this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2024
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I'm so glad tomorrow is also a PH because I think I need a day off after seriously looking at cars online. Last time I bought a car was pre-covid.... ๐ธ
It's looking like with my current options for 2nd jobs, neither one actually requires me to have a personal car even to commute to the worksite, so I'm thinking I should curtail my initial spend on the car, and keep the money for servicing later on (which, with less frequent use, would be padded out over a longer time I presume). Maybe an older car (10-15 years old) with higher kms (120-175k). But not an absolute shitbox either. There's a handful of promising options around the 9k mark (which used to get you a pretty decent car ๐ญ)
So far I'm leaning towards a Mazda 3 in the 2007-2013 sort of range. Couple of Honda Civic hatchbacks that look promising too. While I try to figure out how to spend less I'm also reminding myself how much more bloody convenient it would be to have my own wheels again.
$9k is a good budget. I spent $6.5k on a shitbox station car, had to select from less than ideal options, went for the safer option in the end. (Side airbags)
Yeah, under the $7.5k mark the options start to look dicey. The savings would not be worth the headache for me. I'd also like the car to be good enough for my niece to practice in when she gets her Ls. (She or her dad can pay for a car with all the latest safety features later on if they want)
I've kept the 10k from selling my last car aside and untouched separate to other savings, so I do have breathing room in that range. But I definitely have had to sit down and be realistic about my expectations esp after 3 months of not working. Sure I was spoiled by driving a late model hybrid car for work, but if buying something that nice now means I have to work my arse off for the next 2 years, I'd much rather have the financial freedom.