One of the recent threads on the Crop Addict forum, "Minivan or SUV", got me thinking about the cars I used to own.
1. My first car was a dark blue (year omitted) Toyota truck, barebones truck. Toyota stopped production on these small trucks back in 1995 when they introduced the Toyota Tacoma. These were great little trucks; compact and reliable.
While I didn't technically own the truck, it belonged to my dad. I drove it until I crashed it which was only a matter of months. Yeah not a good thing. I wasn't paying attention and made a left turn from the straight lane, crashing into a large truck with a camper shell. What I remember most about the accident is that my dad was calm. Incredibly calm. He didn't yell or freak out. "It's just an accident. That's why they call them accidents."
2. My second car, and the first one I bought, was a brand new (year ommitted) White Nissan 4x4 Crew Cab loaded with all the options included big oversized tires.
I choose the Nissan 4x4 Crew Cab since I was attending the University of Denver aka DU and needed the 4 wheel drive for the snow. I drove this car until I could no longer afford the payments. Given that I was a struggling fulltime college student with a $27,000 yearly tuition (tuition and dorm fees) and working 20 - 30 hours a week just to pay for college, the truck payment of $246.43 a month was a luxury I could no longer afford.
3. My third car, a medium blue Toyota Tercel and I won't say what generation, was owned by my mom but she allowed me to use it and drive it out to Denver.
I drove this car until my sister needed it and I bought another vehicle.
4. With finances tight, I bought an older car, a tan 1979 Plymouth Valiant for my fourth car.
I choose the Valiant because someone from church drove a Valiant and said they were reliable. I got a bum model with a bad radiator. I was constantly buying cans of radiator fix it stuff. This car finally died, literally, leaving me without a vehicle and causing me to rethink the buying used/older vs new cars.
5. For my 5th car, I went back to Toyota and bought a new, White barebones small truck.
I drove this truck for the next 10 years, putting on over 120,000 miles. I would have kept this truck forever, it was so reliable, but then it was afterall, a Toyota. Since I wasn't about to put the car seat in the middle of the bench seat for one it wasn't safe and two, I couldn't shift with the car seat there, we had to get something that would transport three people.
6. Which leads me to my sixth vehicle. Being a new mom I wanted something big that would hold us and keep us safe. I had always love the look of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. And since I wanted a tank I started searching for an older Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
I found one locally for only $7700. The exterior looked clean as did the engine but that would prove to be untrue. We kept this for four years as we were having issues with it trying to pass smog. And in California that can be a nightmare.
What is it with used/older cars and my luck? Newer vehicles seem to last much longer for me than used/older.
7. Since used/older cars weren't working for me I want back to a new vehicle, a 2002 Subaru WRX wagon.
I wanted a sporty, fast, cool car that would hold a family of four, have room for extra gear and the capability to drive in the snow. The Subaru WRX wagon fit the bill. But while I came to LOVE my WRX it wasn't my first choice.
I really wanted a Suburban but Jeff said, "No American cars." Since I didn't fare well with my previous experiences with American cars , I took his advice.
The Subaru WRX wagon had just came on the market but was generating a lot of buzz for it's power and performance. Car and Driver Magazine compared it's performance to the Porsche Boxster.
Sure, it was fast and sporty but sooo low to the ground. It had been over 14 years since I had owned a car that didn't have raised wheels. But I acquised and it was a great car, except for the mechanical problems that started after I took it into the dealership for it's first service. But that's another story for another blogpost.
8. After 5 years and thousands of dollars invested into the WRX we did our part to stimulate the economy by purchasing a new vehicle, a 2008 Honda Pilot.
So far so good. I'm hoping this one lasts 10 years or longer.
