Our family currently has 2 paid for vehicles:
2011 Mazda 6, 202k miles
2018 Buick Encore, 49k miles
We are planning to buy a cash minivan for our growing family. The idea was for when this time came we’d be in a house with a 2 car garage. Economics had a different plan for that.
Our home has a 1 car garage and we only have room for 2 cars. Our HOA is strict and won’t allow for parking on the street. I have nowhere to put a 3rd vehicle and do not want to deal with the overlords.
Having trouble wrapping my mind around getting rid of my 2011 Mazda6 I’ve owned since new. It’s old, clunky, has various gremlins associated with high mileage cars, but it just refuses to die…or maybe I’m just in denial in end of life care and refuse to pull the plug. Every 6 months or so I’ve been dumping $500 into it for various things. $1000 repairs have become more common too and it seems to go another 6 months every time just asking for some gas. I’m attached to the darn thing I’ll admit. My work mileage reimbursement over the 13 years I’ve owned this have paid for the original purchase price 2 times over. I guess I can say I’ve gotten my money out of it. Strictly economically speaking I know it makes sense to dump $1000/yr into a clunker to keep in on the road. But I’ve broken down and accepted the fact that quality of life suffers trying to stuff kids and their accessories into a small econobox or a rickety sedan.
I think I just need outside counsel from unattached internet strangers telling me it’s time to sell the old girl and put aside my fondness for a hunk of mental.
Anyone else battle with attachment to their cars when it’s time for it to go?