“I Got a Car That’s Mine Alone”
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (62474)
United States
August 17, 2022 7:24pm CST
Today is a great day. I own a car.
It’s not the first time I’ve paid a car off. It’s not the first time I’ve paid a car off early. In fact, to tell you the truth, I’ve never made a 60th (or 72nd or whatever number they’re up to now) payment on a car. I’ve always been able to pay them off early.
And now it’s the case with Bestill (named after my favorite verse in the Bible, “Be still and know that I am God” — Psalms 46:10).
It used to be the “idea” to pay off loans from the least owed to the most. In recent years, financial gurus like Dave Ramsey (and I’m sure our own residential financial sage @porwest would agree) the better thing is to work on the highest-interest loans first. Well, the car was the only loan of the four that actually had interest.
Past tense. It’s gone now.
In a few weeks I’ll be getting a new title from the state, showing that it’s mine!!!
There was a great line in that Jerry Reed ode to car enslavement, I mean ownership, “Lord Mr. Ford,” that said, “I got a car that’s mine alone that me and the finance company own.” No more co-ownership for me.
After reading what happened recently to Jeff Moffitt’s (@moffittjc ) girlfriend’s car — totaled right after she paid it off — I admittedly was a little hesitant to walk into the credit union today to transfer all my money over to the loan. I did it anyway.
See what happens when you give me a social security check? 
Here’s the great Jerry Reed tune (and son!!!!!! listen to that man play guitar!)
Here’s the great Jerry Reed tune (and son!!!!!! listen to that man play guitar!)
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17 people like this
14 responses
@Mysticpizza (201)
• United States
18 Aug 22
Congratulations! That's a great feeling. I was just telling my husband that I we've always paid them off early as well.
Now if we could JUST get rid of the extortion fee that they call "property taxes". I, and many I know, would love to own our land free and clear as well. That may never happen. We may forever be indentured to local government mafias. 
3 people like this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
18 Aug 22
We have “homestead exemptions” in Kentucky for over 65, disabled vets, and the like. Helps tremendously.
2 people like this
@Mysticpizza (201)
• United States
18 Aug 22
@FourWalls I suppose I am a Constitutionalist. I stand amazed at how we have become a nation of people that just accept taxation and make excuses for it. Sadly even I would accept any other tax but taxing my lands and holding them hostage.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
19 Aug 22
I kept refinancing the house, so the fact that I did pay it off in 30 years is pretty amazing.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40622)
• United States
22 Aug 22
That's wonderful to have your car paid off! My last car was paid off for ten years. It sure hurt to buy a new car, but if it holds up as well as the last one (both Toyota Camry) it will be worth it.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
22 Aug 22
I think Toyota is Japanese for “this car won’t give out no matter what you do to it!” 
My sis-in-law has a RAV-4 so old that the back opens like a door instead of the hatchback!
My sis-in-law has a RAV-4 so old that the back opens like a door instead of the hatchback!1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
22 Aug 22
@1creekgirl — a friend of mine had a Prius, and he said the batteries are so much cheaper now than they were ten years ago when he had the Prius.
@1creekgirl (40622)
• United States
22 Aug 22
@FourWalls She got a good one! There really wasn't anything wrong with my 2012 Camry, but it was a hybrid and the big battery usually needs to be replaced ($5,000) around 100,000 miles. We were way over that and hated to break down when traveling.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118579)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Aug 22
Congratulations on paying off your car loan! I remember how excited I was when I paid off my very expensive truck (the monthly payment was almost as high as a mortgage payment!). I don't think I'll ever do that again! And my girlfriend is bummed because the insurance company is giving her a check for the current value of her car, not an amount for the replacement value. So she's probably going to have to finance another car, which she's not happy about.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
20 Aug 22
Thank you!! I never paid more than $400 a month mortgage on the house, so I certainly don’t want a car with a monthly payment more than that.
Insurance companies are good at BOHICA (Bend Over Here It Comes Again). I’m sorry to hear that.
I’m sorry to hear that.1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
21 Aug 22
@moffittjc — that’s what buying a house in 1989 gets you. The mortgage on my parents’ house when I was born was less than $70.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118579)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Aug 22
@FourWalls Wow! $400 for a mortgage. Lucky you! My mortgage payment is just north of $1500.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
18 Aug 22
He won a Grammy for an album he did with Chet!
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1 person likes this
@porwest (78759)
• United States
18 Aug 22
You have the right idea and congratulations on getting the car paid off. I always put a lot of money down to keep the payment low and then blast the loan with extra money. lol.
For example, with my truck I put down $14,000 cash, my payment was under $400 a month, and I pay around $600 a month. I also never buy new. I bought my Ford F-150 in 2020. It's a 2018. It only had 26,000 miles on it. I only paid $32k for it. I feel like I got a good deal, plus at the time it still had a year left on the warranty.
I could have paid cash, but I always consider the cost of the interest as a factor. If I can make more keeping my cash invested than I pay in interest, I carry more of a loan for example.
As for my thoughts on which loans to pay off first, I have always been in the Ramsey camp on this one. Pay the highest debts first—sure, you FEEL like you are getting somewhere faster paying off the smaller ones first. But meanwhile the interest on the bigger ones eat you alive.
As for vehicles as a whole, once they ARE paid off, I drive them until the wheels fall off. Literally. lol
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
19 Aug 22
@porwest — the ‘07 Civics did have an engine block recall, so I’ll assume that’s what it was. They fixed it, I know that.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
19 Aug 22
@porwest — Honda stands behind its products, so it makes sure the back-up camera works really well. Seriously, my brother’s CR-V was recalled for an air conditioning issue. He personally wasn’t having any trouble, but that model year had a “history of trouble” so he got a new AC unit for nothing.
Seriously, my brother’s CR-V was recalled for an air conditioning issue. He personally wasn’t having any trouble, but that model year had a “history of trouble” so he got a new AC unit for nothing.1 person likes this
@porwest (78759)
• United States
19 Aug 22
@FourWalls Nice when we can get a fix at no cost to us. Rare. But nice when it happens.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (86829)
• United States
18 Aug 22
Big congratulations to you Four Walls.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
18 Aug 22
@RebeccasFarm — No, the payments. Those are same-as-cash (no interest if paid off in a year [two for the roof]), so I can take my time with those.
No, the payments. Those are same-as-cash (no interest if paid off in a year [two for the roof]), so I can take my time with those.1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
18 Aug 22
Thank you, dear. Now, on to the roof and the tires.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
18 Aug 22
I've always paid cars off early. I hate having to make payments on anything. When I went in to make the last payment on Lee (Yeah, we named the car after the voice on our GPS unit.
) the loan officer asked if we were ready to buy another one. Either he was an idiot or he thought Pretty could drive. I just told him no and went on my way.
) the loan officer asked if we were ready to buy another one. Either he was an idiot or he thought Pretty could drive. I just told him no and went on my way.1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
18 Aug 22
I don’t have that problem with a credit union, which is one of the reasons I love being a member of a credit union.
“Wanna buy another one?” Yeah, like that song “Saturday Morning Confusion” said, “I’ll just walk out in back where the money tree grows, grab me a handful.” 
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
18 Aug 22
@FourWalls I'm not associated with any credit unions. And I have no idea what you're talking about there.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73750)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 Aug 22
Nope do not have any idea about this one but I do love Janis Joplin and her wanting the Lord to buy her a Mercedes Benz however these days I would not hope for that because of gas prices and other things and no more license to drive
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
18 Aug 22
@RasmaSandra — that’d be cool! Do you live beachside or on the mainland side? Nearly all the time I lived there we were beachside, never more than four blocks from the ocean. I think the time we lived on South Peninsula was the only time we were closer to the Halifax River than to the ocean.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
18 Aug 22
When I was 17 in Daytona Beach I rode my bicycle everywhere. I didn’t need gas. 
(Those were the days.)
(Those were the days.)1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73750)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 Aug 22
@FourWalls if my bum knee went out on me while I was on a bike I do not want to know what kind of accident I would have so no biking for me, Now if only someone would gift me with one of those put put carts to zip around in,
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (157338)
• United States
18 Aug 22
Congratulations! I hate owing money on anything. You did a good thing!
1 person likes this
@janethwayne (5193)
• Philippines
18 Sep 22
How lucky you are and congratulations and be safe.
1 person likes this
@gtdoss (1013)
• United States
19 Aug 22
Congrats on owning your car outright and even paying it off early! I did look at the YouTube link at the Jerry Reed song, and it struck me, after not seeing a video of him in a long, long time, that he was such a natural showman and a great talent!
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62474)
• United States
19 Aug 22
He was indeed. I got to meet him very briefly at the Grand Ole Opry once, and that was a big thrill for me. Didn’t help my guitar playing by meeting him, though.
1 person likes this
