We’ve had a new Rodenbusch join the family. A stylish and very courteous/quiet individual if I could say so. He is one of 5 additions to the Rodenbusch family in the past year and a half and is by far the biggest champ of them all.
We’ve been through a lot this past year and a half. Starting in July of 2006 we’ve been through 5 cars between the two of us. Not because we love cars but because we’ve tried our best not to end up with a car payment on our payroll. It all started when we got married and brought to the table the good, the bad and the messed up.
We had my favorite, but most dysfunctional car – Mr. Jeep – a 1995 Grand Cherokee, Orvis Edt. The Jeep was a stallion, but as stallions get older they require more care and mon
ey. There was a time when Mr. Jeep spewed gas out the back and we still fixed it, because we loved it. After a few dozen fixes, we sold it on Craigslist – for $3200 more than my buddies at CarMax quoted me – just an FYI for those selling and feeling like they might cave into CarMax.
The prize went to a couple who said it had good vibes. I still check my phone when I get a call thinking its them asking for their money back. We replaced it with the workhorse of the 
family – Scarface, a 2002 manual Corolla CE named after an unfortunate accident on a windy road in Westlake.
Will brought to the table a 1994 Previa. A very reliable car that was compromised when it rolled into the back of a diesel t
ruck. It was never the same after that and after being struck by lighting on 290, we thought it was a goner, so Will surprised me with a 2004 Mazda 6 Sport Wagon on the day I graduated from my Masters program – see it below. My dream to be a wagon owner had finally come true. But after finding out that my dream was only offering us 16 MPGs, we s
old it. Thankfully Craigslist is a forgiving market place and we ended up selling it for exactly what we paid for it 6 months prior to an intimidating couple who had just moved from Africa. Finally and I do mean finally we have come to a point where are ducks are in a row.
Last weekend, we wrote the last chapter of The Year of the Car and purchased a 2005 Civic hybrid. We had to drive to Ft. Worth to fetch it, but it was well worth the drive. Below are a few of our personal takes aways from the year*
#2 Do your research – We were buying cars that we didn’t know the gas mileage of and then selling them months later. Mass chaos could have been avoided had I listed my priorities and found a car that met them.
#3 Work through a forgiving marketplace – All of our cars were bought and sold through Craigslist. The reason CarMax and car dealerships (big or small) are still around is because they are profiting off your buying and selling – buy low and then sell it back high. Independent sellers can be desperate and are often times willing to cut you a real good deal just as long as your offering slightly higher than a dealership would pay. Cash is king.
You may be asking yourself – what happened to the electrocuted Previa? Well we fixed it up real nice, and is up for sale. Let us know if you’re interested.
Despite the fact that I listed “take-a-ways” I still consider our attempt to stay thrifty a near complete failure. I would love to have readers who consider themselves thrifty let us in on how they stay price savvy with the inevitably big purchase such as a car. Please share them!