Because I couldn't afford a Hyundai

I've been car-less (...un-carred? ...in pedestrian purgatory?...) for the last year and a half. I've walked through blazing sunshine, pounding rainstorms, and freakish Minnesota blizzards. Walked to clinics, classes, hospitals, grocery stores, and get-togethers. Fortunately, Rochester is small enough and my car-owning classmates are friendly enough that it's been pretty easy to get by. Unfortunately, I'm moving on to bigger, scarier places where I'll need to drive. Thus, yesterday morning I set out to buy a sensible, affordable, no-fuss, no-nonsense car that will get me through the next 10 years. Criteria: - New-ish (>2003) - Low miles-ish (<60k)

- Fuel efficient-ish

- Very safe

- Rock solid reliable

- Affordable. Something I could buy outright and not have to make payments on.

...And by "affordable," I mean cheap enough for someone who's been an unemployed student for the last 4 years.

...And by "cheap enough," I mean please let me pay for it with Ramen noodles and $0.28 cents in loose change.

I didn't care if it was ugly. I didn't care if it smelled like funky foot cheese.

Result:

- Five dealerships. Zero cars fitting what I needed.

- The flickering hope that if I was lucky and drove a hard bargain I might be able to afford a 2003 Kia Rio with 85K miles on it.

- A tragic moment when I sorely missed my old 1985 Escort, 1996 Accent, 2003 Neon, and even the 1995 bane-of-existence-Sportage. I would never have anything like them again. I would be a pedestrian forever.

And then the clouds parted and there it was at the sixth dealership:

Somehow, I hit the sale of the century on this trade-in! Its engine was replaced 3 years ago after the first owner drove it into a low, washed-out spot in the road during a rainstorm, which means it has a Rebuilt title. Although there can be all kinds of variation in quality and condition for cars with a rebuilt title, this one has been meticulously inspected and has driven perfectly since the new engine was put in. If anything, it's in better condition than the same car of the same age that hasn't been through a rebuild.

Here's why I got lucky: Since most banks won't finance loans for cars with Rebuilt titles, a person who can buy it without needing a loan has a lot of bargaining room. That's how -- somehow, ridiculously, even laughably...

...I bought a Mercedes-Benz because I couldn't afford a Hyundai.

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