Anyone who knows me knows that I hate, hate, hate spending money on cars. If I have available cash, I’d prefer to channel it into a home improvement project, or something that’s actually an asset, rather than an expensive car.

That said, I’m also tired of having an old car (2000), which is now starting to break down left and right. Within the last year, I’ve needed a new transmission, a fan belt, something to do with my heating system that I still don’t quite understand, and now it’s the starter.

I have to admit that the Universe looks out for me. Yesterday, I went out in the morning, worked out, ran some errands, all before 9:00. The plan was to get back home and get a few hours of work done, take a shower, and then go back out for a lunch meeting.

40 minutes before the meeting, I went to start the car. Nothing. I jumped on the red line and made it to lunch on time (gotta love the el), and called roadside assistance when I returned home. They arrived to jump my car. Again, nothing.

I called my mechanic, who told me, from my description, that the trouble is the starter. UGH!! I was SO hoping that it was just a dead battery.

I called my father, who suggested that I bite the bullet and get a new car. He’s thinking that perhaps I should get a used Altima.

Okay, so let’s revisit the first paragraph of this post. The Fannie Dooley of this is that, while I don’t like car payments, yada, yada, yada, I also refuse to buy a piece of shit. If I replace this car, it will have to be with a car that I actually like — because I never liked the car that I’m driving presently.

Frankly, the Taurus was appealing because of the 0.0% financing that I was able to obtain when I bought it in 1999 (was that 10 years ago???). It didn’t have features that I would have liked, such as leather seats, a sunroof, a cool dashboard, or an upscale feel. It’s a car that simply gets me from point A to point B, and one that I find myself apologizing for when I have passengers, who ultimately express their surprise that I’m driving a Taurus, and want to discuss that decision processs. They seem to understand when I tell them that I haven’t had a car payment in years. Those passengers envision that $600+ check that they write every month and suddenly envy me my financial freedom — despite the fact that my car is about as unsexy as they get.

And because the car is decidedly unsexy, I’m not really nice to it. I rarely wash it, much less get it detailed, and there’s a dent in the front that I refuse to fix (a dent that several Mexican bodyshop workers have approached me about in various grocery store parking lots across the city — they actually get mad at me when I tell them that I have no plans to remove that dent. The nerve! But I digress . . .)

For the record, I have no prejudice against Altimas. I owned an Altima for about three years and enjoyed the experience. It was my first car in adulthood, and it treated me well. The problem with my Altima was its four cylinder engine.

Ummm . . . has anyone ever seen me drive? I’m aggressive, and a four cylinder car won’t work for my brand of abrupt lane changes and accelerations. In my defense I’m a safe driver — the Secretary of State told me so — despite the fact that a few of my friends (Jen) insist on pumping imaginary brakes on the passenger’s side. LOL.

The (only) good thing about the Taurus is that there’s a nice, big engine. The Taurus replacement won’t have to be a luxury car, but it will have to be something that I appreciate, actually want to drive, and a vehicle that won’t require constant explanation. Hopefully.

A few hundred dollars from now, I will have bought myself a little more time before making a decision on a new car. I’m already dreading the payments.