39,000 miles and FREE!!!

Well, it may not exactly be free, but my car is now PAID OFF!!! I wrote the last check just a little while ago, and I feel totally liberated now. With a little help from Mom and Dad along the way, I've been able to pay off my Passat in a little under three years, and that feels so great.

It seems like just yesterday I was test-driving that car right after Derek and I got engaged. That was October of 2006, and now almost 40,000 miles later, it's a totally done deal. And for the most part, it still looks like a new car (when it's clean) and it definitely still drives like one. I think I'm stuck on Volkswagens now, and it doesn't hurt that the fancy new dealership is now less than 2 minutes away.

The Passat hasn't traveled nearly as far as the Camry did, but that was college. The Camry went skiing in Colorado, to a Dave Matthews concert in Virginia Beach, to New Orleans a few too many times, and to spring break in Destin both junior and senior year. I think the Passat has only ventured into Louisiana a few times and to Destin, but it's made PLENTY of trips to and from Vicksburg for a good few months before we moved here and back and forth to the Coast on many a trip for showers and weddings. But it makes sense... the Passat's my "adult" car. I'm not as adventurous as I used to be. :)

I see this one lasting through at least one future Baby Grey in kindergarten and another one in preschool, I hope. And as long as the gas stays as high as it is now, I'll gladly drive this gas-saver until the wheels fall off if I can.

When I drove off the lot, that car had 11 miles on it. Eleven! Talk about depreciation... But that's okay. Everybody needs to own one brand new car in their lifetime if possible. It's the best feeling in the world, even if only for a few miles. :)