Okay, I did it. I borrowed $8K at 2.49% to buy a car.
It's a 2006 Mazda 5 with 100K miles. It has a third row of seats, so it will fit our three kids in car seats with no hassle. The dealer listed the car at $1000 below the KBB private-party price for its condition ("Good"). It has a manual transmission, and it had been on the lot for a few months. The dealer replaced the clutch. Because the price was lower than 80% of the bank's assessed value for the car, they didn't require a down payment. I debated holding out to buy a Matrix for its lower price and better gas mileage, but in the end, we won't drive much, and the slightly bigger space would be useful with three kids.
The dealer is within walking distance of my house. I picked the car up yesterday, loaded my bike in the back, drove to get a parking permit, and drove it home and parked. This morning, I got up and walked to the grocery store with my granny cart, and then I rode my bicycle to work.
I bought a car. Sad week.