New Van

So I recently got a job in a not so decent part of town. I don't start until after Thanksgiving, but I'll be working the graveyard shift, 6:30 pm until 5 am. When talking with my Grandma, Hubby and I were talking about the possibility of me taking a bus down there as our car is not in the greatest shape and those extra miles would kill it.  Next thing I know, my Grandma is telling us she'll buy us a car, as long as it's under $X.

We started shopping for used cars on Wednesday, originally just looking for any decent car with good space in the backseat and trunk, because of Boy and Girl. We decided that any car we got would probably be better than what we already had, so Boy and Girl would switch to my car and Hubby would drive our older car.

The first place we stopped to look at cars, we were looking at sedans. The salesman (it was a small used car lot, probably family owned) showed us one more car, a minivan. It was a couple hundred above our budget, but it was a nice car. I, of course, fell in love with it because I've been wanting a minivan for 5 years. We said no thank you, and went on our way. We found a private seller looking to get rid of their minivan and, while it was older and a little bit more beat up than the 1st minivan, it was about $1,000 less. I was definitely thrilled, though I still really wanted the first one. We took 2 to a mechanic and found out it needed a LOT of work, the cost of which would equal, if not exceed what we were planning on paying for the van.

We said no thank you and resumed our search.

Friday I was supposed to make some more calls and possibly go check out a few possibilities, but Boy was home sick and NOT in a good mood, I wasn't going anywhere until he was no longer in meltdown mode.  At about 11:00 am my Grandma called and asked how the search had gone. I was honest, I had sent some inquires out, but no one had gotten back to me. She then asked if I could be out to her house by 5 pm. I told her it would be difficult, but we might be able to. She said, "I bought you a minivan, if you want it you have to be out here by 5."

So, squee! We have ourselves a 2003 Dodge Caravan. It's shiny, pretty, and is perfect for our family. The kids love it, Hubby loves it, and I love it! I'll have to take some pictures tomorrow, when the sun is up, so I can show it off.