My mother and father grew up during the Great Depression, and it shaped the way they viewed financial transactions like car buying for the rest of their lives.

When I was very young, they drove a wheezing, drab green, bubble-shaped 1955 Chevrolet 150 - the epitome of a car for the no frills, frugal-minded consumer - until the paint started to peel and the seat cushions were irreparable.

I distinctly remember my brother and me sinking with embarrassment into the back seat cushions as we waited for our umpteenth water rescue as the old Chevy overheated in the mountains on the way to the beach.

Then Dad brought home the big red station wagon with the faux-wood paneling.

When I went away to college, the old dinosaur still graced my parents' driveway.

I used to think that my parents were overly thrifty. When I recently had the opportunity to see the solid financial future that they had created for themselves over their lifetime, I realized that they were just plain smart.

I own a car that is just over two years old that I bought brand new.

I wanted it, it was shiny and pretty, and I worked hard for the money so I decided to buy whatever my little heart desired.

Two years later I am still making huge monthly payments on it, and the car is now worth less than one-third of what I still owe on it.

My little heart has hereby been fired from all future car-purchasing decisions.

My car became "used" the minute I drove it off the lot. Since most new cars generally lose 25 percent or more of their value annually, I realized that the guy driving next to me on the freeway in a car exactly like mine who bought it yesterday for $10,000 is much, much smarter than I am.

I am still making monthly payments on the outrageous original sale amount. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the average U.S. household will spend nearly 20 percent of their household income on vehicle costs, second only to housing.

Offhand, I can think of a whole bunch of better ways to spend 20 cents out of every dollar that I earn.

When it finally comes time to say goodbye to my former dream machine and purchase a "new" vehicle, I will be heading straight for the used car lot to buy a car that sips at the gas in my tank and that someone else has taken the depreciation hit on.

Then I'll spray the interior with "new car smell" air freshener and smile all the way to the bank.

Michelle Pearl is a longtime traffic-school instructor and the owner of InterActive Traffic School Online, www.trafficinteractive.com. Send questions to drivetime@dailybulletin.com or write to DriveTime, c/o the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, PO Box 4000, Ontario, CA 91761. Some reader questions will be answered in print.