Chevy Cruze

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I thought my cars transmission was on its way out... Again! I dropped it off at the mechanic and low and behold, it was the transmission. The mechanic told me I had a 3 year warranty on the transmission though so I should be covered. Not true, he called back two days later and asked, "Do you love this car?" You know that is not good. He told me that the warranty company will not put a new transmission in my car because the cost of repairs is greater than the value of my car. Don't even get me started. Like what was the point of a warranty? Anyway, I asked what my options were and the mechanic told me to drive it until it dies. Well, that wasn't really an option considering every time you try accelerating the car veers into another lane and skids like you are sliding on ice. He told me I could trade it in but the value would be $500. Let me tell you, my old car which was a 2003 Saturn Vue had a great body and wonderful inside. The problem was the VTI transmission that GM put in... That was their fault.

I took some time to think over my options. Trade in value would mean I need to get a car from a dealership. What  could I get if I sold the car on Craigslist? How much money can I afford to spend on a car? I suddenly became very discouraged. After looking at cars, both private owners and dealers were selling cars with 168,000 miles for 7 to 9 thousand dollars. That to me is ridiculous! Then, something wonderful happened. The sales manager at the dealership called me. He told me the car was brought to his attention and there is an option where GMC will credit me for my vehicle but the catch is that credit goes to a brand new GMC vehicle and my old car will get crushed. We started the paperwork even though I wasn't sure this was the option to go or that I could afford it.

I went to look at other cars during this waiting period. My parents saw a great car online so I called on it, arranged to meet the guy and five minutes before we got to his house he sold the car. Another time, I looked at a Nissan Maxima. I prayed that if this car was a lemon God would make it loud and clear. He did. The guy was not where he said he would be so we drove to a Home Depot to meet him there. We got in the car and the seat belt didn't work but he acted like he had no idea. My dad asked why he was selling the car and he hesitated to answer. We took it out for a drive and brakes were pulsy and the car didn't go into overdrive when you hit 60mph. The seller was also oblivious to that. God was loud and clear that that car was not for me and I am grateful. Then I test drove a Mazda. It had a great body but the material from the ceiling inside was falling down, he had tried to repaint the rust, and it had 118,000 miles on it. I didn't like it and the guy kept trying to sell me on and he told me all ceilings look like that. I am not dumb, all ceilings do not need push pins in them. Anyway, I told him I'd take it for $5,800 and he was insulted. He told me I wouldn't find anything better but I was determined I would.

THREE WEEKS LATER after filing the paperwork and one day after test driving that Mazda, I received an enthusiastic call from the sales manager at the dealership. They got me the full credit for my Saturn!! I could not believe it. That was a TOTAL GOD THING. The answer was clear, take the credit and buy a brand new car. I looked at super small like European style cars- Chevy Spark and Chevy Sonic. Those I could have paid off right away and not had a car payment but the catch was that I cart kids around and those cars were too small to fit a stroller and too small for me to feel comfortable driving kids in. I ended up taking a BIG risk and bought a 2014 Chevy Cruze. God worked his "magic" and I was able to get a crazy low interest rate on the loan and incredibly low monthly payments. During this time I also learned my credit is higher than I thought and that was a very pleasant surprise.

I ended up with a 2014 Black Chevy Cruze and I love it! On Star and Bluetooth are amazing! I have an app on my phone where I can lock and unlock my car. The app tells me tire pressure, miles, gallons of gas, miles per gallon, tank life, oil percentage and fuel range. I can type in my destination and it will send directions to my car and more, it is amazing! Oh, and inside the car, I have USB and AUX port! I am spoiled, but I am going to enjoy every minute of this because I have had five cars in the past eight years. I cannot begin to tell you how great it is to be able to drive my car without worrying if today is the day my transmission will go out and I'll be stranded on the side of the road.

What did I do to deserve this car? Absolutely nothing. All I did was trust God. Trust that He would provide and He did.