Dreams do come true...

Good things come to those who wait... I believe that now.

On one Sunny October afternoon, I was out Car shopping. It was time to retire my trusty, yet run down, ’95 Dodge Avenger. She had been a good, dependable vehicle. However, she was getting tired. Requiring more and more maintenance. Nothing big, but enough to where she was starting to nickel and dime me to death.

I decided it was time for me to trade her up for a newer model. At that time the new ’07 Avengers had just come out. I was excited. I went to the Dodge dealer and looked at them. Not impressed. Very "industrial" type interior. Not plush as all. Plus they were asking way more than they appeared to be worth.

Also debuting at that time were the Nissan Rogues. Baby Muranos! I was soo excited. Anyone who really know’s me, knows that the Nissan Murano is my DREAM car/suv, whatever. So, I was elated when the Rogue’s came out. I thought for sure I could buy a "Baby Murano". Not the case, I could not afford all of the amenities I was looking for. So, I moved on to the Saturn View. I liked their sleek new look. However, you could only get a V6 in the higher priced AWD models, which (again) I could not afford.

So, I moved on to Newer used vehicles. Driving down the north service road visiting all the dealers and checking out their used vehicle lots. My last stop that day was Ed Napleton Honda.

I started out looking at the Newer Hondas. While affordable, they did not have all the amenities I was looking for. So, I moved on to their used car lot.

The 3rd vehicle we came upon was a 2003 Nissan Murano. They were asking 21,000 for it. I test drove it. Drove it over to my **fathers house and did some research. At my father’s advice, as much as I wanted to walk in and buy this vehicle upon return, I returned it to the lot stating "I have to think about it".
Every time I passed Ed Napleton, I stretched my neck to see if "My" Murano was still on the lot. Each time thinking "If it’s still there during tax time, it’s meant to be, I’m buying it!".

6 months later, tax time came. I filed early for taxes.

I had been doing research online for used vehicles. All the time making sure that Murano was still there. It was. Only, in March, it had dropped down to 18,500.

I did more research on 2003 Murano’s. Kelly blue book, user reviews, CarFax, pricing comparison etc etc. I did A LOT of research.

I finally received my taxes. ChaChing! I had enough to buy a less expensive New vehicle (without all the amenities I wanted) or the car of my dreams.

After I received my Tax return, I decided to look at financing options. To buy a used car with dealer financing it fell at 6%. I did not want to finance at 6%. Too much for my ***great credit. So, I found a Credit Union with the lowest financing I could find and applied for pre-approval. Got it!

I took friday March 28th and Monday March 31st off. I was determined to get a new vehicle. Luckily, I had to work from home that friday or else I would not have seen the email from the Credit Union stating I was preapproved for a loan. At 2:30 pm friday afternoon I went up to Ed Napleton Honda. I pulled up to the lot, hopped out of the car and was immediately approached by a sales man.

He could barely get the words "How can we help you." out of his mouth before I blurted out "You have a 2003 Murano. I want to buy it. I’m preapproved for such and such amount. I have a hefty down payment and I want $$$$ or my trade in". We walked to the Murano, drove it up to the doors to start the transaction.

I noted the price he wrote down for her, 19,600.00. I nicely stated, "That’s not what is quoted on your web site. 18,500 is what is quoted on your site. I have the print out here."

He was gracious and checked with his "team" and came back to say I was indeed correct (Duh! Of course I was! Imagine if I had not done my homework. Id’ve paid 19,600 for her!) Seth helped me out with the math (We all know how horrible I am at math). 2 hours later I drove home in my "Dream" Car.

She’s beautiful. Immaculate condition. There are a few key scratches above the lock on the drivers side door, but that can be buffed out. I’ve always wanted one. She may not be new, but she’s new to me and I Love Her! I’ve waited for YEARS to own a Murano and now I do. *Proud Look*

Now I just have to deal with the fact that I haven’t had a car payment in years. That "extra" cash can no longer be spent on frivolous things. That’s ok. She’s well worth it!

Here she is..Stock photo’s, but she looks exactly like this. Color and everything!

**My father is the most frugal person I know, also the only person to help me in making big descisions.

***Thanks Mikey.