Before my husband died, we always bought used cars. He was a mechanic, so there seemed no reason to have a car depreciate $2000 or more the minute it left the lot. He did all maintenance on everything from constantly adjusting lifters in our early high-performance cars to oil changes to checking out the strange noises I reported now and then on every car we owned. He even became expert at interpreting my auto-ailment sounds.

As you may have guessed from that last statement, I am no auto mechanic. And, while used cars served me very well when a mechanic was on call twenty-four hours a day, things changed twelve years ago when my dearly loved husband died.

At the time I owned two good used cars. Both were aging even beyond the length we usually kept cars since my husband had been ill so we hadn't searched for replacements. Nor had he felt up to keeping them in top shape. I was, actually, lucky, that I had two of them. After six months or so, one of my used beauties was in the "shop" for repairs all the time.

My first action was to sell one and buy another used, but newer model car. I was not nearly so good a judge of vehicles as my late-husband, and I trusted the wrong person to check it out for me. I learned then to only take one of the mechanics my husband respected with me when I bought a used car.

My second venture with a used car did go better, but one never does know how a former owner has treated a car. This one developed small, but continuous, problems after only one year. My late husband could have fixed them for very little expense. I had to hire the labor each and every time. At that point, a new car seemed worth the extra expenses, even the instant depreciation, higher taxes and much higher insurance.

My decision paid off. I'm easy on a car, and I see that the oil is changed and the tires are rotated on a rigid schedule. I can't do those like my husband once did, but money spent on keeping oil clean keeps the engine clean and running a long time. Same with other auto fluids, filters and the like. Rotated tires last five times as long, at least. Yes, I pay for service, but I don't pay for hours and hours of tear-it-down and put-it-back-together time or for expensive replacement parts.

Once the warranty was off of my new car, I began going to a repair shop my husband respected. I think he must have laughed with them about my strange engine noise imitations; they seem to understand them, too. My 1998 Monte Carlo Z (bought right before the '99's came out for some savings) is still in fine running condition, with only a few repair trips and only a few replacement parts (battery, windshield wipers, a belt that simply got brittle and broke from age). It's paid for, insurance and taxes have dropped really low, and I think it's good for at least another year. Sure, it's a used car now, but I know exactly how it's been cared for. I am the "former" owner.

Learn more about this author, Margaret Shauers.
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