Blessings in Disguise – Part II | brokeGIRLrich
Have you ever owned something that you wanted to set on fire or beat with a tire iron only to find that once you got rid of it, you’d actually learned a lot?
For me, that was my first car.
I called her Monster. For a reason.
I learned you get what you pay for. Monster cost me about $1,200 and my parents pitched in the other $1,200.
Monster was a dream for about a week. Then she started making a weird squealing noise.
Turns out that’s the noise an alternator belt makes before it snaps.
Turns out Monster liked to eat alternator belts and I needed to buy a new one every three months.
Monster also liked to eat tires. There is no reason on earth why I should’ve gotten as many flat tires as I did, but I certainly did learn how to change a flat tire thanks to her.
I learned to stay calm as smoke stars pouring out of the hood of my car while I’m driving down the highway (alarming) or in the middle of the woods with no one around for miles (very alarming).
I learned to walk through the woods to the nearest house, knock on their door and ask to use their phone – this was the early cell phone days when I would either have forgotten to charge the dang thing, left it home or had no service in the middle of those woods I lived in.
I learned how to judge character and politely decline going into some people’s homes that I got a bad vibe from, even when they were being nice and letting me use their phone. Who knows? I probably would’ve been ok, but fine tuning your safety 6th sense is never a bad thing.
I learned that you can sink a ridiculous amount of money into a car trying to keep it running, so much, that if you’re not paying attention, you might as well have just bought another car.
Needless to say, I’m happy the days of Monster are behind me. But if I ever have kids, I am 100% on board for them getting their own Monster while they are young and learning a ton of life skills… at least when they break down in the middle of the woods, I’m sure their super charged cell phones of the future will be able to hunt me down easily.
I had that same experience, but my first car was a Ford Mustang 1981. I got so good at changing the starter, I trained my wife to help me.
Lucky for me a manual shift could be started by pushing it fast enough. I always parked on a hill.
Michael Belk recently posted…New Albany, MS Tanglefoot Trail; Ready To Expand.
Haha, I’ve heard stories about cars that needed to be parked on a hill to be started. I’m just thankful that didn’t wind up being one of my experiences with my first car.
lol. a timely post. My twins just passed their road test. I paid $60 for my first car. A 1979 gran torino. Think Starsky and Hutch but in way worst shape and no cool paint job. It did teach me some negotiating skills. The guys was asking $150 for the car and my dad talked him down to $60. I ending up selling it a year later for $125.
Brian @ debt discipline recently posted…The Fill the Bucket List Challenge
Yikes, good luck with two teenagers on the road! And way to make money on your first car!!
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Financially Savvy Saturdays #130
My first car was a 95 Neon, and I loved her, but she guzzled oil. Didn’t leak – just used excessive amounts of it! I had to keep at least 3 quarts in my trunk at all times. I don’t know how many times it would start to shudder on the interstate (still not sure what caused that), and I’d pull over, take a deep breath, and get under the hood.
Hahaha, amazing.
I didn’t actually own a car until my mom gave us hers when we moved to Phoenix. Thankfully, it was a relatively good car… until it got totaled by an idiot woman not looking where she was going.
The next car was something of a nightmare. I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as I remember, but it felt like something was going wrong every month or two. And we paid way too much for it to begin with. Grumble grumble.
Abigail @ipickuppennies recently posted…Why we’re getting Tim weekly massages
Ugh. Sorry about that idiot woman! I’m glad it kept you alive though!
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Financially Savvy Saturdays #130
My first car taught meto never sign another car lease agreement. 🙂
Amy @ DebtGal recently posted…Money Back in My Pocket
Haha. I’ve been lucky enough never to lease. One of my best friends swears by it and I think she’s nuts!
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Blessings in Disguise – Part II
I didn’t pay for it myself (thanks mom and dad) but the first vehicle I ever drove was a Jeep I named Deathtrap. I drove it for 10 years! One of the doors literally fell off once. I learned how expensive car repairs are (and how that varies in different makes and models) and to consider that before buying a new car!
Erin @ Stay At Home Yogi recently posted…5 Ways I Wasted Money Last Month!
Love the name!!
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Financially Savvy Saturdays #130
What a positive way to look at a series of unpleasant experiences with the Monster 🙂 I haven’t had a flat tire yet, thank God, but if I do, I’m pretty sure I’ll slowly drive the car over to the nearest gas station. Not the best thing to do, I know. Changing the tire was actually the first thing my dad taught my mum when he taught her how to drive and I can see why it’s so important now…
Fehmeen recently posted…Debt Free at 26 – How Cassie Repaid Her Student Debt
I really love the car I got after Monster, but it got a flat tire maybe two years ago in the middle of a very cold winter night and the guy I was dating at the time and I wound up in the pretty big fight because he jumped out to change the tire (very chivalrously) but clearly had no idea what he was doing, and we were both just too cold and tired for everything happening that evening. I was like “what are you doing? You’re doing it all wrong!” and it turned out I certainly do still remember how to change a tire, but I perhaps still have very far to go with being a kinder, more patient girlfriend. 😛
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Blessings In Disguise â Part I
My first car was a Plymouth Duster- 1993. Someone stole it while I was at work at the train station. I thought I was crazy when I couldn’t find it. They used a flathead screw driver to start it.
Ugh, that sucks! I’m so sorry to hear that!