re: Buying a cheapo used car

I bought a 1998 Toyota 4Runner Limited in 2007 for $5,300 w/138K miles. I was in a HUGE financial hole & had to finance it for a $200/month note & paid it off a little over a year ago.

The Sunday after I made the final payment someone hit me & totaled it.

I bought another one from a local dealer in Denham Springs for $5,800, this time it was a 2000 SR5 with fewer miles than my '98 had originally at the time I purchased it.

I have been car-note free for over a year, & I currently have 150K miles on my truck.

I will probably look to get something else once I get up around 240K miles so I'm in position to buy at 250-280K miles.

Toyota's quality & craftsmanship during the time period of the late 90's early 00's is impeccable. Change the oil, get a tuneup if you just bought it. Change & rotate the tires, and it'll run forever. Literally.

I backed into my Grandmother's Buick after she parked behind my '98 a few weeks after I got it. All I did was shatter the tail-light. I ordered a replacement online for $13 or so. I needed one Phillips Screwdriver & a pocket-knife to open the package.

The 2000 I bought had a wood-grain interior that I hated. It was also in declining shape. I paid about $130 for a 3M interior package. Went to Home Depot and spent $20 on some scraping tools & some adhesive solvent that was vinyl friendly.

Spent an afternoon under the shadetree at my house & had it changed in 2 hours to a nice piano black finish trim on the dash and on all four doors.

I've spent a grand total of $6000 on my automobiles not including standard maitenance since late 2007. I don't give a red rat's arse about what kind of car I drive. I keep them washed & detailed, & I laugh at all of you chunking $800/month down for your Tahoe's & new Suburban's.

I'll be getting 20+ mpg in a car that I don't pay a dime on. The AC blows cold, my iPhone's music plays through the radio, the Airbags will deploy, & I will stay in the black while you're busy reaffirming the debt on your GM financed waste-of-moolah during your Chapter 13 filing.