Friday, December 30, 2011

You Have a Good Heart, Kenneth. I Hope You're in a Car Accident so That I Can Have It

Yesterday Drek and I dropped Ash off at a babysitter's house and headed down to the temple with Drek's parents. As is common on Sunland Freeways, the traffic was moving at normal speeds, then stopped, then moving at normal speeds, then stopped. During one of those "stopping" phases, the car in front of us didn't think he could stop in time (I assume) and moved over into the shoulder. Drek saw the cars stopping and so he came to a gradual, gentle stop. The car behind us was not so alert. After a very angry squeal of tires and brakes, we were slammed from behind. Because that car in front of us had moved off to the side, and because Drek had stopped to give him plenty of room to get back on, we didn't hit the car in front of us. It was a simple two-car accident.   

But it was still a nasty accident. Everyone was "fine" (I put it in quotes because most of us had headaches and my neck was on fire yesterday and today I mostly wish I had been decapitated, but no broken bones, no blood, you get the idea...) but both cars were totaled. 

It's the best of a terrible situation: no one was seriously hurt, Ash wasn't in the car, and everyone has good insurance coverage. So hooray. 

And yet, Jasmine is dead. She would have lasted at least two more years. She was such a good car. And now we have to get a new car. If buying Jasmine five years ago taught me anything, it's that I HATE car shopping. Seriously. 

If you ask me what I want, I'll tell you I want an electric car. Or a car that runs on water. But I'm forced to buy a gas powered car. Which is stupid. 

I have no preference as to which gas-powered car we get. They are all gas guzzling, world polluting, money draining, death traps. 

So, anyone have any suggestions? Jasmine was a Saturn, but they don't make Saturns anymore. I grew up with Toyaotas, but I hear there was recent scandal with Toyota brakes? I do have a preference for Fords. Does anyone have a car they love that they can suggest? 

13 comments:

  1. I really adore my Ford Focus hatchback. I've heard good things about the Fiestas, too.

    My mom bought a new car last month and I think she test drove the Fiesta and liked it, and then I think she got a Honda? So if you want very recent opinions on car-buying, my mom might have some helpful stuff to say.

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  2. Also, I'm glad you're okay!! And have you had your neck looked at?

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  3. How does insurance work in Cali? Is your insurance going to go up, or just the other guy's?

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  4. Toyota. They've fixed the brake issues. Remember my 3 car accident? Not one scratch on my car.

    Or Honda.

    Highly recommend Toyota. Cannot recommend enough. Do NOT get a German made car, they are ridiculously expensive to repair. Japanese all the way. Toyota, Honda. I've heard okay things about Kia as well. But mostly Toyota. Have I mentioned how fantastic Toyotas are yet?

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  5. We are SOOO very grateful that you all are alive!
    We have had such good experiences with our Toyotas. We have had Corolla's. Each one has lasted 11 to 13 years with minimal repairs. They retain value. One of the features that I like, but is probably not a biggie to others is that they "turn on a dime" (at least it seems). The recent problems, as I understand, have been with the Camry's. For many years, the Ford Taurus has been Motor Trend Car of the year. You actually drove one for a very short time until we discovered that the speedometer was broken and not fixable. The Mercury twin is the Sable. Mercury is Ford's line of luxury cars.
    You may want to talk to us about Jasmine, how we found her, and if it is still possible to find a good Saturn like her.

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  6. I'm so glad everyone was ok! Good luck with the new car search!

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  7. Yes, we did get our necks looked at. I'll be spending several hours at the chiropractor's office over the next few months.

    Jasmine was ten years old and still going great. I would LOVE to get another Saturn just like her. If Toyotas are the same way we'll look into them.

    I do love hatchbacks. I'll look into the Ford Focus.

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  8. I have a Hyundai, from the research I did they are good cars but cheaper than Toyota. I would have gotten a Toyota but couldn't afford it, so I got my Hyundai Elantra. It has been a great car, only one big expensive car fix (but it was a every 90,000 miles thing). Anyways, it was inexpensive but not "cheap". Good luck with what your car hunt!

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  9. Maybe you could get a used Saturn if you look around. I drive a Hyundai Tucson and I like it but the gas mileage isn't so good. However, it is a crossover SUV and I recommend them for anyone with children because it is so much easier to deal with car seats. I love not having to bend way over to strap in the seat or the child. But then I'm old. LOL.

    I don't suppose you need 4wd down in Sunland, but I love mine! What I like even more is the tinted windows, since light bothers me, whether it is bright headlights or reflecting off of chrome. So there is my two cents worth.

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  10. ps, the Elantra comes in a hatchback :)

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  11. Oh no! So glad you guys weren't seriously hurt, but sad about your car.

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  12. I'm so glad you are okay! What a relief that Ash wasn't in the car...

    I did a fair few hours of car research and found that the Honda Civic may just be my favorite car ever. It's reliable and not a huge gas guzzler by any means (it can compare with some hybrids). They even have a hybrid version of it now.

    I'm not a fan of Fords but that is parental bias. My dad used to have to fix our cars when they broke down and he said he worked on Fords more than any other car and will never, ever own one.

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  13. Actually, the rental car we are driving right now is a Honda Civic.

    I HATE it. But only because it has automatic locks. WHO invented that feature? Who thought that was a good idea? I am constantly fighting with this car to get in, to get out, to put my kid in, to get my kid out, I HATE it.

    At least I know that I will never buy a car with automatic locks.

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