I have always heard leasing a car and buying a timeshare are about tied for the worst financial decisions one can make.

See whether there are YouTube videos with tips on what to look for when buying an old used car.

You will also need to learn to do things like change your own brake pads, oil changes, and stuff like that, anyway.

You’ll become a car guy, by necessity.

Maybe also talk to mechanics about what they would recommend if they were in your shoes.

Hey! I bet there is some sort of car subReddit that might have just that sort of answer for you.

Also, join r/PovertyFinance for more advice.

The reason I say $3000 and not $3500 is because you need money for taxes, tags, and registration — incidental repairs, AAA.

Labor strikes.

I was thinking Russia was behind the strikes at first.

One tip I suggest is to put the word out with everyone you know. Tell them about your car situation, and that you need a car for $3000. If they’re going to trade one in or something, that amount might be what the dealership would give them, so why not let you buy it for that instead.

Also, here’s how I choose vehicles: go to the library and look at Consumer Reports’ repair records as far back as they have issues.

Make a list of all the makes and models where the repair records are all red circles or semicircles, and not black dots or black semicircles.

Go through those repair records from book to book, and see which vehicles from your list have repair records that are getting better, vs. those who never seem to correct the problems, or they’re getting worse.

Then, narrow your options down to the good ones that stay good or get better over the years. That’s half the battle right there.

Call the credit card companies right away and explain your situation. They will work with you.

Sell your car, use that $3500 to get a vehicle that runs, as in a Toyota or a Honda from the early aughts, with 200k miles on it. Do not incur a whole ‘nother car payment. I mean that the cash from the sale of your car needs to completely cover the cost of the car you’re buying.

Is the personal loan from a friend or family member? Can that person do without payments until you can get a full time job or a second part time job?

I don’t think any of us can say it wasn’t or was a message from God. It could have been a message from God and a pipe bursting, a tire popping, a transformer blowing, a branch falling in the roof, etc.

As for whether you should pray, let me ask you something: how do you think your mother would feel if the only time you talked to her was at scheduled times of the day when the rules say you have to?

How would you feel if your father or one of your siblings just ignored you and never talked to you?

If you believe, like I do, that God loves you/is a loving parent, don’t you think He just adores it when you interact with him?

Have you ever gotten a hug or a kiss from a baby or made a baby laugh? Isn’t it just the greatest feeling ever?

Don’t you think God relishes that kind of interaction with His children? It can only help us, too. Prayer helps us to remember He’s there for us.

I remember when the blue ones came out. I thought they were the coolest!

I have a Le Creuset and it is unusably chipped. I regret spending $300 on it 13-14 years ago. It is not BIFL.