With big purchases, you can save money now or later. It’s hard to do both.

When we moved back from London, we had one car that had been in storage. We thought this would work for a few months to save some money. Then Roli tried to eat a porcupine while Trish was away with the car. The vet did an emergency house call, but we realized a second car was fairly urgent.

To manage our budget, we bought an old Jeep for $3,500. It drives great, but it visits the repair shop more often than we prefer. We’ve paid back a lot of what we saved on purchase price.

As the mountain winter approached, we’d soon be back to one car. My summer car has rear-wheel drive, performance tires and little ground clearance. With budget in mind again, I bought a winter beater for $2,300. In two years, I sadly paid almost that much again in maintenance and repairs.

The winter beater has now been traded for a new car for Trish. In a minor miracle, we managed to get $1,200 for a seriously wonky car. Here’s to hoping that paying up front this time will save us money in the long run.

Which has worked better for you, taking your chances or paying up front?