8 years, 8 cars

I originally created this post a couple of years ago. I'm editing and re-posting it now because it's now 2 years & 2 cars later.

As of today, after 5 years of sharing, Eric and I are finally a 2-car family again!

We've been married for 8 years, and we've owned 8 cars. The first was smashed by a neighbor's dune buggy. The second was sold so we could escape to our tropical island. The third was a mistake. The fourth had terrible gas mileage. The fifth had to stay on our tropical island. The 6th had to be sold back to the owner after we discovered that he had rolled the odometer back about 100k miles. And now we hope to enjoy a long happy future with 7 and 8.

Let us reflect...

1. 1998 Nissan Sentra ($5500)

Our first "married" car. This car was with us in Rexburg, Boise, Omaha, DC, back to Omaha & back to Boise. After 4 good years, I had to witness the death of our dear Sentra when a friend came ripping around the corner in his dune buggy, consequently slamming into our (innocently parked) car and then rolling and getting thrown from his. No humans were harmed.

2. 1993 Toyota Paseo ($800, from $1200)

"PUH-say-oh". A bazillion miles on this thing but an awesome lil' car! I'm suprised they stopped selling them in '97 because I've read nothing but great reviews about the Paseo. I think they're immortal.

3. 1997 Nissan Altima ( $1700, from $2000)

Not the smartest purchase. This was our first car on Saipan, and it wasn't a good match for the island. The weather & unpaved roads had taken it's toll on this little guy. Luckily, we were able to sell it in one piece.

4. 1999 Nissan Pathfinder ($4000, from $5500!)

I LOVED this car! Just didn't love filling it up - esp. since gas prices were of course at record highs during the Pathfinder era.

5. 2001 Toyota Echo ($3800 firm)

Thus, we replaced the brute Pathfinder with a little weanie Toyota Echo. It did get great gas, but it felt so light and cheap, I wasn't sad to let her go.

6. 1995 Lexus ES 300 ($3100, from $3500)

We loved this car ... until we discovered that our Russian salesman had turned back the odometer about 100k miles. Luckily, we were able to get our money back.

7. 1997 Lexus ES 300 ($3000, from $4500) | Picture from Wikipedia

So, the search began again. After spending the holidays in New Hampshire, we decided to extend our trip a couple of days in SLC to see if we could take advantage of the selection there. I made a long, detailed spread sheet with all of the cars worth considering. In the end, we ended up with yet another Lexus. This time 2 years newer. We were excited about the purchase until we checked the Carfax and discovered that the car had been in an accident and had a salvaged title. Apparently, the sellers weren't even aware of the salvaged title as the car was sold to them at a "friendly discount" from a previous employer who failed to mention the accident. As a result, the couple felt terrible about (unknowingly) misleading us and agreed to give us a massive discount. Fortunately, we've never had problems with the car, and at $3000, we got a steal of a deal!

8. 2009 Toyota Corolla (only 35k miles) | Picture taken by seller
  ($9500, from $10,300)

Our newest addition to the family. We purchased this car for several thousand under KBB. I know people are going to think we're crazy, but it's another salvaged title. It definitely makes me more nervous than it makes Eric, but it CAN also be a great deal. In this case, I think we're pretty safe. The car just had damage to the rear. The accident did not effect the frame or the alignment in any way. The trunk and bumper were replaced, and now it seems good as new (fingers crossed). Yes, salvaged titles are bad for resale, but we're not looking to sell it anytime soon.