I just got a new car; well, a new-to-me car, anyway.

It’s a 2007 Ford Explorer, and it’s perfect for what I need, actually. It has no rust and 135,000 miles, relatively low mileage for a car that’s 18 years old. I think the people who owned it previously might have let it live in their house; it was that clean, and all the bells and whistles work.

It has four-wheel drive, won’t strand me in my sometimes challenging farm lane, and has plenty of room for purchases for my side business, my bookstore at The Windmill Farm & Craft Market, which just opened for the season.

I can tell you it came from a small local dealership where I was lucky to have done business before, where I have a trusted relationship with the people who run the enterprise. That’s a really important factor, I think, when deciding........

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