Most of you know I’m leaving my job and going to the Rocky Mountain School of Photography this summer in Montana. Since I won’t have any income during the five months of classes, and possibly very little after that if I’m trying to start a photography career, I decided it was probably best to get rid of my car payment. I really didn’t want to get rid of my Wrangler, but it was hard to justify keeping the $440/month payment on it for the next four years. So yesterday, I traded it in for a used 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee was being sold for just under $5K. Since I still owed quite a bit on the Wrangler, the trade-in amount I received minus the amount I owed didn’t completely cover the cost of the new vehicle. I had to pay $2K out of pocket. But, I would have spent that much on the Wrangler in payments over then next five months before heading to school anyway. So from then on, I’m coming out ahead (barring any major repairs on the Grand Cherokee).

The Grand Cherokee has 113,000 miles, but is in very good shape. It’s dark green with a tan interior and no rust or dents. It’s pretty loaded for a 1996 model: power everything, full-time (Quadra-trac) 4-wheel drive, leather interior, CD/Cassette with Infinity speakers, even heated seats! The engine starts and runs well, so I think it has a lot of miles left in it. Parts of the vehicle are showing their age, though. There are a few rattles here and there. The tailgate doesn’t always want to stay open on it’s own. And the rear wiper doesn’t actually touch the glass, making it useless. I think the spring just isn’t strong enough to pull the wiper in tight to the glass or else the hinge is just too stiff. I may be able to fix that. Otherwise, everything seems to work like it’s suppose to.

One more interesting note: by getting rid of my Wrangler and eliminating that loan, I am now completely debt free! That’s pretty cool.