decisions

Cars aren’t a total necessity in Houston.

I run past several bus stops every morning and I see fair-sized crowds waiting for the bus that will take them to their jobs.  Houston has recently begun to slowly embrace bike lanes and cycling culture and from time to time they close off some streets near downtown and hold walking days on main streets.

So no, not a total necessity, except that they are.  Anyone outside the Loop (loop-610) knows the yawning distances that have to be covered to get anything done.  We’re not one of those compact European or even east coast cities that have to make do with whatever flat space they can get.

We’re spoiled with flat spaces and we’ve put them to good use.  So cars are for the most part necessary.

So I’ve taken care of mine for the past 9 years and I’ve loved my Charger.  We’ve shared many a long road trip, many hours commuting to the office, and just the every day grind of life.

But the fact remains that it has been 9 years already.  9 years and over 125000 miles.  I just realized this the other day when talking to one of my friends that I first met just before getting my car.  We were reminiscing and she brought up the fact that we’d known each other nearly a decade.  I thought to myself “that can’t be right”.  Then I remembered about my car and suddenly I realized how old my car was.

So now my mind begins to ask some questions.

What’s the mechanical state of my car?  Fairly good for a 9-year-old car.  The suspension isn’t happy about all the potholes in Houston’s streets and the upholstery has taken a beating, but otherwise in good state

What’s the resale value?  Not that great.  Somewhere in the 5 grand range and probably not going up.

Can I actually afford a new car?  yes and no.  I could buy one outright but I would rather not right now.

What if I keep the car another year or two?  Probably likely to have a breakdown or two.  I know I said the mechanical state is good but these things happen and when they do, most likely it will cost a bit to get fixed.

So do I wait or do I start looking for something new?