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It is done.
Jan. 29th, 2011 10:59 pmTen days ago, my car was totaled. As of noon today, I am the proud owner of an almost-new black Hyundai Elantra Touring, the wagon version of the Elantra.
I think I got a very good deal. It's got only 15,700 miles on the odometer, and has four years left on the manufacturer's warranty (nine on the powertrain warranty). It's the newest and most expensive car I've ever owned, though that's not saying a lot. It doesn't have some of the bells and whistles my old car had--I'll miss the heated seats and the sunroof in particular--but it suits my needs.
My husband has been getting slammed at work--it's after 10 pm on a Saturday night, and he's on his laptop catching up on email, though he did get to spend some time lying around reading today. So I did all the research, shopping, test driving and deciding on my own. Our past car purchases have been much more of a joint endeavor. I really don't have a lot of interest in cars, to be honest. I don't mind driving, but it's not something I think of as fun, just a necessary chore when I need to get from here to there and back again.
There's a lot of there and back again in my life these days, getting the kids to and from school and activities (band rehearsals, riding lessons, friends' houses, etc), as well as the standard domestic errand-runs. It was a little disorienting this week, because I had a rental and took extended test drives on both the cars I was considering buying, and I kept fumbling--all of them had slightly different controls for the heat, the radio, the lights, the wipers, the turn signals, plus the kids never knew what I'd be driving when I came to pick them up from school. I've said it before, and it's still true: 90% of family life is logistics.
The other option I was considering, for about the same price, was a 2008 Subaru Forester. It had 4 wheel drive, but it also had almost 4 times as many miles on it, two minor accidents on the Carfax record, and slightly lower gas mileage. I was initially thinking of a Subaru outback, but the ones I saw were out of the range I was willing to pay, and I'd have had to get something four or five years old. I actually liked the Subaru dealership slightly better, but I got good service and a low-pressure approach from both.
It's very hard not to second-guess yourself on a decision like this. But I've decided the second-guessing, the minor panic once you've made up your mind, is just part of the process. I spent a sleepless night about a week before my wedding wondering if I was about to make a huge mistake. That was 22 years ago, and we're still together, so that one worked out all right.
I think I got a very good deal. It's got only 15,700 miles on the odometer, and has four years left on the manufacturer's warranty (nine on the powertrain warranty). It's the newest and most expensive car I've ever owned, though that's not saying a lot. It doesn't have some of the bells and whistles my old car had--I'll miss the heated seats and the sunroof in particular--but it suits my needs.
My husband has been getting slammed at work--it's after 10 pm on a Saturday night, and he's on his laptop catching up on email, though he did get to spend some time lying around reading today. So I did all the research, shopping, test driving and deciding on my own. Our past car purchases have been much more of a joint endeavor. I really don't have a lot of interest in cars, to be honest. I don't mind driving, but it's not something I think of as fun, just a necessary chore when I need to get from here to there and back again.
There's a lot of there and back again in my life these days, getting the kids to and from school and activities (band rehearsals, riding lessons, friends' houses, etc), as well as the standard domestic errand-runs. It was a little disorienting this week, because I had a rental and took extended test drives on both the cars I was considering buying, and I kept fumbling--all of them had slightly different controls for the heat, the radio, the lights, the wipers, the turn signals, plus the kids never knew what I'd be driving when I came to pick them up from school. I've said it before, and it's still true: 90% of family life is logistics.
The other option I was considering, for about the same price, was a 2008 Subaru Forester. It had 4 wheel drive, but it also had almost 4 times as many miles on it, two minor accidents on the Carfax record, and slightly lower gas mileage. I was initially thinking of a Subaru outback, but the ones I saw were out of the range I was willing to pay, and I'd have had to get something four or five years old. I actually liked the Subaru dealership slightly better, but I got good service and a low-pressure approach from both.
It's very hard not to second-guess yourself on a decision like this. But I've decided the second-guessing, the minor panic once you've made up your mind, is just part of the process. I spent a sleepless night about a week before my wedding wondering if I was about to make a huge mistake. That was 22 years ago, and we're still together, so that one worked out all right.
