After months of listening to our 20 year old car rattle and hiss, my husband and I had to face the music last week. We’d loaded the family up, puppy and all, and set our sights on the park. It had been raining all day and the kids were ready to run, jump, and play. Moose was ready to make new friends. I was ready for a little time outside the house.

Usually we would take the van, a much more dependable and comfortable vehicle, but my sister in law was moving and had borrowed it for a few days. But we were determined to catch a couple of hours between the storms, so we rattled our way towards the playground. Halfway there, the radio stopped working, but we didn’t panic. Glitches happen when your car is on the weathered side of 20. I jumped out, made sure the lights still worked, and we continued on our way. Ahead loomed a left turn into the park, which is when we discovered the turn signals weren’t working. But really, you can drive without turn signals. We were practically there!

We arrived safely at the park and headed for the swings. After 30 minutes of fun, the clouds had gathered above and we ran back to the car. It started up as faithfully as ever, although sadly without a radio or working turn signals. But we didn’t realize the full significance of our situation until my husband flipped on the windshield wipers…and nothing happened.

Have you ever tried to drive through a downpour while relying on acceleration to push the raindrops off your windshield? Have you ever sat through a storm in your car with three small children and a puppy when your significant other insisted that pretending you’re driving a submarine through an underwater kingdom may be entertaining, it’s not exactly safe? It might not be the best time to relax, but as it turns out, it was an excellent time to contemplate our need for a new vehicle.

So we made a trip to Afena on Saturday and got pre-approved. It was far easier than weathering out the storm had been. I love being able to walk onto a dealer’s lot knowing exactly what I can afford to spend, and let me tell you, it does give you a little bit of leverage when it comes to bargaining. In my younger days, I paid sticker price for everything. I’ve learned since that it doesn’t hurt to haggle…the worst thing that can happen is the price doesn’t change. And I’m happy to say we’re now the proud owners of a gently used, new to us car. And it doesn’t rattle at all. I’m Claire, the Afena blog mom. Thanks for reading.