1. something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
2. the desire to have or do something that you know you should avoid; “he felt the temptation and his will power weakened”

This is how the dictionary defines temptation. I define temptation as the shiny new black car sitting in my driveway. Yes, you heard me, the shiny, new black car sitting in my driveway. In anticipation of my old truck’s lease ending next year, I went around to some dealerships to meet some salesmen and gather some business cards. I wanted to cultivate some relationships with them so that when it actually came time to buy, I would know who wouldn’t treat me like a ‘mark’ and actually help me make a good deal for me. But I ended up buying a car right then and there! How did that happen? Let me count the ways:

1. The new dealership was willing to help me get out of my old lease ( Here’s where good customer service will win out every single time.) The salesman listened to me and my situation, and tried everything he could to help me out.
2. I finally test drove the car. This particular model was on my short-list of cars that I wanted to test drive, so I figured I would get this one out of the way then.
3. The salesman I was speaking to was actually the Lease Manager at the dealership, so he knew a lot more about the intricacies of leases than most salesmen.

In the end, it’s actually a better deal for me than my previous car (and no, I’m not just rationalizing things, regardless of what you’re thinking right now.) Why is this a better deal?

• Since I spend a lot of time in my car, having one that is more comfortable and enjoyable to drive is important to me.
• This car is cheaper than my old one, yet more reliable than the old one (remember the mysterious starting problem that took 5 visits to the garage to fix? Or the two windshields I had to replace due to cracks? Or the broken mirror that I had to replace? Those last two set me back to the tune of over $800, so getting a more reliable vehicle will save me that money.)
• The lease rate I am getting on the new one is lower than my old car (a difference of 3%, which can be a lot over the course of the term.)

You may think this is just me wanting a new shiny car, and while yes, there is a bit of that in this whole deal, the main impetus was the fact that my supposedly new car was reliable and comfortable to drive. I am willing to spend a little more for comfort and reliability at this stage of my life. This new vehicle will not cause me to make any drastic measures in my spending habits, although it has reminded me that I need to go over everything anyways to see where I can save some money. That is the plan this weekend, and I’ll be posting about those ideas in the next few days. Stay tuned.

This is an official post from Adventures in Debt.