Last week I was driving my car home from work and started to notice an odd sound coming from the engine. Honestly, my car is not in the greatest of condition. My heart sank. I have already put more than enough money into this car -- and now I have another problem.
I literally could not sleep. That meant the possibility of a repair that could run into a lot of money -- hundreds or even thousands. It seems like they always do. So, I was about to take it to a mechanic to have them take a look at it, but feared what they would tell me. That is when I had first heard of "cash for cars."
Taking into consideration my own financial situation and all the challenges within the job market and the economy -- I had to be realistic with myself; could I really afford another huge auto repair bill?
Since I am not the car's original owner, I really do not really know what its repair history is. And, for that matter I do not know what its maintenance history is either. Even if I did know it's "history," that does not guarantee me any sort of "cap" on repair costs. And, then of course there is my biggest fear getting a call the next day from the mechanic telling me that it is going to cost hundreds of dollars to repair.
Or worst yet, it is going to cost over a thousand dollars to repair. This has happened to me more times in my life than I would like to admit. I really cannot afford this again.
At that point I had to be realistic about my expectations, and needed to seriously consider the option of selling my vehicle instead. I really had to sit down and decide whether dealing with "repairs after repair was really something that I wanted to continue to wrestle with. When I finally sat down and looked at the "give and take" of repairing my vehicle, versus selling it outright -- the logical choice became apparent.
I could settle for more of the "unknown repair trap," and "pray" that the mechanic is being honest with me. And, even if he is on the "up and up," it would likely still run into a lot of money. It will cost mega bucks either way you look at it.
So my choices are clear - fix the car today, and then next week another problem comes up -- Or, I could simply sell my vehicle for cash and be rid of the headache once and for all. Hands down, selling my vehicle for cash is the clear answer.
I literally could not sleep. That meant the possibility of a repair that could run into a lot of money -- hundreds or even thousands. It seems like they always do. So, I was about to take it to a mechanic to have them take a look at it, but feared what they would tell me. That is when I had first heard of "cash for cars."
Taking into consideration my own financial situation and all the challenges within the job market and the economy -- I had to be realistic with myself; could I really afford another huge auto repair bill?
Since I am not the car's original owner, I really do not really know what its repair history is. And, for that matter I do not know what its maintenance history is either. Even if I did know it's "history," that does not guarantee me any sort of "cap" on repair costs. And, then of course there is my biggest fear getting a call the next day from the mechanic telling me that it is going to cost hundreds of dollars to repair.
Or worst yet, it is going to cost over a thousand dollars to repair. This has happened to me more times in my life than I would like to admit. I really cannot afford this again.
At that point I had to be realistic about my expectations, and needed to seriously consider the option of selling my vehicle instead. I really had to sit down and decide whether dealing with "repairs after repair was really something that I wanted to continue to wrestle with. When I finally sat down and looked at the "give and take" of repairing my vehicle, versus selling it outright -- the logical choice became apparent.
I could settle for more of the "unknown repair trap," and "pray" that the mechanic is being honest with me. And, even if he is on the "up and up," it would likely still run into a lot of money. It will cost mega bucks either way you look at it.
So my choices are clear - fix the car today, and then next week another problem comes up -- Or, I could simply sell my vehicle for cash and be rid of the headache once and for all. Hands down, selling my vehicle for cash is the clear answer.
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