FISCHER: The New Car Blues

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

In 2007, I bought my first car.

Obviously I had cars before that, but they had always been whatever my parents deemed to hand me down. 2007 was when I picked out and paid for a car of my own.

It was a red 1998 Chrysler Sebring convertible. I loved that car. Spent a lot of time in that car. Drove across the country and back in that car.

In 2014, when it became apparent that my Sebring was getting up there in age and mileage, I decided it was time to trade up. So I bought a newer red Chrysler Sebring convertible.

When I like something, I tend to stick with it.

However, when the temperature got cold this winter, my beloved car started to make some pretty obnoxious noises. A squealing belt that announced my approach with the sound of a thousand crickets.

Taking it into the shop for a look, repairing the broken stabilizer would cost about $1,000. One-fifth of what I paid for the car a decade ago.

Thus, it was time to do some car shopping.

My criteria wasn’t outlandish. I wanted something no older than 2014, under 100,000 miles, and within my budget.

The Chrysler Sebring was discontinued in 2010 so I knew that was right out. And even its successor, the Chrysler 200, was discontinued in 2016. Finding one of those that met my criteria would not be easy either.

Ultimately, I resigned myself to the fact that I’d have to look at other kinds of cars.

So I did my hunting online, did some test driving (shout out to Mickey at Molstead Motors, who was a pleasure to work with even though I didn’t end up buying the car I tested), and made arrangements with the bank for the loan pre-approval.

And, of course, the moment the loan paperwork was finished, my Sebring decided it was done making noise. It ran quiet as a mouse all the way to the dealership as I prepared to trade it in.

It ran so quiet that I could clearly hear all of my second thoughts about getting rid of my beloved Sebring.

On the one hand, the belt was far from the only issue I had with the car. The front end was barely hanging on, the rear window on the convertible top was held in place with tape, the hydraulics to bring the top down had been broken for years, the lights illuminating the A/C and heat dials didn’t work, the exterior had its share of dents and scrapes, the passenger side door handle was kinda wonky, so on and so forth.

On the other hand, none of those things particularly bothered me. The car still drove well enough. I was comfortable with it. If that belt had suddenly decided to start behaving again, I was pretty sure it would keep me going at least through the summer.

On the other other hand, did I want to risk it? I found a good deal on a good car – 2016, under 50,000 miles, and right on the edge of my price range. What are the odds I’d find as good a match as that if I waited until I really needed it?

So, setting my apprehensions aside, I signed all the papers and traded keys.

Buying a new car should be a happy experience, but watching the salesman drive away with my Sebring for a fate unknown was anything but. The new car is fine, but after 16 or 17 years of driving the same kind of vehicle, it’s hard to get used to seeing a different car in my spot.

One can only hope those feelings will go away the next time it snows and I get to use my new remote start.

— Travis Fischer is a news writer for the Charles City Press and definitely needs to cancel Netflix, among other things, now that he has car payments to deal with.