Red

Like an automotive lemming, I got lured to a Ford dealership this morning because the company is offering zero percent financing again. That makes getting a new Mustang very very attractive. And there were plenty of nice GTs to choose from on the lot I perused.

I quickly realized what a foolish move getting a new car would be. In three months, I will make my last payment on Red, the current Mustang I'm driving. Come November, with no car payment and if I drop down to liability insurance, it'll be like earning an extra $400 a month.

Red is the 10th Mustang I've owned. I bought her in November of 2001, coincidently, when Ford offered zero percent financing for the first time. Oddly enough, I didn't bite on zero percent financing then either to get the keys to a new Mustang. Instead, I walked across the street to a Carmax and got the then three-year-old Red, for half the cost of a new GT. I took out a low interest loan to make the purchase, marking the first time ever I've taken out a car loan.

Red now has 91,000 miles on her and has taken me on at least 50 long road trips. We've been to Austin for work, to Wyoming for no good reason other than to say I've been to Wyoming, to Kansas to see a rock show and to Colorado for loads 'o mountain fun. Red has satellite radio, cruise control, a 5-speed transmission that makes holding mountain highways easier, and a V-8 engine that will blast me past tractor trailers that block my way. The car has always been a fun car to drive and fits me and my driving habits like a glove.

Besides the economic reasons, I'm just not ready to give Red up. She has at least another 70,000 miles in her, maybe more, before the engine will start to get tired.

So here's to a whole lot more road trips with Red.