PS

Oh, and ps:  I did buy that new car.

I walked in (sort of already planning to walk out with a shiny new SUV) and when the salesman asked "how can I help you today?", I smiled and said "make me want to buy a new car."
And it went from there.

Financially, I was able to keep my monthly payments the same, which was very important to me.  However, to make that possible, I had to put additional monies down.  At first, this made me extremely uncomfortable - my goal was to use my old car as the downpayment.  But that wasn't realistic.  Prices have gone up, for one; so even though I bought the same car, it costs more 3 years later.  And two, the new car had a few more bells and whistles.
The old car just wouldn't cut it alone.

I could afford to put down the extra cash.  I just had to convince myself that was an acceptable choice.  IT'S NOT AN ACCEPTABLE CHOICE FOR EVERYONE.  This kind of purchase is most definitely a splurge.  It is not a necessity.  And if you can't afford it, then you shouldn't do it...

..because as enticing as that new car smell is, it is not worth extra stress when it comes to how you're going to pay your bills.