By: Revanche

A Doggle Chariot and Long Term Outlooks

July 14, 2011

Well. Now we’ve dunnit.

The situation:  After setting the date for a car purchase in 2012, and swearing up and down that nothing was going to happen on that front until we had that settled, what happens?  PiC finds a potential Doggle Chariot.

I was pretty frustrated with the thwarting of my financial plans.  But then I decided that was a knee-jerk reason not to buy and self-centered to boot (my finances, my decisions) so I sat down with spreadsheets and crunched the numbers until I had a clearer view of where we both stand.

Financing was never an option, period. That’s not something I’m willing to compromise on – paying interest (unnecessarily) in order to defer payments means you can’t afford that purchase.

The Analysis:  Considering our cash position, I didn’t really want to spend the money.  [I know, when do I ever?]  But the unwillingness was based on the fact that, if our finances were merged, our net worth would not be at a place that I would feel comfortable making a major purchase. But as we’re not married yet, the monies are not merged.  And even if they were, discomfort or not, this purchase would not significantly hurt our big picture goals.  True, it wouldn’t do us any favors for the year, and it will be a pain to juggle around cash for property taxes but, it wouldn’t actively put us in a bad position and I’ve also always been cash heavy so we wouldn’t be breaking CDs or other funds to pull this cash out.

From that perspective, if this was the right car, and if the seller accepted our offer, the amount could be under ten thousand dollars, paid in full, in cash, therefore not a financially disastrous decision.

We also don’t intend to carry three cars on the insurance so his car would have to be sold, and that would make up some of the purchase price.

Considering the wedding plans that aren’t coming along but would still need to be paid for at some point when it does come together, I was still on the fence, but agreed that we were in a position to at least look at the car in case it happened to be a well-maintained vehicle that was worth spending on earlier than originally planned.

Of course, the car was not only in great shape with low mileage, and much of the major maintenance had already been done on it early and the work checked out.

The Outcome:  I should stop poopooing PiC’s Craigslist stalking, he managed to find the nicest people to buy a new car from. Not only did they accept a really good (for us) offer, they accommodated our needs for the various bits leading up to sale since we weren’t terribly close to each other and even had purchased road trip supplies for Doggle as gifts when the sale was finalized, knowing we were buying it for Doggle.

Now we’re able to have more than two people plus 1 dog per car ride, which is helpful.  Most importantly, Doggle’s much more comfortable getting in and out of the Chariot now, and has more room to move around, although now you mostly only see his big head if you look in the rearview because he likes to be Right In The Middle.  This is much better for his joints.  He was always a bit scrabbly trying to get into my car and you could see him visibly heaving himself up into the backseat.  Now he’s still leaping but it’s much more graceful and puts far less stress on his body.

My Realization: It’s still really hard for me to talk through major or minor financial decisions with adults and trust that they are open and willing and committed and going to make the right decisions.  I can talk, but I can’t trust.  It’s still an emotional imperative that I must be the one to make the decisions at the end of the day or suffer the consequences.  Thanks, family.  And I’ve always been hands-off with PiC’s finances, outside of sharing general (or specific if asked) information.  This transition is a bit tough.  But it’s something I’m working on.

8 Responses to “A Doggle Chariot and Long Term Outlooks”

  1. Yay on the new chariot for Doggle. He’s one lucky pup 🙂

  2. It’s great though that you actually sat down and ran the numbers and figured out where the boundaries were and what kind of market you could be looking at. Yay Craigslist! It’s wonderful how you and your fiance are growing together.

  3. The Borrower says:

    Congrats on the new ride. I completely understand the trust issues and I am almost twice your age and still dealing with it. It has gotten better through more distance from the first family and a wonderful second family.

  4. I’m sure Doggle feels loved.

    A new car just for him! I’m sure he’s panting in happiness already.

  5. Uh oh… Now don’t forget, you have to carry this expense on your books not as “transportation” but as “dog.” Then in 12 or 14 years you can look back and figure out how much that hound cost you! 😉

    That’s how I arrived at the conclusion that Anna the GerShep and Walt the Greyhound racked up $40,000 worth of “dog” debits in the 13 years or so of their respective lifetimes.

    It sounds like you got a very good deal on this ride. Low mileage, good condition, and exactly the type of vehicle you need for under ten grand? Awe-inspiring!

    Had to forward a link to M’hijito, who just today was saying that with the advent of the new Pupple, he’s started to think about selling his clunk and replacing it with something like a Hyundai Santa Fe or some similar crossover.

    Dog chariot.

  6. What did you end up getting for Doggle? Curious large-breed dog owners want to know 🙂 Especially since we sometimes have to lift poor Julius in the car now…he’s no young’un anymore.

  7. He, or should I say, poor us, hoisting that heavy dog butt into the car?

  8. Revanche says:

    @Momma Star: He totally is. 🙂

    @Nicoleandmaggie: Growth. Feh. It’s uncomfortable. 😉
    I’m glad though.

    @The Borrower: Definitely with the time, and even more so with effort and deliberate, conscious acts.

    @AP: He LOVES it.

    @FAM: They have to split! Because PiC’s been looking at cars for YEARS. He just had to wait for *really* good reason to pull the trigger.

    @Chocolate and Champs: He got an Audi station wagon. If you back up to a curb, it’s only about the bumper height off the ground so it’s barely the height of a stair step. Very much better for the pup!

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