I just finished a yearly project. Each day of the month I posted on a pre-determined theme. During the month of November, I'll post a collage of all my photos on the daily theme from the past year. The theme for the twenty-second day of the month was "Safety."
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CPR Class - Creepy mannequin.
Snowpocalypse 2022 - We prepared for a snowstorm. Hannah was a fashion model.
Yak Trax - If you live somewhere with snow and/or ice, get some Yak Trax!
Tie Your Shoelaces - Look, don't be lazy and just tie them.
Always Be Training - Hannah occasionally listens to voice commands.
Check Your Boobies!! - Hey, if your doctor tells you to do a mammogram, do it.
Orange Everywhere - Remember when I thought the construction was over? I was wrong.
A Series - Sometimes I laugh when I think about us stumbling around trying to figure out what fire alarm was low on batteries.
Pie Day! - The cat ate the pie.
In the Morning - Our predictable morning routine. You'll be happy to know that this is all changed now, with time needed for SAD lamp and needing to be at work by eight.
On Jury Duty - The whole thing felt unsafe.
Haunted House - I act like the world is scary, even though it's not.
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Hannah count: 2
Blaze orange count: 4
Heavy equipment count: 2
Hannah's LED collar count: 1
Dessert count: 1
Snow count: 1
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So much construction equipment. It's clear that I think safety equates with construction barrels.
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This is Agnes. She is a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. She was our first big purchase together. She currently has almost 250,000 miles on her and when we bought our "new" car in 2019 (you GUYS, the new car is FOUR YEARS OLD already), the dealership offered us $1000 trade-in, so I think we've gotten all of our money out of her.
I have written much about our plight with poor Agnes. She is a GOOD CAR. But we mostly drive her around town because if she has to go over about 45 miles per hour, it's not ideal. Things are starting to slowly stop working. One of the fans doesn't work, so defrosting can take a bit. The locks only sort of work (not really a concern - if someone stole our car, it would actually be kind of good for us). Accelerating takes a very long time.
Sooooo...things are coming to a bit of a head with this. We've put off the question of what to do with Agnes for quite some time, but in the next month there is a day in which my husband needs to be in Milwaukee at the same time I need to be in Madison and neither of us really wants to take the chance on Agnes. It honestly doesn't feel safe to take her on the interstate. It's one thing if she were to break down while driving across town to the grocery store, but quite another on the beltway in Madison.
Both of our cars are paid off and I guess technically we could afford to get a new car, but I do not want to. LOL. This is OUR car. Why the emotional attachment to a beater car? I have no idea. It's tiny and can get into any parking space, even those labeled for compact cars only. I can reach over and touch my husband when he's driving without having to move a single inch. The trunk is freaking ginormous for the size of the car.
(When my mom was downsizing, I took two end tables and a small bookshelf from her house. I pulled up in Agnes and my mom immediately said that there was no way it would all fit in the car. But when I popped the trunk, she was astounded. I think the car's trunk literally defies the rules of physics.)
I don't know why I'm writing all this. We're going to have to get a new car and it seems like that's going to be relatively soon. So I'm asking for advice. What kind of car should we get?
Our needs are simple. We'd like a hatchback or a sedan. We'd like cloth seats (I truly do not see a single benefit to leather in a state in which the leather is either freezing or will burn your legs). We do not require much in the way of gadgetry, but because we do a fair amount of highway driving, cruise control is essential. I like the car to have a bit of vroom vroom (which is why we went for the VW in 2019 instead of another Hyundai or a Subaru). Any thoughts?
I will say— leather seats are super comfy and also SO EASY to clean— which might be good with pets. Also, there is something SO SATISFYING about driving a car that much. Our Prius has been that car for us, and I love it.
ReplyDeleteI can see how easy cleaning might be an important selling point. It might not outweigh my temperature concerns, but we'll see!
DeleteWe need a new car, too. We tried to decide which brand to buy, researched on Consumer Reports, went into dealerships where unpleasant salesmen marginalized us, then decided to not buy a new vehicle until maybe 2025 when the Camry is going to only be hybrid. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteMy husband informed me that our new car is NOT paid off and that it won't be paid off until next summer, so I think we're going to have to struggle along until then with the current situation. We really don't want two car payments.
DeleteI recently got a Subaru and it was the first car I have ever had since my tiny purple Sunfire that I had in 1998 that I was excited about. I love it so much.
ReplyDeleteWe test drove some Subarus and I was super ready to love them, but I did not. However, Subaru is THE make of car to get around where we live, so I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up with one sooner or later.
DeleteOh how I hear you on this one. My 2003 Subaru is clearly not. doing. well. Yet I'm clinging to it very tightly - partly out of sentiment (someone very dear to me sold it to me cheaply when we really needed it.) partly out of inertia. We just recently got a mini van, with the idea that my Subaru will go away imminently, probably in the new year. (by "we", I mean the Husband, as he is the one driving it.) I will drive my husband's older car (a Subaru Impreza). Cars are such huge decisions, which I don't really feel equipped to make. If someone were to just give me a car and say, "Here, drive this for the next ten years," I think I would be perfectly fine with that.
ReplyDeleteAlso your point about reaching over and touching your husband's face -- YES!! I like that about my car too. The van - can't reach anything. It's like driving around in my living room.
YES! I want an Adulting Manual that just tells me what car to get. I don't want to make this decision!!
DeleteI laughed at the idea of driving around in your living room. Our garage is technically a two car garage, but it's only two cars because both of our cars are compact cars. If we get a car that's even a tiny bit wider, I don't think they'll both fit in there. Also, if either my husband or I gain so much as another pound, we're not going to be able to get in and out of the cars in the garage. LOL.
Well, I am still driving a 2010 CRV, and it is holding up well, but it is relatively low mileage.
ReplyDeleteI did have a car that I got attached to. It was a Corolla, 1990 IIRC. She took us across Canada in her old age -- west in 2000 and east in 2001. She was pretty well done in by 2003.
Low mileage will never be used to describe our cars. Poor things!
DeleteOur beater is a 2011 Hyundai Sonata; it is on its last legs and has almost 300,000 km on it. We recently got a fancier, albeit used, (2018) SUV with leather seats - 100% my husband's decision - and it is a dream to drive, I'll admit. But I love that I have ZERO worries about anything happening to the Sonata. Hit a curb? No biggie. I will be sad when it needs to be traded in for scrap, but we are driving it into the ground.
ReplyDeleteAgnus sounds amazing and I can see why it's tough to let her go. Also, the trunk physics sounds wonderful. I HATE the trunk in the Sonata.
Good point about how we don't worry about hurting Agnes at all. Like you say, if I brush against a tree or curb check something, I do not worry about anything. It's already scratched, rusty, and falling apart!
DeleteI'm not great with car advice. We like Toyotas and right now I drive a Rav4, which I LOVE! I drove a Corolla for years, but when my son played tuba, trying to fit everything in the Corolla was ridiculous. He doesn't play tuba anymore (and he's away at college for most of the year) but I'm not giving up my car!
ReplyDeleteOh, when we bought a car for my son- two summers ago- it was IMPOSSIBLE to find a used Toyota, so we got him a Kia Soul. He likes it!
I think Toyota people hang on to their cars because they're so reliable. We test drove a Camry in 2019 and they had not yet done a good job of integrating the screen for the backup camera into the dashboard, so it was like there was an iPad on top of the dashboard and I found it super distracting. I remember really liking how it drove, but the sightlines were sort of bad for me, like where I was sitting in the cockpit meant I was staring right into the upright on the driver's side. I am positive they have redesigned their cockpits since then.
DeleteI was attached to our beater car too, even when one of us would drive the kids to school, walk them in, find the car dead and have to walk to my parents' house for a jump. Or Matt would drive to the airport and same thing.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what vehicle to recommend. I like our leather seats (I didn't pick them) mostly because they don't absorb smells like cloth and I am very sensitive to smells. The freezing doesn't bother me, but the swamp ass is real.
I love my Rav 4, but I'm sure it's bigger than what you're looking for. Good luck! I find car shopping SO anxiety-provoking and soul-sucking, so I get it.
My husband does almost all the research on cars and I just get to go to the dealerships and we test drive things. Then we make a spreadsheet and decide. LOL. It's kind of fun for me, but I think it's stressful for him. Hmmm...maybe I should offer to take on some of that load? Dang it!
DeleteI tend to pick cars on how they look; my first car was a Mini. No one should take my car advice.
ReplyDeleteHey, appearance matters!
DeleteI am no help with cars, but wanted to say I get the emotional attachment to Agnes and I'd be feeling the same way! She's more than a car - she's so many memories!
ReplyDeleteShe is a lot of memories. I just have to remind myself that those memories won't leave just because we get rid of her. *sob*
DeleteWe just bought a car but we knew exactly what we wanted which was a Rav4 Hybrid. Well, what we actually wanted was a Rav4 Prime which is a plug in hybrid but it was impossible to find and after 2 years of waiting for one to become available we gave up. We desperately needed a 4WD vehicle for the winter since we have an alley garage. We sold my 2015 Camry and got $3k less than what I paid for it 8 years ago which is bananas. I had a 2003 Accord before the Camry which I really liked, too. Basically we are all about the non-American cars. So right now we have a Corolla and a Rav4. I hope you can make a decision easily and find something at a reasonable price! The car market is getting a little less nutty but it's still nutty overall.
ReplyDeleteToyotas really do hold their value! Plus, the used car market is basically nonexistent, so I can see how you got such a great deal selling the Camry.
DeleteI don't think we've even settled on if we want a sedan or another hatchback. Also, I guess we probably won't be buying a new car until next summer at the earliest, so we have some time to do research and figure it out.
I just a got a new car -- a KIA Telluride. I like it fine but it didn't come with a programmable garage door opener! How weird is that?!
ReplyDeleteI definitely get the emotional attachment to a vehicle! My Honda CR-V lasted me from 2003 until about 2019, and I loved it so much! We didn't even get rid of it because it was too old or had too many miles on it -- it was for other reasons that made me cranky at the time and in retrospect. It was a great car and went with me through three separate states. It was the longest relationship I ever had, besides the one with my husband!
A programmable garage door opener? This is a thing? LOL. Look at me with my economy car mindset. We have three garage door openers - one for each car and one for inside the house. We've never had one in the car.
DeleteAt the risk of making you cranky, what was the reason for getting rid of a car if you loved it and it was still in good condition?!
Ha! The programmable garage door opener seems like it should be with power windows: expected!
DeleteMy husband got a new car for A Big Deal, but only if we bought it THEN, and we still had two-plus years left on the lease of the car he was currently driving. The main argument against my car was that it was a stick shift, which my husband will not drive, so it made more sense for us to have two vehicles that we both could drive. That way, he could get his new car and we could keep the leased vehicle without paying a penalty, and then we would both be able to drive both cars. I am still a teensy bit salty about it, but he does really love his new (now not so new) car, and I don't really mind. I mean, I adored my old CR-V, but it was at the $1000 every time we got a check up point (still cheaper than a new car!) AND I now have seat warmers, which are frankly life changing.
Small cars are awesome! Small cars that you've gotten 250k miles out of are even awesomer. Good luck with your decision (look at me being all smooth and not giving any advice).
ReplyDeleteHa! I love driving small cars so much. I can fit into ANY parking spot in a garage. I do regret the small car when we buy a large purchase, though!
DeleteI get attached to cars. We currently have a 2012 VW Jetta (which runs fine and still has relatively low mileage on it, but doesn't have much in terms of newer and safer technology), so we're also contemplating buying a new car. Currently looking at a CRV hybrid.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how much of a difference the back-up camera made for me when we upgraded in 2019. I think you'll be surprised at how much easier it is to drive some of the newer cars.
DeleteI am in total denial, I do not want a car payment again. Sigh. We have a 2005 Camry and a 2008 Scion, and I love them both. They have nothing in the new technology department, obviously.
ReplyDeleteBoth of your cars are older than Agnes! Congrats on keeping them running so long!
DeleteI'm very happy with my Kia Soul, but nothing will ever match the excitement of the 69 Caddy convertible I got in 1985! Not a practical car even as a fantasy today (leaded gasoline! 18 feet long!), but it was wonderful then.
ReplyDeleteHa! I think about the cars in my high school parking lot in the 1990s and it was truly a different time. Imagine those super long 70s cars on the road today. You just don't see that many.
DeleteI was VERY attached to my 2005 Scion xB. She was the cutest little toaster on wheels, and I felt like I was abandoning her when I drove off the lot in my new car! I had to remind myself it is a car WITHOUT FEELINGS. But it did hurt, lol. I love, love, love my Kia Soul. She's a little powerhouse!
ReplyDeleteI have never felt so reluctant to give up a car before this one. LOL. Human feelings are so weird.
DeleteI will hang on to my Prius until someone pries it from me. I love that car beyond all reason, so I totally get the attachment to Agnes. Why do cars have to leave us? ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's planned obsolescence (only took about five minutes to figure out that spelling), that's what it is!
DeleteI have never owed a car so I have no emotional detachment to any vehicle. But I can understand that the first own car together holds a special place in your heart.
ReplyDelete