Is it time to get a ‘new’ car?

My first car was a 1981 Chevy Impala. That car was a tank compared to the tiny Toyota Prius that I drive today, but it was a lot of fun to drive. You could pack a lot of people into that car and I could almost stretch out completely in the back seat and take a nap. My parents gave me the car when I was in college and it was perfect for that time in my life.

As I mentioned, today I drive a used 2002 Toyota Prius and I have learned a lot about purchasing cars since those days in college. The most important thing I have learned as that the way a car looks doesn’t really impact the way it drives. The next most important thing I have learned is a car that doesn’t have a payment, is really a cool car. The last two vehicles we have purchased, we have done so with cash. Granted they were both used cars, but a good paid-for used car is really good on the budget.

Stew from Gather Little by Little shares some lessons on buying cars from his personal experience. Stew lists 6 things that he has learned with regard to owning cars. For most of us, car ownership is a necessity, but that car doesn’t have to be a new car, and it doesn’t need to have a payment.