Good-Bye Hot Chocolate

You know that feeling when you buy something that you have coveted for a really long time?  There can be immense satisfaction in owning something shiny and new. In 2010 I purchased a Mini Cooper Clubman with 10,000 miles on it and I was in love. It was a deep brown color and it caught my eye the minute I saw it.

I nicknamed that car “Hot Chocolate” and it looked amazing with my little blue kayak perched on its roof. I loved that car from the moment I laid eyes on it until this week when I gently patted its hood and said good-bye. “Hot Chocolate hit 112,000 miles last month, was burning oil, sounded rough and was started to look her age!

Who doesn’t love hot chocolate?

I spent $686 bucks on her recently but she still needed brakes, tie rods and probably some engine work. I didn’t have the nerve to sink anymore of my hard-earned money into a vehicle that I didn’t feel comfortable would get me where I wanted and needed to go.

For the last few months, I have been car shopping my way.  Essentially that means I really pay attention to any car that turns my head and start to narrow down my choices. By the time I started to schedule test drives I pretty much thought I would choose either a Subaru Impreza Hatchback or Mazda 3 Hatchback. I was leaning toward the Impreza because it comes standard with AWD and that is a big plus here in Upstate New York!

Check this one out

When I walked into the dealership to test drive a 2014 Impreza, I was distracted by a brand new car that I didn’t recognize. As the salesman started telling me all about the dealership, I interrupted him to ask “What is that car?” He says a Hyundai Veloster. Disappointed, I say “ya, I have seen those but they only have 2 doors and I need at least 3 so I can easily get the dog in/out”.  He tells me it has 3 doors plus a hatchback and I go check it out.

I like the car but it is brand new and not in my price range. Plus it is black and I want something with some color! I go and test drive the car I was initially interested in and I like it but it is more dinged up than I want. When I get home I stared to look for more Impreza’s to test drive and find 1 about 40 minutes away. Plus they have a used Veloster with no price on it so I make an appointment to drive both.

I tested the Impreza first because that is what was interested in the most. Again, I liked it and it was in a bit better shape than the first one I drove. It was nice – yup just nice.

Then I laid my eyes on the Hyundai Veloster! I liked it the minute I saw it and loved it the minute I drove it. Whoever owned it prior took amazing care of it. It looks shiny and new despite having 34,000 miles on it. There is not a dent, ding or scratch and it has a nice deep hatch that will hold whatever I decide to toss back there. Plus it was $1000 bucks cheaper than the other car and I figure I can use that to buy really good snow tires to make up for the fact that it doesn’t have AWD.  Oh and it has color, really nice color.

Winter is coming…

I have been saving for the last few years to pay cash for my next car. Oh what a feeling! I have never been so happy driving away from a car dealership. There will be no monthly payment for the next 5 years. This baby is fully paid for and that makes driving it even more enjoyable. I am choosing wealth by staying out of debt.

So Good-bye “Hot Chocolate” hello “Orange Crush”! Or maybe “Orange Kiss” or “Citrus Kissed”. I haven’t quite decided!

I do know she is fully paid for, fun to drive and a really sweet color! Oh and she made it up and down the hill at the lake with no problem!!!!

 

Lake Girl

 

 

 

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