I want the independance

Sooo we were at the BMW dealership on Saturday. Oh, yes I’m still saving for that beauty car of mine..

No, not a beemer — that’s on my Boyfriend’s wish list: BMW 135i. I’m half way there towards my five grand down payment. I don’t plan to take out a huge loan — nothing more than 12g. So that leaves me looking at second hand cars, if I am to purchase the cars listed below.

Still on my list is the Honda Civic. I sat in a 2009 Civic SI and loved it. Unfortunately this is Honda’s performance vehicle, and not necessarily for my type of driving (which will be used for commuting to work/soccer and the occasional trip up north). My Uncle works in the factory that actually builds just the Civics and [Acura] RSX’s) so maybe if I really narrow down my choices, I could get him to look into pricing for me. Sat inside a Honda Fit too, boyfriend is pushing this idea on me. It’s too ‘dinky’ for me. My room mate actually has one, and I don’t mind the inside as it’s quite spacious for an itty bitty car. I just don’t feel comfortable buying or purchasing one for myself. Plain and simple, I don’t feel safe in a tiny car like that.

On the competing end of things is the Toyota Corolla. I didn’t think that I would really like it at first, but to my surprise, I did. I really don’t like the cloth tan interior that most corolla’s have, it looks cheap. I sat inside a white 2009 with black interior (which was gorgeous) and it was almost identical, in my opinion to the Honda Civic. The length of the car seemed the same from the inside. The dash was eye–pleasing and the seats were equally cozy on my tush.  While we’re on the topic of Toyota’s, I have to say that I originally thought I would like the Toyota Yaris sedan — but oh my word, is that ever an old lady car from the inside. It seemed really cheap looking too. I didn’t pay too much attention to my arse being satisfied in the drivers seat, which I assume it was because nothing jumped out at me. But I couldn’t get over the fact that I was way too young for this car. It just has a little old lady feel to it.

I sat inside a 2009 Matrix. Gave it the benefit of the doubt. Never really noticed this car before, and wasn’t all that fond of it, but sat in it for the hell of it. Gotta say, I  actually didn’t like it. There were too many blind spots and they took out the mini back side window in the 2009 model, so there was a huge blind spot in that case. The head rest was protruding my head forward and made me feel completely uncomfortable, as the seats weren’t as comfy as the Corolla. (Surprisingly enough, the sales guy told me he really didn’t like the car either! Ha ha!).

Mazda 3’s are alright in my books too. I’m used to driving long ass cars (my parents have this sebring. Well not that exact one.) so I’m used to the luxurious seats, and the ohh so smooth ride. I learned how to drive a standard on my cousin’s Mazda 3 sedan, and I thought it was a nice drive, not as comfortable as my parents car and not as smooth on the suspension but someone told me it’s because the wheels are closer together on the smaller cars, giving you that feeling of  a rougher ride. Whatevs. I’m going to test drive both the sedan and hatchback in the 3, as I think they’re both super cute.

I have yet to test drive any of  the cars listed above, from a dealership. I may do this in the following weeks/months coming, but I don’t want to excite myself too much. I’ll have my $5,000 by July 1. So even though I’m looking now, I won’t purchase until after Canada Day.

As for exterior colors, I think I’m either a black or white. More leaning on the black side, for aesthetic and cleanliness reasons — it also must have air conditioning because the summers up here are ridiculous, and ideally it should have power widows and locks. If not, that’s soo 80’s haha. It would be a huge plus if I could get a sunroof too. (Am I requesting too much?) I can be so picky, but I mean — I’ve got tons of time, and the longer I wait in the 2009 year, I think the better deal I can get hopefully. Where I work (at a Financial Institution) we have sort of a partnership/agreements with car dealerships in the surrounding area and I asked the Loan manager if he could help me pick out a car from either of the places we deal with. Also a huge plus, on my end.

I have a few minor complaints about the way hoods are built on cars now. I hate that I cannot view more than a couple of inches of the hood. I haven’t been driving much since I moved to Ontario in 2006 as I never owned a car and even though I’ve taken manual driving classes, I’m not comfortable driving someone else’s standard if I’m not going to be a daily driver. I told a few salesmen that I was talking to, that I didn’t like the way hoods were built these last few years. He said it’s more aerodynamic so you’ll save a bit more on gas mileage and whatnot. Sigh. I guess! As I said above, I’m quite picky with my preference in cars. So I’m not exactly looking for suggestions on which ones to try out, because I pretty much have an idea as to which car I’m going to purchase.

Cars are a huge commitment and a massive purchase on your shoulders. I don’t think I’ve spent more than a grand on anything in my life. Maybe my wisdom teeth? Guess that doesn’t count. Seriously, I wasn’t all that excited when I was sitting in any of the cars, like “None of these are all that great to me!”. I think it’s because I know how much it’s going to cost me a bit of a fortune. I’m glad I’m not taking out a huge loan, because I know very well I’ll get stressed out with my payments. I’m an aggressive debt re–payer. I stop giving myself money, and I stop putting money into my savings, all to pay down debt. Which can be a good thing in one’s perspective. But really… it’s not healthy. Which is why I keep mentioning I’m not taking out a bunch of money, just to have a fancy car (Oh how I love the Acura TSX’s).

What I can’t wait for, is the independance the car will give me. I will not rely on anyone to pick me up and drive my to soccer. I will not ask people to give me rides to the grocery store, so I can load up on pasta sauce that is on sale for 75% off. I won’t have to ask my boyfriend to drive us to McDonald (lollll), I’ll take us myself! That, is what excites me.