A new chapter

As I stated before, the lease on my G6 is up on January 13.  I've been waiting for this day for 2 years - ever since I got in the car accident four months after getting my car and having $12,000 worth of damage done.  Thankfully, it wasn't my fault and I didn't get hurt.  My car on the other hand, never ran the same.

During the 2-3 weeks it took for my car to be repaired, the dealership gave me a loaner car:  a 2006 Pontiac Aztek.  I was not happy when I heard what vehicle I was getting because I HATED the Aztek's.  Since the day they came out, I thought they were U-G-L-Y.  But when I got into that car for the first time, I loved it!  The inside was so roomy, I loved the layout of the car, everything.  Best of all, the console between the 2 seats was a cooler which was a very cool added bonus.  I really wanted to tell the dealership to keep my car and I would take that one, but alas I got my G6 back.

However, that Aztek has always been in the back of my mind.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do when it came time to turn this vehicle in.  Lease again, buy new, buy used, etc.  A lot of things were settled when I went to the dealership to look into my options and they told me I would never-ever get another leased vehicle at the price I had gotten for my last 2 vehicles ($250 in 2004 for my Malibu and $280 in 2006 for my G6).  That was one of the reasons GM went under was because they weren't breaking even with leases.

So that ruled a lease out.  To get the kind of new car I wanted, I would be looking at at least $400 a month car payment which just wasn't in the cards either.  Alas, I settled on a used car.  I even further decided I wanted to get a used car WITHOUT financing.  I was going to have a little padding in my pocket this semester with going to school, so I figured that would be a good investment.  Now on to where to get the car & what to get.

I looked into Grand Prixs, Azteks, Rendezvous, Grand Ams, Malibus, etc.  I looked on Craigslist, I looked on dealership websites, and ended up going into Hank Graff.  And that's where I found it:

my new vehicle :)

It's a 2004 burgundy Aztek.  I am in love.  It's in great shape, has quite a few miles and runs great.  I pick it up on Wednesday.

And a new chapter begins - new vehicle, first time SUV, no car payment and lower insurance.

2010 is looking good!