A Not So Merry Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve I was driving home in a snow storm.  I had to make one more stop at Kmart in Rexburg to pick up the last lay away.  As I was getting off the Main Street exit I started sliding and couldn't stop.  I ended up rear ending a woman in a green Honda.  It ripped her bumper and muffler off and who knows what else.  It took out my driver's side head light completely, and the passenger side marker light.  And it bent the hood. 

To look at it you wouldn't think it is that bad.  But after the insurance adjuster came and looked at it they ended up declaring it "not worth repairing."  Luckily we had full coverage on it.  And shockingly they valued it at $3800.00  We bought this van five years ago after my last accident when I spun out in an ice rut and the van I was driving did a slow roll.  We were able to get it for $5500.00.   So I feel amazingly blessed to be getting $3800.00 for it five years later.

My kids call this van the tank.  It really has been through a lot.  I have been determined to drive it until the wheels fall off.  I have put 100,000 miles on it in the last five years, and I was really hoping to get to 300,000 miles!  But at 246,411 I finally had to let it go.  

It really is a blessing in disguise to be able to get any money out of it at all.  The air conditioning has been broken for the last two years and I have sweat out the commute during the summer because I was too cheap to spend $1000 to replace it.  Now the heater doesn't even work that well.  The "service engine light" is pretty much always on.  The clock quit working.  The rear wiper quit working.  The power window on the drivers side had a short in it.  So I would have to manually pull it up while I was pressing the button.  

Layne has been on my case to get something better but I have really enjoyed not having a car payment.  So I guess I had to have the option taken out of my hands. 

It may be crazy but I actually really enjoyed my van.  I really don't need another van, but I love having the space and I love sitting up a little higher.  So yes, I ended up getting another van.  I can't believe it, but with the down payment from the insurance payoff and a 1.9% interest rate on the balance, we were able to get a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country touring edition van.  It only has 81,000 miles on it and they claim it will get 27 mpg on the freeway.  It has some great in floor storage.  So we are planning on taking it to Arizona with us this year and filling them full of grapefruit and oranges. 

And the real selling point, which we figured out after we already got it home, was that the sliding doors have windows that roll down!  This will be great for Tanner who gets car sick pretty easily and likes to control his own air flow. 

So what I thought was a a bad day turned out to be a blessing, and I am going into the new year with a new(ish) vehicle!  Yeah!!!