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cars, annoying grandmas, advice needed asap tbh


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idk where to put this but it's part-rant, and not really a "discussion", sooo here we are.

 

so my grandma has been thinking about trading the value of her car for something new. great, fine, whatever. she offered to sell me her current car for the sum of the difference, which at the time was 2k. i already have a car, but it's got a rust problem and may not last much longer. i spent maybe 1500 on it, and i'd probably be lucky to get as much for it if i were to sell it now. but 2k would have been doable, provided i could at least get close to the same value back from selling my current car, and in turn i'd have a slightly newer car that would last longer/doesn't have any known issues.
just recently, though, she found a car she wanted that was only available for a limited time, and the cost to me was upped to 3k. now, i'm not exactly swimming in cash. i live with grandma, ffs, and i've been trying to save up so i can move out. even if i managed to get half of that back from selling my car, the amount i'd have to spend and not get back is now a lot higher than i was initially willing to go.
the real kicker is, she made it seem like i had a bit of time to decide what i wanted to do, then suddenly came to my door tonight and told me i had until she got up in the morning (which is about an hour from now lol) to tell her whether or not i wanted to buy her car, because she's been test driving the new one and is bringing it back to the dealership today.
on one hand, i will eventually need a better car. i don't know how long mine will last, and any car i can get on my non-existent budget probably won't be the greatest. this is the easiest way to guarantee that i'll have a functioning car for a while yet to come, and if i wanted a different one later on, i would be able to trade/sell for something slightly better than whatever i could get in exchange for the car i have now.
on the other hand, i'm pretty pissed at her for dropping this on me last minute, upping the cost, AND making the claim that i can afford it because i don't pay rent (which is bullshit; i may not pay rent right now, but i pay my own car insurance, buy my own groceries and anything else i need, pay copays for medicine and doctor visits, etc and am--again--TRYING TO SAVE MONEY SO I CAN MOVE). i don't like making big decisions at the last second, i don't have much money, and i was looking forward to finally reaching my saving goal this week. i have no idea how long it will take me to sell my car or how much i'll actually get for it, and i feel like doing this might set me back another few months in terms of moving.

sooo if anyone's up and has any advice like within the next few minutes, THAT'D BE GREAT ;v;

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...don't make a big deal about it, don't buy the car.

It's not the only car you're going to see out there for cheap, you have a car that works, you said you don't have a pile of money, don't fucking buy it.

What do you drive right now? What year? How many miles are on it? Are you the original owner? When did you buy it? Who did you buy it from? What do you have in terms of maintenance records, were all the services covered? Oil changed regularly? Same goes for grandma's car. Compare.

Unless it's a steal of a deal, I promise you she isn't the only old person selling some pristine set of wheels for cheap. Unless your car is about to crater and you know it is (have you had it by a mechanic?), why are you going to get bent out of shape when you already have something that's driveable? Rust issues are fuck all.

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it was recently at the mechanic's to have the brake lines replaced, and while there, they said that the rust underneath was so bad that the car would probably only last for maybe a year or two at best.  i don't know much about cars, and neither does anyone else i know, so that's all i really have to go on.  i bought it from some old guy selling it on the street because it was right there within my own neighborhood and it was within my budget, and i was under so much pressure to hurry up and get a car that i didn't think to have it fully inspected before going ahead with it.  we did a test drive, the guy mentioned the issue with the brakes but nothing about rust, it ran just fine, and he gave me all the paperwork and that was that. 

but i don't doubt i can get another car (and this time be more informed/prepared before buying) for about the same amount, though it might not be as good as the one i'm being offered right now.  but who knows.

i'm just upset because for me, it's a big decision and i know if i say "no", i'll never hear the end of it.  but if i say "yes", i'm afraid it'll negatively affect my ability to reach my goals. 

she's already up now, and i'm probably just gonna say no.  i can get by without a car for a few months if i get into the apartments i'm looking at, if something does happen to mine.  and during that time i would be more comfortable looking for something on my own time and being able to get the information i need instead of being rushed into a decision.

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ok so we talked briefly and she did not actually get mad, for which i am infinitely relieved. she did, however, re-state her reasons for wanting me to do the trade, and explain to me what would go down if i did decide to do it. i have another couple of hours to decide because her trip to the dealership was delayed until after she gets off from work, which means i'll have to text her with the final decision before i go to bed (which should be soonish because i work nights and it's already 8am, so i can't be staying up until 5pm when she'll be getting off work).

much as i still want to say "no thanks", knowing more of what to expect and considering the things i'd have to do if i didn't take the offer now while i have it will weigh on my final decision.

the insurance doesn't change because it's only liability insurance. switching tags may cause an issue if someone trying to buy my car wants to test drive, but still doable. she doesn't think my car will pass inspection, which will need to be done by august this year, so if i'm going to sell it at any point, it would be best to do it before then either way.

i still really, really hate the thought of losing so much of the progress i've made in saving toward my goal. i was literally one paycheck away, which i would have seen in less than a week. if i write that check today, it'll set me back over 3 months' worth of saving--and it will take me 4 months, then, to reach my goal. i do NOT want to be stuck living here for another 4 months and would probably have to move out before reaching that goal (assuming i am able to get into those apartments in the first place; i just emailed them for info, but i don't have any answers yet).

so once again, i'm really unsure of what to do, still pressed for time but less mad/upset about it and mostly just worried about how i'm gonna save money if i did buy her car, and how i'd manage the process of selling/buying/exchanging everything within the next couple of months if i chose to keep mine.

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