I went and did it now!

We're always doing something around here. For some reason we just find it hard to sit still.

It all started when we got a note from GM about the Canyon. In the note they boldly stated that they wouldn't honor the contract we signed when we leased the truck and that we were to take it back to the dealer at the end of the lease (coming up) and turn in the keys. None of this made much sense to me. But then, in the contract, they were supposed to move the lease into a buy without changing anything like payment and such and I guess they decided that they weren't going to do this any longer. But still, it was enough to make someone very angry.

We went to the dealer because they said they had an Envoy SE, certified used, for about the same price as the value of the truck. I really had my doubts but we went to look. I questioned Husband about it because it would mean giving up the truck with the pickup bed, the insurance on it and the high cost of registration. But he really liked that truck and it did serve some purpose. It was Husband's decision if he wanted to keep the truck or get another car. The Envoy is an SUV but it still won't haul some of the really big stuff we've hauled with the pickup. He decided that we could live without the pickup since we have most of the really big, heavy and dirty stuff we get delivered anyway.

When we bought the truck, we had to consider that it was new and that the other cars we had were older. I've been telling Husband that if I buy another car, I wanted a certified used one since we don't drive our cars hard, keep all the maintenance up on them, etc. It wasn't worth taking the huge hit on depreciation for the way we used them.

So we went to the dealer. When we got there, I told them where I stand with this, that I was angry about it and I didn't want a car salesman breathing down my neck about it. We went in with a print out of the contract we signed when we bought the Canyon, a print out on where the Canyon was as far as mileage, etc. and a print out of possible loan for buying it should we want to, including interest. I also told our salesman that I would leave that day without buying anything and if he wanted to sell a car, he'd better not give me a hard time about it. I am a car salesman's nightmare.

We looked at the car. We test drove it. It was nice, heavy, solid, missing some knobs to make some of the features work which I showed to the salesman when we returned. It was rather plain, without fanfare or bling. That was OK. It would sit outside anyway, so we didn't need the bling.

Then looking around we found a very nice looking (the color was perfect) Envoy Delani, same year as the SE, almost the same mileage but it was priced several thousand dollars more than the SE. But I wanted to see that one too. We took it for a test drive. It drove a little nicer than the SE since it had a larger engine. It had all the bells and whistles and bling you could want. It did seem like a bit much for what we were looking for, but I liked this car. It was pretty, classy and in a different category than the other one.

We talked to the salesman a little bit more when we got back and decided we needed time to think about this. We left the dealership and decided to go to the market while we thought about it. It was there that I came up with the unthinkable.

I presented to Husband the idea that we trade in the Canyon (since we didn't seem to have a lot of choice there) AND my 12 yr. old Sebring on the Delani. This was an option that just blew Husband out of the water! He figured I really liked the Delani to want to trade in that Sebring. I bought that car out of the showroom all those years ago and have really liked it and I've never gotten tired of it. It is a good running car, well kept, and still in perfect showroom condition.

Still, the Sebring is 12 years old and the possibility of it beginning to cause problems is very real. Our third car, or the workhorse, is a 2000 Cherokee Sport we found. This car is now kept in the garage since it fits better than the Canyon. We bought this one to replace an old Wagoneer that was beginning to show it's seriously old age and was falling apart around us when we tried to drive it. The floor on the driver's side was gone, the engine was beginning to need expensive repairs but the day I decided to drive the Wagoneer and everything went with me except the entire exhaust system, it was time to replace it.

Since we have a tendency to keep our cars until they literally fall apart, buying a new one on a lease wasn't a really good idea. This Delani would be a nice choice since it was fairly new, low mileage, certified with a very good warranty and it was a buy - no mileage restrictions, insurance would be discounted as well as the price of the car. Trading in the Sebring (same as cash) as well as the Canyon could hopefully bring the dealer's price to where we could easily afford it. The Delani was also a step up and wouldn't be an embarrassment. The Sebring, in it's day, was top-of-the-line with all the bells and whistles of the day. I wanted a replacement that had the same quality as the old one, if I decided to trade. Remember, that Sebring was what I wanted when I bought it and I've never gotten tried of it. This trade would also bring down the price of insurance, inspections, registrations, etc, and all our cars would fit into our garage. I like that idea too.

Right now, I have the Delani in the garage to drive it for a week before taking it back to the dealer to finalize the deal. They have my Sebring. We will drive around the Delani, get used to it, etc. We've already found that it does indeed fit in the garage (very important!). I'm pretty sure right now that we will buy this car. I really like it and it has everything except for the TV. That I really don't need.