Last week when Nugget started making that strange noise she made a couple years ago I rolled my eyes in frustration. Sure enough, right on schedule, American cars start to become one thing after another repair-wise as soon as they pass the 60,000 odometer miles point. Nugget proved to be no exception.
The wiring issue making the speakers only half work intermittently, said wiring issue affecting the front left directional light, the directional light auto-off after turn function broken, even the clock that can't maintain the right time. These hassles, which were bearable in order to avoid repair costs but a nuisance (and in the case of the direction light being out, somewhat a safety risk) got joined by that loud noise when the speed reached 30 mph or higher. To find out what it was, it took me a YouTube video, a Pep Boys inspection and this blog post where I mention the same issue occurring a couple years back. Only then it was still under warranty. Now, the estimate to repair it was in excess of $250. To top it off, I noticed this week that Nugget endured some finish issue where some fine gritty yet sticky black dust coated the roof and parts of the hood and trunk. I took it to a car detailer and they said it would come off but not without a lot of work. $100+ of work.
So, I utilized my pre-approved credit union auto loan and traded Nugget in. So long my dear Nugget, but you were starting down the path of a slow destruction of my budget. Better to go to a new home so I can make room for this:
Within a few glances of this incredibly fun-styled mini-car, with its neon green metallic finish I knew what her (or I guess his) name would be:
HULK!
And like the roller coaster he reminds me of, he's just as much fun to drive. A perky little 5-speed, I'm back, finally, to manual shift. I loved driving my stick shift hatchback cars (the Subaru, the Geo Metro and the Focus) and I'm so glad to be back in one again. I have a bit of a bigger frame to put the smaller sized car but I'm working on that. Slowly but surely.
The car is a brand-new 2013 Chevy Spark. And let me tell you, even though I'm not ecstatic about having a car bill again, I think I got a pretty good deal. With the $4,700 trade and $1000 down, I financed a mere $8,000...for a brand new car! With a 36 month payoff, and a pretty decent rate, my payments are very manageable and not a lot going to interest.
The wiring issue making the speakers only half work intermittently, said wiring issue affecting the front left directional light, the directional light auto-off after turn function broken, even the clock that can't maintain the right time. These hassles, which were bearable in order to avoid repair costs but a nuisance (and in the case of the direction light being out, somewhat a safety risk) got joined by that loud noise when the speed reached 30 mph or higher. To find out what it was, it took me a YouTube video, a Pep Boys inspection and this blog post where I mention the same issue occurring a couple years back. Only then it was still under warranty. Now, the estimate to repair it was in excess of $250. To top it off, I noticed this week that Nugget endured some finish issue where some fine gritty yet sticky black dust coated the roof and parts of the hood and trunk. I took it to a car detailer and they said it would come off but not without a lot of work. $100+ of work.
So, I utilized my pre-approved credit union auto loan and traded Nugget in. So long my dear Nugget, but you were starting down the path of a slow destruction of my budget. Better to go to a new home so I can make room for this:
Within a few glances of this incredibly fun-styled mini-car, with its neon green metallic finish I knew what her (or I guess his) name would be:
HULK!
And like the roller coaster he reminds me of, he's just as much fun to drive. A perky little 5-speed, I'm back, finally, to manual shift. I loved driving my stick shift hatchback cars (the Subaru, the Geo Metro and the Focus) and I'm so glad to be back in one again. I have a bit of a bigger frame to put the smaller sized car but I'm working on that. Slowly but surely.
The car is a brand-new 2013 Chevy Spark. And let me tell you, even though I'm not ecstatic about having a car bill again, I think I got a pretty good deal. With the $4,700 trade and $1000 down, I financed a mere $8,000...for a brand new car! With a 36 month payoff, and a pretty decent rate, my payments are very manageable and not a lot going to interest.