Final Car Payment...

I was so excited last month because I was finally going to make my last car payment! Sixteen months early! I was so excited, key word is, was. I had my statement balance in hand and went online to make my final payment and then I anxiously awaited my new title that would say I was finally the owner!

I bought my 2007 Honda Civic in October of 2006. Before that I was driving my mom's 1999 Buick whenever she wasn't using it. I was living at home so it really wasn't an inconvenience for either of us, until I started dating my future hubby in September 2006. It's weird to ask your mom if you can borrow her car for the night. It's great when she doesn't mind, but that's when I started to feel like I was taking advantage of my car driving privileges. It was time to get my own car. I love my little civic and I plan on keeping it for as long as it's convenient for both the hubby and me. If we have a baby someday, my little two-door won't exactly be the best car.

This car has taken me on great rides. It's been the best gas-saver on my commute to college. I've never had a problem, other than sometimes keeping it as dirty as I would my room when I was a kid (sorry about that mom, I understand now that I have my own home)... It's been a good little car.

But thinking about my last payment made me think of the future of cars for me. My first choice is the new Honda Accord Crosstour.

I love the feel of a car, and we're not planning on having kids (plural that is) so I will never drive a mini-van. The hubby is not a big fan of the look of the car, he says it's similar to a bubble, but I love it! I think it's a perfect car, so I went and test drove it last week. Unfortunately, the guy who sold me my first car was off for the day, so I had to settle on his partner. The man was very nice, of course he said all the right things that a salesman says, "Oh, look at you in that car, it's a perfect fit!"— You know the regime if you've ever bought a new car from a dealer... then I went for the test drive and it was amazing. It has the feel of a car, but it's 4-wheel drive and has lots of room. Loved it!

Then we started to talk about trade-in value. He said that they would give me $10,000 for my little beautiful civic. I think she deserves more. He said that I would get more on the private market for her because she is in great shape. Then it happened. The little words that just piss a woman off! "I'm sure when you come back in with your husband, he can wheel and deal the price for your trade in up a few hundred bucks."

Seriously?! This is my car. I don't need my hubby to wheel and deal for me on my car. I ask his input because we're in a partnership. But the nerve of him! It just totally turned me off. I wasn't going to buy anytime soon anyway, unless we needed to, I guess I just didn't realize that there are still people out there that are male chauvinists.

If that wasn't enough, I finally got what I was waiting for from my bank that I had the car loan with. I was so excited for it to be opened. My hubby got the mail that day and he knew I was waiting for it, so I asked him to open it, then he laughed and said he was sorry: my balance is $2.23! What?! Apparently, I have to wait another month to get my title amendment because they decided to charge the interest at the end of each month. Lucky me.

So finally, my final car payment is actually a final payment! I'll be waiting for the postal carrier to deliver it, just so I can be proud of my first big purchase I made on my very own. Yeah me! Maybe next time I go to the dealership I'll find a salesman who thinks I'm "man enough" to make a big girl purchase on my own...