Is That Your Final Answer? Part 3

*Suspensful Music*

Regis Philman stares at me from across the monitors. His gaze locked with mine. He asks,

"Is that your...final answer?"

I can feel the beads of sweat roll down my face, this decision could make or break my immediate future. If I make the wrong move now I'll be completely screwed.

"Yes Regis..." I reply "That is my final answer."

He sits backs, sighs, and looks at me agian.

"Well Jake, I've got a little tip for you..."

My heart seizes for a moment in pure suspense...

"...change your oil every 5,000 miles, because you JUST BOUGHT A NEW CAR!!!"

And the crowd goes WILD!



So my car buying experience didn't exactly go like that and it didn't feature any guest appearances by Regis, but it was pretty exciting.

I decided that I would 'Buy me a Mercury, and cruise it up and down the road,' in the words of Alan Jackson. The Neon was simply too much money to insure, and the Grand Marquis was the car I wanted from the start.


The best advice I got was from my boss who said, "Just go with your heart, Jake!"

To which I replied, "I will Suzi! And since I'm going with what my heart says, enjoy seeing me naked at work tomorrow!"

She grimaced, "Go with whatever your heart says, unless it's telling you to get naked. If you come to work naked you're not going to be employed anymore, Jake."

True story.

I bought it for $2,000, which was 500 less than asking price. That saved me some decent money, but the car ended up being about $300 more in repairs than I had estimated. After getting it a proper insurance inspection, repairs, parts replaced, and labour, I spent about $1,100 getting it fixed so it could get insurance.

Insurance is another 2 grand or so, but that's in monthly payments so it's not the end of the world.

I've been cruising around in it all week and all I have to say is,

DAMN!

That car is one fly ride. It's so smooth! And the interior is amazing! It's like sitting on a couch, and the steering is all wide and slow, just the way I like it. The brakes are soft and easy, which is good too because I'm really bad with brakes that are touchy and sensitive. I'm more liable to get in an accident than I am to avoid one with brakes like that.

I took it to the pumps for a fill when it had about an eighth of a tank, and it cost around $55. That's about ten bucks more than my last car, but gas is a lot more expensive now than it was three weeks ago when I still had my old car. So I figure my gas budget won't change too much. I averaged a $40-50 fill every two weeks, I'll budget another extra twenty or thirty a month to compensate.

On the topic of my old Buick, it's still parked in the lot of the Midas where I abandoned it. Some pictures were took on a camera I don't have, and those'll be here soon.

I'm so happy I have a car with a tape deck too! And yes, I do mean tape deck. I think there's a real art to making a good mix tape. It's gotta have flow, and be timed out perfectly so that when one side ends it'll flip right over and begin on the other side. They're almost as much fun to make as they are to listen to!

FYI, I named my ride Glenda. When I was at the bank getting a draft cheque to pay for the car repairs the girl who helped me was named Glenda. I thought this was a fantastic name for such a good looking young girl to have. It's definitely an older style name, like my car, so I figured it was a perfect fit.

Glenda and I will have a long and happy future together. I'm sure of it.

Alan Jackson - Mercury Blues