I’m up very late (for me). I’ve already gone to bed once, but it didn’t take. Why, you ask? Because I’m having come to terms with the thought that I’ll be spending more money than I’ve ever spent on anything in my entirely, and I’m also kind of re-adjust my image of myself. I’ve known myself to be a calm, staid, rational kind of a person. I have expensive taste, but I rarely act on it except when buying something that really depends on quality. I’ve also always thought of myself as someone who’s good at being content with things that do the job even if they aren’t the newest, glitziest, trendiest thing out there. “Even” nothing… I often downright pride myself on not succombing to the newest greatest thing because, remember, I’m calm, staid, and rational.

Well, tonight I’m up past my bedtime trying to fit myself into a new self-image because I’ve just decided (after a few days of research,* test-driving, and calling on the opinion of people I trust) to buy a car that’s significantly more expensive than I’d planned. In my head, I was looking for a good, reliable, used car for which I could pay in full and in cash. This was my plan. This fit with my needs and my wallet.

It was a good plan, but you know what they say about the best laid plans… I’ve now made up my mind that, barring some new revelation, I’ll be buying a new Honda Civic. So now I have to figure out this whole car loan thing (Bankrate.com is a great place to find loans, by the way). In the mean time, I hope I can make myself fall asleep soon. Getting loan stuff squared away, figuring out insurance, and deciding whether to buy now or next week will all go a lot better if I’m operating on a full night’s sleep. Rationally I know this… but I guess that doesn’t mean much, does it?

*Cars.com, KBB.com, and Wikipedia all make the research process much easier than I’d feared it might be.