in preparation for the acquisition of a granny car

Yesterday I strapped four brand new tires on my truck. Cost: $370. Spent too much? Probably. But it will be worth it if it will increase the chance of selling my truck for the price I want.

I mentioned selling the truck a while ago but have not be able to take action on it until now because I only acquired the title very recently. This doesn't mean the debt was paid off. It was simply moved, so I still owe the money. But technically I own my truck 100%.

My goal is to sell the truck so I can purchase a granny car. This is a debt reduction maneuver. The sale money acquired from selling the truck will knock my long-term debt down significantly, and allow me to purchase a granny car.

What is a granny car exactly? There's a bit of a story behind that.

In New England or any state that gets a significant amount of snow, there are only two types of vehicles worth owning, that being a front-wheel-drive or a 4x4. Having a rear-wheel-drive vehicle is just plain stupid. Of course, there will be those that say, "I can drive a RWD in snow, that's easy!" I know the type. Fools, all of them. It's FWD, 4x4 or nothin'. Anybody that drives a RWD in New England during the winter season has a death wish.

This is the entire reason I own a 4x4 in the first place. My truck was purchased new in '05 and I've owned it ever since.

In Florida on the other hand you can drive anything. Cars that would be considered summer-only in New England are all-year in Florida. If you wanted to drive a RWD land barge sized car here, go right ahead. It's not exactly the most economical, but totally do-able as a daily driver. Heck, you could even drive a dune buggy if you wanted to as long as it has all the parts to make it street legal.

Florida has a ton of old farts that live here, and that's no secret. As such they drive very specific cars. Cars that are the definition of basic transportation. Plain, unassuming, boring boxy cars. These are granny cars.

Granny cars live a very good life in Florida. They're never beat on, never redlined and are usually garaged most of their lives. It is "Florida car" defined.

I want one, and I'm going to buy one.

The granny car I have in mind is a very particular make and model made in a very particular five-year span. I won't mention what it is or what years it was made because I sincerely believe it's the ultimate sleeper car, and I want my pick of the litter, so to speak.

From my research, this is what I've found out:

1. The engine used is basically bulletproof. I've read reviews of this car by people who have achieved as high as 275,000 miles on one - on a car nobody would ever think would be able to do that.
2. One can be found easily for under $3,000.
3. One can be found easily with under 60,000 original miles on it. I've even seen some with 26,000 original miles - for sale under the $3,000 mark. I'm not kidding.
4. It's a very comfy car.
5. Kids hate it - which is fantastic.
6. You could leave it in a parking lot with the windows rolled down and the key in the ignition, and nobody would steal it.
7. The cost to insure one is next to nothing.
8. It usually is loaded with options. Power everything, A/C, the works.
9. It costs next to nothing to maintain.

There's more but you get the idea.

The crazy part: This car must be within that five-year span I mentioned for model year, because anything outside of that span is a lemon and will be plagued with problems. Funny how that is, but it's true.

Once I get one, which will hopefully be soon, I'll give the scoop on what the car is, why it's so awesome, and why I'll probably be driving it for a good long time. Stay tuned for it.