Freedom, part 1: Baby, You Can Drive My Car

Hello there ladies & gentlemen / hello there ladies & gents / are you ready to rock / are you ready to rock?

Freedom - what a word! Notice "part 1" - more to come.

However, let's do part 1. This past Friday (11/4), I took a game piece to Riser Ford in Hot Springs. The game piece stated that if two numbers matched, I won. So, I won $5 on a game piece at Riser, & while I was there, I went to look at some cars. This really cool guy named Joe saw me looking, & he asked if I needed assistance. I told him that I was interested in getting another car, & I had a $2000 trade-in voucher from Riser that I had gotten in the mail.

Before I go any further, I should go into a little history about my last car. It was a 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue that I had bought on July 31, 2000, which was my 32nd birthday. I had just gotten the Corsica paid off, but my ex-wife insisted that, if I get sent to management training, I need a newer car. So, I bought the Intrigue, & for quite a while, it was a nice car. In the six months between the time I left for management school & the time I finally got the ex in Hot Springs, I easily put about 15,000 miles on the car. I had just about gotten it paid off when, in February of this year, I lose the transmission. I had to get the transmission rebuilt, which cost about $2500, then in September, I had a wreck. I got the car out of the shop three weeks ago, but it just didn't feel the same. Then, last Friday evening (11/4), I ran out of gas about a quarter of a mile from my house, & the trip odometer said that I had only put 200 miles between fill-ups on my car. Let's see - 200 miles on a 15 gallon tank - it averages about 13 miles a gallon. I took that as a sign. It's time for a newer car.

So, after speaking with Joe & collecting the $5, I went back to work. After work, I went back on the car lot & looked some more before heading home.

I went in earlier than usual last Saturday (11/5), because I had needed to take an extended lunch break. I went back to Riser. I test-drove a Ford Mustang for starters. It was OK, but I remembered my ex-sister-in-law having major problems with her Mustang. I also test drove an Explorer - no, thank you. I tested out a Toyota Tacoma - it was OK, but I felt that the price was a little steep considering that it already had 30,000 miles on it. So I passed on that.

Then, I saw a burnt orange Jeep Liberty SUV. It was a 2002 model with 30,000 miles on it. Joe then asked me what kind of car payments was I interested in. I told him that I wanted somewhere in the $350 a month range. He then directed me to a 2005 Liberty with only 9,000 miles on it. He persuaded me to test-drive that one. He also told me that if I liked it, he would talk to his boss & see what he could do. Anyway, I tested it & fell in love with it. I then told him let's see about a deal. He then had a meeting with his boss, & then he came back to me with the offer. He told me that he tried to talk him to $350/month, but the best he could do was $372/month. I told him let's deal.

So, now, I am the new owner of a 2005 white Jeep Liberty SUV. And I love it. It is really a sharp ride. And 5 more years of payments are under way! Whoopie!!

Well, that's it for this one. More to come...

Good night now ladies & gentlemen / good night now ladies & gents / it's the end of the show / now it's time to go...

Bolivar "Liberty" Shagnasty