Realizing Simplicity Can Lead to Better Things. So I Sold My Car.

_{Stuck in my head: Jimmy Eat World – A Praise Chorus}

I feel that life is currently complex with various responsibilities. Trying to narrow down easily achievable goals amongst many variables took me some time, but I’m starting with one to get finances on a better path.

Key notes

I didn’t need a fancy car considering it wasn’t driven much
The monthly payment for the car could be used on other things
Needed to get the ball rolling and needed the car gone

On November 22, 2024 I sold my 2019 Subaru WRX STI. It wasn’t fancy in terms of luxury, but it was sporty for me, and a journey owning it for only about a year. I thought it was a decent all-rounder car to fit kids while being sporty enough for some fun. However, after 3 months ownership the engine had the dreaded ring land failure, and required a new engine which was a $12,000 repair job! It had a powertrain warranty, but it was an anxiety filled ordeal that took a month or two to get approved because the car was modified. Stupid me. I’m no mechanic so from now any car I get won’t have mods that void a warranty. Now when I see or hear about cars that have catless exhausts, larger turbos, upgraded fuel systems, or they’re tuned….Nope, pass, deny, not for me. Much respect for the car enthusiasts that know how to tinker with that stuff.

The STI was repaired over 4 months from December 2023 to April 2024, and I drove about 6,000 miles in a Subaru Ascent loaner. While that was nice it still sucked thinking what I paid monthly for the STI to be in the shop. From May to November the STI still wasn’t making me fall in love because it was so high maintenance. It needed to be tuned with Ecutek, but barely anyone tunes with that software. If it needed to be tuned with Cobb, then it needed $4,000 in parts replaced to be emissions compliant. The STI was becoming a headache when I thought a new engine was going to be great. The modifications factor introduced many more hoops to jump through. Long story short I got the STI running in excellent condition, but I had Check Engine Light PTSD so I was still anxious driving it.

Selling the car privately was not successful. I tried CarGurus, Cars.com, AutoTrader, Subaru forums (which were the worst), and fb Marketplace. Appraisals at Carmax, Subaru dealers, and Caravana were quite low. The best deal I got was from Motor Cars of Chicago in Joliet, Illinois. They contacted me through fb Marketplace and had a good offer. That place was full of exotics and really was its own car show. Because their average consumer was likely a sports car enthusiast, they were able to give me the best offer on the STI outside of a private buyer, so that was a nice lesson learned.

So I got rid of the STI and I don’t miss it. I didn’t get attached to it emotionally like previous cars I’ve had. It cost a decent amount of money per month, but was only driven once or twice a week. Converting that to Cost per Miles Driven would be an upsetting metric that I don’t even want to calculate. Hence back to simplicity. A modified car is too complex for me, and the next car won’t be. I still like cars, but I feel better now putting that on hold for a bit. One car payment is better than two. I should try to pay off our Acura MDX first, and if I really need a second car then it’ll be economical considering it would only be driven a couple hundred miles a month for a hybrid work schedule.

Selling the STI was Step 1 that I wanted completed before writing about anything. The anxiety of seeing another check engine light in that car is off my shoulders. It frees up cashflow just in time for the holidays. Next I’ll make some debt management moves to tackle some credit cards and share that in the next post.

I hate liking cars…

Quite the finicky car. I hope the next owner has a better time with it.