I Got a New Car!!!

Those of you who know me know I've been driving some aging cars since I had my license and have been pushing my luck with every trip I've taken with them (RI, VA, Ohio, Canada, to name a few). I've driven a 1986 Chevrolet Blazer and a 1994 Buick Regal, both previously owned by my parents. The Buick needed some MAJOR repairs and I just wasn't about to justify putting several thousand down on repairs knowing something else was going to break.

Now, I've been thinking of a new car for a while... test drove six cars: Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Fusion, Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Nissan Sentra, and the Toyota Corolla. It came down to looks, fuel economy, and reliability (and reputation). I tossed the Cruze, Focus, and the Sentra out immediately, had a hard time tossing out the Civic because of its reliability, and narrowed it down to the Mazda 3 and the Corolla. The Corolla gets better fuel economy than the Mazda 3 and also is slightly shorter and like 200 pounds lighter. The gas tank is smaller on the Corolla, but that's alright. And nine days ago I took the plunge and I bought a Corolla...

http://www.stevesairshow.com/newcar.jpg

More photos can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...2&l=90b3d9aacd

Outstanding!!! Congrats!

Congratulations, Steve! Just watch out for phone poles...:wink:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by moose135

Congratulations, Steve! Just watch out for phone poles...:wink:

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HEY!

Love the new garden state incognito plates :tongue:

Congrats Steve! Glad you chose the Toyota, def reliable and yes going on a long trip in a Chevy blazer? Pushing your luck for sure. Best of luck with your new car and yes those poles can be a problem.

Nice car! Last year when I was shopping for cars in the same class, it came down to the Civic and the Mazda 3, but I ended up going Civic just because of the price and my personal comfort and reputation for reliability of Honda. But I was VERY impressed with the Mazda...the dash and seat arrange had a very cockpit-style feel to it. Congrats!

Congrats.

Thanks guys! I don't need to worry about poles... my worry is deer... went deer hunting on the PA Turnpike with the Regal...

OMG what is happening in PA? It sure looks like they have slashed their highway budget because I have never seen so many dead deer on my way back. It was sad actually. You can tell many have been sitting there for days or weeks.

I was also shopping in the same class, and will get a Civic once I eventually decide to purchase (in grad school, and don't need a car to get to either class or work). The runners-up were the 3 and the Corolla; I've rented a 3 a bunch of times, and it feels very cheap - all of the R&D effort went into the engine at the expense of the interior and the fit and finish. The Corolla is a great car, but it doesn't hold its resale value as well as the Civic, and in case my life path takes me somewhere that a car isn't necessary, I'd like to at least get something back.

If you guys know about the budget woes New Jersey is having, Pennsylvania is just as bad. Don't need to say much more than that...