For this project, I chose a local company that I am very familiar with. It is Stokes Mazda on Ashley Phosphate Road in North Charleston. This is where I bought a new car, a Mazda 6, in October 2014. I had just taken my teaching job at SC State University and felt I needed new wheels for the daily commute to and from Orangeburg, which is almost 70 miles from where I live.
Stokes Mazda is only three or four miles from my house. It is the only place I have taken my car for service. I like the proximity, the showroom, the people in the service department are professional and friendly, and the quality of the work is excellent.
This car, which cost just north of $30,000, should be paid off in March 2021. I've piled more than 150,000 miles on it to date but it has been pretty much trouble-free (knock on the leather seating) and I plan to hold on to it for years to come. It will be great for family finances to not have the monthly $475 payment, for sure.
