Cash for Clunkers
August 10, 2009
This week we decided it was time to turn in our faithful 1885 Ford Ranger for a new vehicle.
The allure of $4500 put us over the edge because we have been rather fond of our truck.
It is perfect for taking the dogs for a run. We ran a cord along the back with hooks. The dogs jump up and we hook them up to drive them to our favorite trails.
It’s great for those odd jobs around the house. Yes, we do have another truck with leather interior and a lift kit and you should hear my husband scream if it looks like you might just scratch the paint job with that piece of lumber. No worries with the Ranger which happily accepts all manner of wear and tear, like a favorite pair of worn jeans.
Finally, the Ranger is great for those trips to Swap meets, garage sales and other times you want to wheel and deal. No one would suspect we could afford any more than we were offering with one look at our wheels.
But $4500 put betrayal in our hearts. We dreamed of a radio that worked without static. We dreamed of air conditioning. We dreamed of not breaking down every few weeks. We began searching for a new car.
I looked at cars with better gas mileage. The Ranger gets 22 miles to a gallon. My car search narrowed because few new cars get better gas mileage. We also found out that we would not get $4500 for the Ranger, but only $3500 because it got such good gas mileage.
Next we looked for a car with so many uses. I wondered how I would get my plants home from the nursery. I wondered how we would take the dogs to our favorite trails. I wondered if a 2x4x10 would fit in the car even if I laid down the seats and opened the passenger window.
We did test drive several cars and fixed the Ranger for $400 in the process.
By Friday, we’d decided that no amount of money would or could replace the Ranger and it sits proudly in our driveway, dripping oil on the old piece of carpet laid out just for it, waiting patiently for us to load the dogs and take them for a run, and Sunday it brought home a load of plants, planter mix and potting soil from the nursery.
It just goes to show, I suppose, that not even the allure of cash can change the heart of a woman in love with usefulness.
This week I will appreciate the things money can’t buy, like the no worries of an old Ford Ranger.
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