New Ride

Hey,

Got me a new toy. Promised you a look so here goes:

This sexy new thing is my new 2007 Hyundai Accent. I ordered it on my birthday, and it came in about two weeks ago.

It is an awesome car. I finally decided to stop waiting for the primary buffer panel to fall off my gorram ship, and get something with a little more style.

I bought it with the idea that it was going to be great to not have to worry about the Saturn any more, and what happened? Jenn wanted the Saturn. Sigh. Oh well, at least my responsibility lies only within 'boyfriendly duties' (eg. advise, minor maintenance, occasional yelling at mechanics, etc.) and does not extend to financial obligation. So it works out, and I'm happy as long as it doesn't self destruct with her inside.

She was supposed to be red. That was my first choice. One, because I really liked the red, and two, because I was ready for a change. (The two blue cars look slightly funny parked next to each other, but maybe it's me.)

So I told them that I wanted a car that was 1) Red. 2) A Standard. 3) The 'Premium' package. (All the goodies.)

So they said no problem, and the car they found already had some of the gizmos I wanted. (Mud flaps, locking wheel nuts, etc.) So fine, a week later they say that the car is ready. Now, normally they make appointments for you to pick up the car and go over the paperwork, and the only time they have is tomorrow. O.K. I go in early to check it out anyway, just to see it.

I park my Saturn next to a new car and I think: "Wow! That car is nearly identical to the one that I ordered! But it's not mine, because it's not the premium model.... ...oh shit."

So I was correct, and they screwed up. The car comes in 4 levels of niceness: Crap, Less crap, Nice, and Really Nice. I ordered Really Nice. They brought in Less Crap.

That was bad enough. Then they tried to push the car on me which was worse. They were talking about how much money I could save, and that they would put lots of the extras from the Really Nice one on it. (Mag wheels, heated seats, fog lights, etc.) I refused. I wanted those things from the factory. This dealership doesn't even know what cars they sell. (the salesman argued at first that it was the premium model.) I wouldn't trust them to change the tires, let alone install airbags. I am going to own this car for years - I don't want to save 25 bucks per payment, I want the car I want. I'm never going to be happy if I compromise, so to hell with it.

But they didn't want me walking away either, so they asked what color I wanted besides red. (What?!) Apparently they couldn't get the car in red due to unspecified production issues. Sigh. Fine. I eventually compromised on the blue, after they threw in a few cheap extras to make me happy. (Rubber floor mats, a bug shield to be installed later.)

The color has grown on me. I actually think that it's possibly nicer than the red, although I'm still deciding. Apparently the red is a cop magnet, so that's probably good, although I drive like an excitable old lady nowadays anyway.

It's "totally pimped out", as the kids now are saying. It has Aluminum Alloy Wheels, 4 wheel disc brakes, Front, Side and Skirt airbags, Remote keyless entry and alarm, power doors, power windows, power everything, 8 way adjustable seats, ABS, illuminated mirrors, A/C, Heated seats, Heated mirrors (?), Fog lights, cup holders everywhere, and a whole host of neat gizmos that I'm still trying to figure out. I don't know what most of that is, but it sounds very impressive. I understand heated seats and A/C. It's very important that my ass is maintained at the proper temperature.

The inside is basic but pleasant. It's not two-toned leather or anything fancy, just simple black plastic and cloth. However it looks like it will wear reasonably well, and goes with anything. It's surprisingly roomy for such a small car, (6 inches shorter than my Saturn, but taller and the same width) and what really sold it was that it 'fits me'. By that I mean that my arms rest nicely when I'm driving, the steering wheel is the right distance for my arms, the pedals are the right distance for my legs, the shift knob rests right below my hand, etc. It sounds picky, but those are the details that make the driving experience fun. It's also true that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. Taking this thing on the highway is a hoot.

It survived it's first major road trip and passed with flying colors. (More on that later.) I was lucky enough to get to break it in on the highway, and I did everything right so far as I know. I kept the RPM between 2k and 4k, I varied the speed a lot, I didn't let it idle, etc. My dad says it's important, and I believe him. I asked him why this is, and he muttered some magic about 'compression coils' and 'flux capacitors' and whatnot, but he's right about this sort of thing more often than he's wrong, and much more often than me, so I do as I'm told.

Oh, and it's cheap. It cost me within 2k of my old car where I bought that one used, and it's a billion times better. With a modest down payment my monthly damage clocks in at just under 300 buckazoids. And the insurance is cheaper than my old car, because that's a coupe and this is a hatchback! (HA!)

Anyway, enough about that for now. I will keep you updated as to the further adventures of the Robmobile, and I will also let you know when my custom licence plate gets delivered. (bonus cookie for the first person who guesses correctly.) I be out.

-iRob

"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid."
-Han Solo