285,000 vs. 103,000

I hate it when I don't achieve my goals. I had a goal to drive my Toyota Camry to 300,000 miles before I had to replace it. This week I took it in for the safety and emissions test and it failed safety. In a big way. Brakes, strut, power steering pump, driver side window. It would cost a considerable amount to fix, so we started looking for another car. Lame. I bought the Camry nine years and 150,000 miles ago when it had 135,000 miles. That was a fantastic choice. That car served me well. Today was my last day of driving the Camry to work. I had to drive up and down the street a few times, but it landed on 285,000 miles when I got home.

Yesterday we bought a 2000 Mazda Protege' with 103,000 miles. It was the newest car with the fewest miles in our price range, so we were able to pay cash and avoid a car payment. It even came with a Yakima bike rack. That worked out well since I can't get my bike rack off the Camry. I'm not sure if the locks are frozen or rusted from being on the car in bad weather for several years, but I win. And it's a manual transmission. That rules.