Whiney little vent

Moesten

It's going here because I don't have a blog and don't journal anymore. So there's really no other place to put it.  

I'm a little peeved about this car situation. On the one hand, even I say to myself that it's ridiculous for us to buy a new car because my car is perfectly fine and it's a want over need issue. Convenience is the sole reason for a new car, and cars being a crappy investment, buying a car "just because I want to" is a foolish way to allocate cash.  And while we have the money for it it's money we would both rather spend on a higher priority item/project. 

But even though DH hasn't said "No, you can't get it" I kind of feel like a child waiting for a parent to say yes or no to a request to go to a concert or something. He has a lot of reservations about buying a new car for the same reasons I do. But at some level I feel like it's one thing for me to say "forget it, this is money better spent elsewhere" versus him saying that since I am the one driving it everyday. I'm the one schlepping kids in and out of it. Meanwhile he drives a luxury sedan.

I get that these decision-making processes are part and parcel of marriage but it's really niggling at me, more so than these hiccups usually do. Don't get me wrong, he in no way lords himself over me like a parent, and he isn't doing that here. In fact he more often than not indulges my spending whims more than he is comfortable doing. But for some reason his hesitations this time are really kind of pissing me off. And it all comes down to the fact that I am the one who drives this car and it seems somehow wrong to me that he should get to determine what I drive.

That's it. No point to it all. Just wanted to vent.  

laina2012

I feel your pain, we are having the exact same "discussion."  I need/want a new car.  H says we don't NEED one, but one would be nice, we go round and round and have the same conversation.  Sometimes I feel like stopping on my way home from work and just going to the lot, test driving and then coming home with one and saying, "Well, now it is done." 

buckeyethor

I feel like that over so many things. Is your current vehicle getting high on miles? Is it almost time for it to get new tires or other bigger expense? Are you having trouble getting both kids in and out? Will the new vehicle have better gas mileage? Do you want to buy now or want until the prices drop at the end of the model year?

Ttimes3

My initial thoughts:

Why is he driving a luxury sedan? How is that practical in any way? What are you wanting to buy (instead of your current SUV) - a new SUV, another used SUV, a new minivan, a used minivan, etc.? What are your specific *issues* with your current vehicle?

Moesten

Ttimes3:

My initial thoughts:

Why is he driving a luxury sedan? How is that practical in any way? What are you wanting to buy (instead of your current SUV) - a new SUV, another used SUV, a new minivan, a used minivan, etc.? What are your specific *issues* with your current vehicle?

I want a used minivan. The two issues are really that I want power sliding doors and I want a larger seating capacity.

But we don't necessarily agree on which used cars. Whereas I am pretty cheap when it comes to cars and am willing to buy something with higher miles, DH insists on lower mileage and thus anything we've agreed on has been somewhat pricey.

To answer someone else's question - I am driving a 2005 Highlander with 99,000 miles so there is plenty of life left in it since I come from the kind of family where we put 200,000 miles on a Toyota or Honda.  

Ttimes3

Moesten:

Ttimes3:

My initial thoughts:

Why is he driving a luxury sedan? How is that practical in any way? What are you wanting to buy (instead of your current SUV) - a new SUV, another used SUV, a new minivan, a used minivan, etc.? What are your specific *issues* with your current vehicle?

I want a used minivan. The two issues are really that I want power sliding doors and I want a larger seating capacity.

But we don't necessarily agree on which used cars. Whereas I am pretty cheap when it comes to cars and am willing to buy something with higher miles, DH insists on lower mileage and thus anything we've agreed on has been somewhat pricey.

To answer someone else's question - I am driving a 2005 Highlander with 99,000 miles so there is plenty of life left in it since I come from the kind of family where we put 200,000 miles on a Toyota or Honda.  

Could you trade in his car to offset the price of the new(er) minivan, then he could drive the Highlander? That way, at the end of the day, you have two family friendly cars and still just one car payment. WIN-WIN, no?

Moesten

Ttimes3:

Moesten:

Ttimes3:

My initial thoughts:

Why is he driving a luxury sedan? 

Could you trade in his car to offset the price of the new(er) minivan, then he could drive the Highlander? That way, at the end of the day, you have two family friendly cars and still just one car payment. WIN-WIN, no?

This would be a brilliant idea if only we owned his car. We don't. It's a company car. It's not the financial aspect of his car that annoys me, it's the whole idea of him being able to say I don't need a new car with all sorts of conveniences while he's driving a suped-up car, kwim? Sure it's easy for him to say. He's not the one schlepping kids in and out of my car every day. 

I'm just whiney. At the end of the day I have a perfectly fine car. I just wish I had known three years ago that I was going to want these other features and therefore I would have made different decisions when we bought this car. But I will be the first to say I would rather get our basement finished than buy a minivan. Still, I'm just feeling pissy about it.  

buckeyethor

I think it is perfectly reasonable to want to trade in your vehicle at 99,000 miles while you can still get something out of it. I have never driven a Toyota but a lot of my previous cars have had issues over 100k. Plus, think of the money you will save having a car with better gas mileage especially if you go to a minivan.

Ttimes3

Moesten:

Ttimes3:

Moesten:

Ttimes3:

My initial thoughts:

Why is he driving a luxury sedan? 

Could you trade in his car to offset the price of the new(er) minivan, then he could drive the Highlander? That way, at the end of the day, you have two family friendly cars and still just one car payment. WIN-WIN, no?

This would be a brilliant idea if only we owned his car. We don't. It's a company car. It's not the financial aspect of his car that annoys me, it's the whole idea of him being able to say I don't need a new car with all sorts of conveniences while he's driving a suped-up car, kwim? Sure it's easy for him to say. He's not the one schlepping kids in and out of my car every day. 

I'm just whiney. At the end of the day I have a perfectly fine car. I just wish I had known three years ago that I was going to want these other features and therefore I would have made different decisions when we bought this car. But I will be the first to say I would rather get our basement finished than buy a minivan. Still, I'm just feeling pissy about it.  

Ahhhh, now I understand exactly where you are coming from. I have to say, I see where you are coming from. That said, I'd LOVE a minivan; but I continue to drive my '05 Corolla for essentially the exact same reasons you still have your Highlander. Being financially responsible is NO FUN, most times, huh?