The Pathfinder is dead! Long live the Impreza!
Last night, Dawn and I drove into Rutland to pick up our brand new, 2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Sport Wagon. Our previous car, a 1993 Pathfinder, was on its last wheels: rust ate through its frame, its engine clanked like a 1970s mainframe computer, the driver’s door handle had been ripped off in the middle of a Gynie rage, a heel had gone through an interior vent, the dashboard lights had been out for over seven months, the radio display had been out for almost five years, and, well, it was just her time to go. The dealer gave me $300 for her. It was their fee for a mercy killing.
The new car, on the other hand, is slick. It’s got 5-speed manual transmission, symetrical all-wheel drive, the patentend Subaru boxer engine (the pistons sit horizontal instead of vertical), 61.6 cubic feet of storage, cruise control, CD player, intermittent wipers (which the Pathfinder didn’t have) and, maybe most importantly, cup holders.
We’re living in luxury now.
Plus, we’re officially living in Vermont now, as you can see by the license plate. Next week, Dawn and I will probably head over to the DMV and get Vermont licenses and make this whole moving to Vermont thing complete. We’ve been four years coming, but we’re almost there.
“Hey Kyle,” you ask, “How the hell can you afford to purchase a 2006 model Subaru?”
“Well,” I answer, “I can’t. But I can afford to lease one.”
“Lease one? Isn’t it only big shot business people that lease their cars?”
“I understand how you might think that. But it’s simply not true. If you’re looking to buy a new car, there’s a damn good chance that you won’t be able to afford it. And if you’re like me, a damn good chance that a bank won’t give you the money for it.
“But you’re able to afford it on a lease. And instead of taking out a five-year loan, at the end of which you have a car that is completely depreciated in value, you get a three year lease, at the end of which you turn it and get a brand new car, or, if you want, buy it outright.
“The thing with a lease is that it gives you more options than simply buying the car. And you gotta remember, cars are damn expensive nowadays. Most of them go for the same price that my parents originally bought their house at. Who can afford to drop that kind of money? But with a lease, you don’t have to. You just have to be able to make your payments for three years.
“And that’s something even I can do.”
“I don’t know, Kyle,” you say, “Sounds like the dealer really sold you on that lease thing.”
“Sold me: Convinced me. Potato: Potahto. Is that such a bad thing? I got to drive away in a brand new car for the exact amount of money (per month) that I was willing to spend on a used car with over 100,000 miles. And in three years, when that used car would probably be about to die, I’ll instead have the option of turning in the Impreza for another brand new car. Sounds like a good deal to me.”