but what next?