Car Paid Off Eve, y'all

Today, in the mail, I received the final bill for my very last car payment on the Jeep.

60 months.
60 payments.
1 Jeep.

I've never paid off a car before. My dad helped me buy my first car when I was sixteen, the infamous 1987 white Ford Tempo. He bought it, then I paid him back for half-ish of it.

The 1996 Dodge Neon was stolen during year three of my plan to pay it off then drive it forever. So, I was forced to start over with a new car.

The 2000-something Alero went back to the dealership after year three, or else I owed them a bunch of money to pay it off all at one time.

And now, the Jeep.

This is all very exciting for me. I've had a car payment for a little less than half of my life. But after November 2, I will no longer have a car payment.

I sense, however, that Chrysler Financial is less excited about this than I am. They are already filling my mailbox with flashy, full-color magazines and brochures about the new Jeep Liberty. They are ready for me to buy a new one and start more payments.

And, there was no fanfare when I opened my last bill today.

No, "Congratulations! You no longer owe us any money!"

No, "Enjoy your payment-free Jeep, which incidentally, makes it much more enjoyable than it was when you still owed money on it!"

No, "We appreciate you paying your bill on-time, every month, without fail, for the past five years. So, in honor of you being the best car payment customer we've ever had, don't worry about this last one. And, you're very pretty."

It was all very underwhelming to open the envelope and see that it was just another bill. No song. Not even any confetti that fell out.

Would it have killed them to put a little smiley face on the bill somewhere??

But, even though they downplayed the significance of this bill, it wasn't just another bill. At the top, tucked away in small letters, it said: Payment 60 of 60. And that's all I really need it to say.

In honor of my Jeep and me being debt-free, I will now publicly reveal her name on this blog. It is . . .

Jumbalaya

I love Jumbalaya dearly, and I plan to drive her forever. I hope that when the check is received for my last payment that it does not fall apart or explode the very next day.

Although, I did sit in the new Jeep Liberty at the Fair Auto Show on Sunday, and it is VERY PRETTY and AWESOME.

But not now.

Payment-free. That's me.

C.T.