Everyone thank my mom and dad, because they fronted the $1,500 down payment as my Christmas gift.

I am now the proud owner of a yellow 2007 Hyundai Accent, which is the first new car I have ever owned.

I purchased it for approximately $9,000, which will add up to $12,000 by the time I am finished paying for it - I have wedded myself to a $200-a-month payment schedule for the next six years - but the warranty lasts 10 years, and is bumper-to-bumper.

I have unlimited roadside repair and towing service, free rental car service whenever my car needs to be repaired, pretty much all of the parts are under warranty for the next decade - even down to chips in the paint or stains in the upholstery - and I'll soon have a LowJack installed, without paying anything extra.

It's been so long since I've driven a car with a decent clutch or shocks that I'm having to relearn how that works.

I'm still slightly dazed by the sensation of driving a car that I'm NOT worried might literally spontaneously fall apart at any instant, and as such, the fact that it drives so smoothly is just gravy.

Yes, for the next few months, it's going to be a bit difficult, since I still have the last of my student loans to pay off as well, but after that's done, the expense of the car will simply substitute for the expense of the student loan, which I've learned to live with in my budget.

This is so weird.

Is this ... happiness?

Contentment?

Relief?

It's been so long, I can't really tell anymore.

A week after I paid $500 for a new timing belt for the 1989 Pontiac LeMans, it started blowing white smoke, and a quick check of the oil confirmed that coolant was leaking into the engine, which meant I had a cracked head gasket.

After spending nearly two weeks on vacation with my family, I drove back to my own home, and the old car ran so poorly that I was constantly terrified that it either wouldn't start or would just up and die while I was driving.

I'm donating it to Volunteers of America.

They'll tow it out of my driveway by this weekend, and they estimated that I should score a $500 tax break for my generosity.

And I can't even stay pissed at the timing belt thing, because ... I have a new car!

And it's my first truly new car!

As of this afternoon, it's only got 40 miles on it, and it's bright yellow.

The dealer showed me a shitload of black, blue, gray and silver Accents, but there was only one yellow Accent in the entire lot.

And now, it's mine.

I think ... I'm happy.