In December, Justin was in a car accident that destroyed our car, but thankfully only left Justin with a headache. We had no idea what we were going to do. We had trouble with both our and the other person's insurances getting a rental car, so we were carless for nearly a week. I felt that everything would work out ok and I tried reassuring Justin.
We got a very large check from our insurance, so the Tuesday after the accident Justin wanted to go look at cars. I hate car shopping. We did it the summer I was pregnant and ended up with what Justin's parents found anyway. But it was good day to go since we had a lot of time and it was rainy so the dealerships wouldn't be busy. We borrowed the car we gave to Adam and Kirsten and went to a Toyota/Scion dealership to look for a Toyota Corolla. I was determined to buy new--I was done with used cars!
Immediately I was impressed with the dealership: they had an indoor pirate ship play area for kids. I was able to keep Caden occupied while Justin test drove cars.
Although I made it clear I wanted new, the lady helping us said she had a used 2010 Corolla in great shape and price. I hesitated, but the more I heard about the car, the more I liked it. It was basically the same as the new version but missing a couple fancy additions that I didn't care for anyway (like a sunroof). The mileage was low, the color was nice, and the price was very tempting. Justin and I both drove it and gave in. It was perfect for us! We weren't expecting to come home with a car that day.
With the insurance check, a small check from the other insurance company, tuition reimbursement after Justin's residency was approved, and savings, we were able to put down a very large down payment on the car that we would not have been able to otherwise. Our credit was approved for very low monthly payments and interest, something that other dealerships wouldn't do for us since our credit was based only on our credit cards and not any other loans or major purchases, even though our scores were excellent. We got a free meal while the paperwork was processed. Everything went down smoothly and the people we worked with were great.
This accident was a huge blessing in disguise. We have wanted to get a new (or better-quality used) car for a long time, but we never had enough money to put down to get affordable monthly payments. The money was always spent on fixing both of our used cars. The timing of the accident was perfect for us financially. It was surreal writing a check that big! I don't think we've ever had that much money in our account at once. We are so happy with the car and grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing us with the opportunity and means to get it.
