Post by rhapsody on Sept 1, 2014 16:27:45 GMT -5
Boys started school again (sophomore and junior year). Oldest is trumpet section leader, youngest is highest ranking cadet in his CAP squadron. Oldest got his learner's permit and youngest is working on his. But the biggie was that John was t-boned this past Wednesday (sort of; she hit the back end of the van, not full on the side) and our 2004 Sienna LE was totaled (broken rear axle, bent frame). John is okay though he's having problems with his back and shoulder. He did go to the ER and the hardware from his last wreck in 2002 (steel plates, etc.) was okay but he's still hurting. The van is getting towed (hauled, actually; it's not drive-able) tomorrow to Tallahassee to USAA's field office for detailed inspection (and crushing). Once we know what we are getting for the van we have to replace it. We hit several car lots yesterday to price vehicles and had a couple earmarked that we were going to check into. We really didn't want car payments but there is no way to replace the van without them. 
Since a sedan is out of the question (too hard for John to get into and out of with his back and knees) we were looking at small SUVs (RAV4, CRV, CrossTrek). Even looking at certified pre-owned, all were $24k and up.
Today I got a call from my parents. My dad recently traded in his 2013 (or was is 2014) Sequoia for a 2015 Sienna with AWD. It is LOADED with features! He also had a 2013 (or 2014; he got it the same time as the Sequoia) Sienna that is loaded but is only FWD. They don't need 3 vans so they offered mom's 2011 Sienna Limited to us. They have offered it to us at $7k below private party price and about $9k below dealer retail. My dad is even going to put new tires on it (it still has the original tires).
We have a rental car for about 30 days so once we get the money from our van, we'll pay off a small loan balance ($1100) that will free up $212/month that can be used for car payments and we can use the rest of the insurance money as a down payment and finance the balance.
It sucks that we'll have car payments but we're getting a vehicle we couldn't have otherwise afforded and know that it was VERY well taken care of. It is absolutely pristine and only has 47k miles on it. And starting next August, we can pay larger payments (another $500/month) and get it paid off that much sooner. We are also going to try to sell our camper; selling that would give us a few extra thousand to split between emergency fund and car loan.
On Thursday afternoon, we emptied the van of all our belongings, removed the tag, thanked it for a good 10 years and said good-bye. We are sad to see it go. Not only was it paid for but it was a reliable vehicle that served us well for 10 long years.
Linda, if you read this, please know I haven't forgotten! We finally got the pasture done (though John had to hook up the charger finally today because Taz stretched out the electric tape by reaching his head over the top strand) but I couldn't get out there this afternoon for the measurements because a storm came up. The lightning is RIGHT OUTSIDE our house and the rain is coming down in sheets. I also need to check and air up the right rear tire on my truck . . . It's always something! LOL!
Since a sedan is out of the question (too hard for John to get into and out of with his back and knees) we were looking at small SUVs (RAV4, CRV, CrossTrek). Even looking at certified pre-owned, all were $24k and up. Today I got a call from my parents. My dad recently traded in his 2013 (or was is 2014) Sequoia for a 2015 Sienna with AWD. It is LOADED with features! He also had a 2013 (or 2014; he got it the same time as the Sequoia) Sienna that is loaded but is only FWD. They don't need 3 vans so they offered mom's 2011 Sienna Limited to us. They have offered it to us at $7k below private party price and about $9k below dealer retail. My dad is even going to put new tires on it (it still has the original tires).
We have a rental car for about 30 days so once we get the money from our van, we'll pay off a small loan balance ($1100) that will free up $212/month that can be used for car payments and we can use the rest of the insurance money as a down payment and finance the balance.
It sucks that we'll have car payments but we're getting a vehicle we couldn't have otherwise afforded and know that it was VERY well taken care of. It is absolutely pristine and only has 47k miles on it. And starting next August, we can pay larger payments (another $500/month) and get it paid off that much sooner. We are also going to try to sell our camper; selling that would give us a few extra thousand to split between emergency fund and car loan.
On Thursday afternoon, we emptied the van of all our belongings, removed the tag, thanked it for a good 10 years and said good-bye. We are sad to see it go. Not only was it paid for but it was a reliable vehicle that served us well for 10 long years.
Linda, if you read this, please know I haven't forgotten! We finally got the pasture done (though John had to hook up the charger finally today because Taz stretched out the electric tape by reaching his head over the top strand) but I couldn't get out there this afternoon for the measurements because a storm came up. The lightning is RIGHT OUTSIDE our house and the rain is coming down in sheets. I also need to check and air up the right rear tire on my truck . . . It's always something! LOL!
