New Car!

 

My new wheels - a 2026 Hyundai Venue 

Good morning folks!

I haven't posted for a while because your longtime blogger here has been busy this past week.

"What have you been busy with?" asks my longtime blog followers?

Well, I bought a new car!

It was time folks.

My faithful 2010 Subaru Forester had over 101,000 miles on it. When I bought it I thought it would be my last car in this lifetime. Turns out I had one more car to go. 

My 1998 Subaru Forester - I had this car for twelve years and traded it in for a 2010 Subaru Forester that looked exactly like it - got a great trade in value!

I hated to part with my faithful Subaru Forester but it just didn't have the safety features that I need at time of my life. Especially the backup camera. I can't turn my head all the way around to make sure I'm not backing into somebody or another vehicle. I also wanted the feather with the maps easily displayed. Another safety feature I wanted was the blind spot and staying my lane warning. And one more thing, I wanted something smaller than my Forester but still a crossover SUV. Also, I couldn't afford a new Subaru Forester (this was my second one).

My 2010 Subaru Forester -tinted windows this time

Pat came up with the perfect suggestion. A Hyundai Venue. I had never seen a Hyundai Venue. I checked it out and I loved it. Especially the color, a "Mirage Green". The same color as Pat's Fiat. 

Pat and his Fiat from his visit last month. Pat comes down again in June.

I checked my local dealers and I found one and bought it! I won't go into the details here (boring) but it was the regular scenario of buying a new car. Bottom line is that I did get the trade in price that I wanted. 

Now, I think this really is my last car in this lifetime. I won't need a car when I join Bill Heaven. But for the time being, this little Hyundai Venue fits the bill perfectly!

New Car

Love at first sight

Well folks, I did it.  I bought a new car.

My last new car purchase was in 1998.  It was a Subaru Forester, red.

My 1998 Subaru Forester first time pumping up

I've been very happy with my Subaru for the past 12 years.  Me and Old Friend have had quite a few adventures during the 123,000 plus miles I put on that car.  My last big trip was in June when Bill and I went south to visit my brother John and my Mom in Greenville, South Carolina.

Me and Old Friend off to another adventure September 2003

However, lately I've been hearing strange noises from the back of Old Friend as I slow down and turn corners.  When I've heard these noises I usually turn up the radio.  I didn't want to face the fact that I might have to have another major job done on Old Friend.  Last year I was leaking oil so I had to have the gaskets replaced.  That put be back $1,900.  When you start putting money in a car, even if it is your Old Friend, it's time to start looking for a New Friend.

Uh oh, I don't like that sound

That happened on Wednesday.  Bill and took a ride to Dover Volkeswagen Subaru  just "to look." Well, that soon went out the window as soon as I saw this gleaming, red, moon-roofed Subaru Forester on the showroom floor.  It was love at first sight!  The only thing that would hinder my purchase of this beauty was what I could get for a trade in on my old Subaru Forester.

Bill checks out the new Subaru

A couple of years ago we drove to a Subaru dealer in Maryland.  I was serious about replacing my car at that time.  The problem then is I didn't like that year's Subaru model and they were only going to give me a $400 trade in on my Old Friend.  Before I left I had checked the Blue Book value at it was $2,400.  Of course it pissed me off that they were only going to offer me $400.  I got up to leave.  As I was leaving, the sales floor manager (who was seated high up some kind of contraption near the door) stopped me and asked "What can we do to keep you from leaving here without buying a new car?"  I replied "You could get serious about the trade in value of my car."  I told him the Blue Book value and he gave me some gobbledegook nonsense about the Blue Book value "doesn't really mean what they say."  Say what?  These are people I don't want to deal with.  Plus, they were going to charge me Maryland sales tax even though I lived in a non sales tax state of Delaware.  Time to leave.

I decided to keep my Old Friend until I ran it "into the ground."  On Tuesday, when I took my neighbor Barbara to the Rehoboth Farmers' Market, the first thing she says as I turn out of out development was "Ron, there's something the matter with your car." I didn't want to hear this.  But, there was no denying that I probably did have a problem.  Did I want to pour more $$$$$$$$$$ in this car even though it was  Old Friend?  Uh......no.

So when the salesman at Dover Subaru took  Old Friend for a spin around the car lot and came back and said "You have a problem with the back end of your car but I'll give you $1,900 for a trade in."  As soon as I heard those words out of the salesman's mouth I knew I was going to get a New Friend.  It was a Done Deal.  Where do I sign?

Me with Lou, the Subaru salesman - I'm ready to sign

After signing all the paper work and cleaning out my old car (I had no idea I hoarded so much in Old Friend - I had FOUR fix-a-flat cans under the seat!)  I was ready to hit the road back to LSD in my new, gleaming, sparkling, delightful 2010 Subaru Forester with the Moon Roof.

Moving from the old to the new (guilt abounds)

I open the door to get in and was immediately greeted by that new car smell that we all love.    I put it in gear and glided out of the dealership parking lot onto Dupont Highway.  Oh the power steering, a child could drive this car.  The comfort, arm rests on both sides.  Bill and I headed north on Dupont Highway to the exit for the Route 1 expressway south.  We're going home with my New Friend!

I left that parking lot with 9 miles on the odometer.  As I type this blog, I now have 185 miles on the odometer.  Me and my New Friend have been to Rehoboth Beach twice for my daily "walk on the boards" early in the morning.  This afternoon we went to lunch in Millsboro at La Quezatelteca with old friends Paul and Jack.  I introduced my New Friend to my Old Friends.

Old Friends Jack and Paul in front of New Friend (oh, the adventures we're going to have)

Somewhere in the Dover Volkeswagen Subaru parking lot is my Old Friend, the 1998 red Subaru Forester.  I can't help but think that my Old Friend is wondering why I have abandoned him (yes, I use "him" and not "her".)  I try not to think about my betrayal.  What I prefer to think about is that Old Friend will get a new lease on life when it is sold to its new owner.  I hope the new owner takes good care of him as I have the past twelve years.  He deserves no less.

Goodbye Old Friend.

106,000 Miles

Today, as I was driving back from a friend's house in Rehoboth Beach, my odometer turned over 106,000 miles. A few minutes before my friend pointed out that I dripped oil on his brand new white cement driveway. I told him "No way!" and to prove it, I got in my car and moved it from where I was parked in front of his house to show him that I wasn't dripping oil. Oops! There, on the asphalt roadway were three telltale signs of oil. Egad. I backed up my car and there again, was another drop of oil. Okay. So I was in denial. A few weeks ago I took my car into a local garage to have them check out the oil leak. It wasn't leaking a lot but it does leak a few drops every day. The mechanic checked it out and told me (I'm terrible at this kind of thing) something about the drive train and fan or something like that. He gave me an estimate of $1,450 for them to "attempt" to fix it (no guarantee). He did mention that I had over 105,000 miles on my 1998 Subaru Forester. Hmmmmm. Is he saying my car is old (like me)? I decided not to get anything done at that time. I would live with the occasional oil leak. However, when my friend pointed out to me today the steady leak, I'm thinking maybe I better consider getting a new set of wheels to take me into the sunset years of my amazing life. My previous car was a Honda Civic. I had that car for 14 years and 56,000 miles. I keep cars a long time. I'm very fond my my red Subaru Forester. It was love at first sight when I first saw it. We've been through a lot together, me and my red Subaru Forester. I love this car but I've been thinking about getting a new car anyway before things start to go wrong like dominoes with this car. I've been thinking about a Toyota Prius from the time a friend offered me a ride in his last winter. Besides the great gas mileage, the interior of the car is roomy and comfortable. Due to my height and long legs (longer than Michael Phelps), leg room is a serious consideration for me. Also, I would like to have a GPS navigation system. A co-worker of mine also was starting to have problems with her car last week. She got it fixed when her engine light came on. Shortly thereafter something else went wrong with her car. She decided she needed dependability more than she needed to avoid putting out bucks for a new car. She took the plunge and bought a new car and is now very happy. I'm 66 years old. I figure this new car will last me at least another 10 years. That should take me well into my sunset. At least I want to do it in style. Now if I can just get it in fire engine red.