And the car saga ends!

So, the lessons I've learned are:

1. Don't panic.
2. Don't make rash decisions to buy 20 year old cars to "hold you over" until you can figure things out.
3. When you learn of a major mechanical problem with your car that you can't afford to fix, head straight to the dealer and trade that bitch in!

This past Saturday was the day, the day I'd designated to end my car woes for good (or at least for awhile, pending future car woes). I'd stopped driving the Probe due to the gut-wrenching clunk of the bad CV joints every time I turned a corner and the slosh of standing water in the leaky trunk. Five towels later, the water was gone, but the spare is irreparably damaged.

The BF and I drove the Mini, screaming with transmission pains, to the Mazda dealer and I was soon signing the paperwork on a new Mazda3. I could have gone to different dealers, tried out different cars. I could have looked at my used options, but I'm done with used for now. I didn't spend hours going from dealer to dealer in 105 degree heat because I'd already spent lots of time online, comparing vehicles. And my heart was with Mazda and fond memories of 8 years of driving my Protege with no major mechanical problems ever. The last few months I owned it I had to have a hose replaced and replaced the battery once or twice. It even withstood the intense abuse and neglect of my ex, who bought it when I got the Mini. Okay, to be fair it did need some work on the suspension system (shocks & struts), but that's normal wear-and-tear after 8 years. And my sister's Protocrap is still running. I have good feelings about Mazdas.

The BF was ready to negotiate the deal, salivating at the chance to haggle on a car like men do. He wanted to drag out the process, walking away the first day and making them sweat a little bit. I let him know that I didn't have time to mess around with a protracted negotiation to knock another $1000 or so off the price. Besides, when they offered $6500 for a car with a bad transmission, I was suddenly in a HUGE hurry to close the deal. (FYI, $7200 was the Kelley Blue Book trade-in value on that car. The negative equity equaled almost exactly what it would have cost to replace the transmission. I broke even there.) If I felt like I was getting away with something, I was. After the deal was done and we were waiting for them to bring my car up from the south location, the salesman said, "So, what's that noise the Mini makes?"

"Uh, yeah, uh, I'm not sure? Maybe the transmission?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Oh well. Done deal now."

He told me the guy who makes the trade-in offers doesn't bother driving the cars. Should I have tried to trade in the car earlier? Perhaps. Would I have been that lucky? Who knows.

Unfortunately they only offered $200 for the Probe, so that lovely car went back home with me. I'm trying to sell it now and the BF may have found me a buyer, so that will be over soon. The family issues may linger though. My grandparents appear to be under the impression that my bad driving lead to an alternator belt going out, a battery dying, a trunk leaking and CV joints clunking. I tried to explain wear-and-tear on an ancient car, but they weren't having it. Those things weren't an issue when I took it, so must be my driving and negligence (except for the leaky trunk). And the conversation ended with, "And PLEASE take care of this car!" I'm just going to let them think what they want to think and not let those comments bother me. Not worth the drama.

I love my new car! It's so quiet! And it runs so well! New car smell! It's a manual and I really missed driving a stick. I had a fun time playing with the Bluetooth, making phone calls using only my voice. I'm still going to take the bus as much as possible to save gas and take my morning and afternoon cat naps during the commute, but I'm no longer under the stress of not knowing if I'm going to make it from point A to point B anymore. I feel so lucky that I got a good deal on the trade in; that I just got paid & sold some camera equipment and a bike so I had a down payment; and that my credit was better than I thought and I got a decent interest rate. I really am counting my blessings right now!

It's still surreal though. I'm now driving a nice car. My bills are paid. My home life is freakin' awesome right now. The BF and I are working on cleaning out the spare room. This week we're going to repaint and clear out the closets. I just got a dresser to put in there and soon I'll start moving my stuff over. Last week he said, "This is no longer my house, it's our house."

I'm in a haze from all this good fortune. I keep having these moments of, "It's really happening." I'm in a relationship that's good, that doesn't have drama and has real potential to be it. Despite past long-term relationships, I've never felt like this before. It's bizarre. You think you know until you find out that you really know. And then if you're me, you keep questioning how this could be. What? No angst? What's wrong with this picture? Quick! Stir up some drama! All this healthiness and happiness just doesn't feel right.

Unfortunately it also doesn't make for very appealing blogging. I'll work on that. I'm trying to revive my interest in photography with a new and improved camera. Maybe I can start jazzing this mutha up with some photos. Or maybe I'll take up some hobbies that are more blog-worthy than watching Deadliest Catch (how sad is Phil's death? SO SAD!) and going to the pub. Or maybe not yet. Maybe I'll just keep reveling in my disgusting happiness for a little while longer. I hope you'll forgive me that.