Car. New Car.
The TT was starting to give me some trouble, and I didn't want to spend a penny to fix it, so I did some research on reasonable but fun small cars and chose a 2021 Toyota Corolla SE Nightshade. 3 year lease.
It was time to grow up, car-wise. I need a dependable daily commuter, not a 16 year old "luxury" sports car. The TT was a good car, don't get me wrong, but it needed a lot of work and I wasn't going to throw $3K into it to keep it running when I knew I wasn't going to keep it long term. The plan was to pay off my remaining $3K on the 0% interest CC I have, THEN buy a new car but the TT forced my hand. It had been having overheating issues the last few weeks and that's almost never a cheap fix.
As it stands the Corolla will cost me $370/month for the lease, and an additional $50/month in insurance cost. Not too painful. It may make the Vegas save more interesting, especially as the higher save amounts come due in November/December, but I can cut back in other parts of my life to offset the cost. I've needed to do that for a while now. The amount of money I spend every month on Grubhub, for example, is obscene. 3 or 4 of those a week is a hundred bucks. There's your car payment right there. I'll be alright.
I never thought I'd end up in a Corolla, traditionally the most basic bitch car you can find, but this car is so far from basic bitch (see pic above) that I chose it over other possibilities like the Civic or Impreza. The hatch is by far the best looking car in the class, IMO; throw in the Nightshade package with the blacked out accents all over and the 18" blacked out rims and you have a pretty sweet looking car, especially, I think, in silver.
And, of course, it's a Toyota. Which means legendary reliability, build quality, safety features up the ass, and great gas mileage. At 168 HP, it's not exactly a barn burner, but with the CVT it gets along well enough for a small car. It's crazy easy to drive. I can also go sport mode and paddle shift if I really want to book. I also can finally move into the 21st century with Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity. No more dicking around with a 6-disc CD changer. I also have a comprehensive warranty for the full 3 years, and 2 years of included basic maintenance. It's a hell of a package.
All in all a huge upgrade over the TT in nearly every way and sets me up to not have to worry about getting around for the next 3 years. From a Vegas perspective, it might also mean a Vegas road trip once a year or so, which I never would have attempted with the TT. Probably wouldn't want to do more than 1 a year since I am on a 10K miles/year mileage limit with the lease, but as little as I drive in normal life I shouldn't come close to that.
So there you go. I'm car'd.
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