Free is good, right? The saying goes “The best things in life are free.” But for every cliche there is a foil. In this case, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” When my wife and I set out to buy our current car more than 3 years ago, there were several factors that went into our decision. To get one car was paramount. Unfortunately, gas mileage lost out.
Here’s the dilemma: my sister has offered her 2006 Prius, which she bought used, to me for free. It has some 175,000 miles, but is in working order. My wife and I pride ourselves on only needing one car. Would a second one be helpful? Sure, but it’s a trade off for sure. Since she lives more than a thousand miles away, this transaction is complicated by logistics. Currently it is difficult to accomplish tasks like a quick trip to the grocery store or going to work for an early meeting. We no longer live in walking/easy biking distance of a market. A second car would help.
It’s hard to pass up a free (up front mind you) car, especially one that gets great gas mileage, but there are
registration, insurance, maintenance, and general upkeep. After all, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
