An Expense Not Considered

JEEP. I had one once. I learned what the Jeep stands for … Just Empty Every Pocket. I have had two Jeeps. One Laredo and one Cherokee.  The Cherokee gave me what I call … the Death Wobble. That’s not just my phrase, you can Google it. The sad thing, it’s so common that it’s Google-able. So I got rid of the Jeep.  

Well, now I have a 2002 Mazda Millenia that has a vibration as well. Oh, it’s not as bad as the Jeep was, but it’s still pretty unreliable. I can drive around town – a very small town – and not have any issues. Maybe because I don’t get over 40 mph. But when I or my wife drive to the University where she works, it starts vibrating.

I balanced and rotated the tires. I got an alignment. Still vibrated. I took to the car to a mechanic. CV Joints not bad. He replaced a transmission mount – and yet still a vibration.  So it’s time. Time to replace the car.

Now, I got my money out of the investment. I only paid $20 for it almost 15 years ago. You see, an elderly lady, with no children or beneficiaries, felt a pastor shouldn’t be driving around in a pink truck (my red Tacoma was no longer red) and she sold me the car. She wanted to sell it for $10 but didn’t have change for my $20 so I told her to keep the change.

Now, 15 years later, I look to see what to do next. Repair seems out of the question. So I begin to look.

And used car prices – yowza. Can I blame Putin?

Things we have to go through to just get around today. My wife has given me a list – she has her preferences, and good gas mileage is at the top of her list. Again, can I blame Putin?

So, I have done some homework – not on the cars, but on the process. Some basic things not to miss when looking for a used car.

• Don’t forego a test drive
• Don’t get it without a mechanic looking at it
• Negotiate in person
• Don’t buy on looks
• Run a history report

Compare this to looking for a church …

• Run a test drive – check it out. Visit a small group. Worship with them.
• Have a professional check it out … run a background check. Talk to people. Get their input. If it’s part of a denomination, have your guy talk to their guy.
• Don’t do all this by social media or streaming worship. Go in person. Take a friend.
• Don’t go on looks alone. The pastor may look slick and sound hip – but is he Biblical? Is the worships relevant and reverent to the person of Jesus Christ and our life journey?

Wow – so I can learn something from my efforts. And so can you.