I've had my awesome, wonderful car, Appa, for five years now. Appa's a 2010 Toyota Prius. I first got him back when I was in a terrible car accident, that totaled my last car. I had wanted a Prius for a long while. My friend Frankie has one, and uses it to drive all over, these crazy long distance drives, hundreds, if not thousands of miles, one way.
So, when misfortune struck, I used it to my advantage. I got a really good insurance payout from the accident, and used it to buy my Appa, used.
Today was a big milestone in my life with Appa. I own him. I had a five year note, and thought I was done paying it last month.
As it turned out, I was off by nine dollars and ninety-seven cents, which I went and paid today, in cash.
Beyond the fun of putting a $20 down on the counter and telling the teller I wanted to buy a car, the whole thing is kind of a big deal to me. I bought the car as a kind of polyamorous investment. I wanted a car I could drive long distances, on the cheap, to see the people I love.
And that's an investment that's worked out. I have regularly driven Appa from Virginia to North Carolina, to western Maryland, and to New York, and Florida even. He's an amazing car.
Part of why I wanted the car is because I know they last for a long time if you take good care of them. I'm at this crossroads in my life, where I'm starting a new business, one that might make me do a heck of a lot of local travel as the business grows.
I'm looking forward to outright owning Appa for a very long time. Every other car I've bought in the past twenty years, I wound up trading in to get something else. Appa's been different. I have taken very careful care of him for as long as I've had him, knowing that I intended to hang on to him for a long time. I made a mature, sensible plan, and stuck with it.
And now that plan's at its fulfillment. In the best way possible, I feel like a total grown-up.