The Driveway: COBbies talk cars

Electric would be cool, but it requires installing a charger in your garage. I don't have a garage.

Hatchbacks are pretty amazing when it comes to cargo space. That's why I like them. I live alone and work downtown, so an SUV would be wasteful and awkward. OTOH I also need to haul things from time to time, so cargo space is important. A hatchback is perfect.

Ugh, I don't have a garage either. Sigh.

Looks like I'm stuck with gas for the Vespa, too. The electric models don't go fast enough for the freeway, which was the whole point of me getting transportation, and I can't take them on the train because they're still technically vehicles and not bikes. So much legalese. But at least they get more miles per gallon than cars anyway.

Residents of apartments and condos might be able to talk their building management into some kind of arrangement about charging stations, but it's a long shot. If you buy it yourself, price including installation can range from $500 to $1000, but you never have to go to a gas station again (except for long drives if you have a plug-in hybrid) and electricity is cheaper than gasoline.

Protip: Consider any suggested Google Maps directions closely before actually getting on the road.

Through a series of poor judgements in an attempt to bypass the I-75/85 parking lot, I wound up on The Dragon's Tail, but didn't realize it until it was too late to go back.

In an Elantra GT.

A stretch of US-129 with 318 turns in the span of 11 miles of road and no intersections, no driveways for businesses or houses, and very little margin of error, in a car that in spite of the "GT" in the name is not a sports car. Sporty, yes, but not sports.

I ultimately don't regret it, but I most certainly do not want to do it again.

Edited by Nohbody on Jul 1st 2018 at 11:12:28 AM

Oh man... Being a Midwesterner, I can't even imagine.

So after test-driving every hatchback I could get my hands on, I've settled on the Kia Soul. It just feels like a lot more car compared to others in its price range. Got my fingers crossed that my brother can find a red one.

I got my first ticket. I found a parking spot and waffled on whether it was a street-cleaning day, then decided since some other car was parked there I was fine. We both got ticketed. I paid mine off as soon as I got home, and when I tried to rip up the ticket to vent at least a little of my frustration I found it was printed on anti-rip paper (probably precisely for that reason).

Well, that's annoying!

My brother managed to find a 2018 Soul, mid-level trim, in my price range. Because it'd been in an accident. He thinks the damage is purely cosmetic and is buying replacement body panels. But of course now he's second-guessing himself while I'm just waiting to see what happens.

It'd be crazy if I managed to get a car where the model year was the same as the current calendar year!

At any rate, I'm now preapproved for a loan.

I mean, wow. That would be a ridiculously good deal. If this was a house, I'd be asking if it was haunted. Does your brother work with cars a lot? If not, let's hope the car comes out with a clean bill of health.

He's a licensed used-car dealer, a professional mechanic, and has been in the business for twenty-plus years. If I have any worries, it's because he's not as familiar with Kias as he is with Saturns. (Dude is a Saturn expert.)

He says he's now sourced most of the parts he needs. We're working on a purchase agreement. He's asked for half payment upfront to help with buying the parts, with the other half on delivery. Since we'll have this arrangement in writing, I'm willing to go along with it.

So the credit union balked at financing a prior salvage vehicle.

I did some googling, and I think the problem is to do with how different states handle salvage titles. The CU in question is in a state where a rebuilt car can actually have "salvage" removed from the title after inspection. Nebraska is not that way. So the CU saw "salvage" and assumed "illegal to drive". I've appealed the decision, linking to the relevant Nebraska's DMV page, but am not terribly hopeful.

I'm gonna try asking my local bank.

Gah.

So I'm starting to get annoyed by the way spec sheets don't actually tell you shit.

I don't want to know how much water it would take to fill a car's boot. I want to know what its actual dimensions are so I can tell if the stuff I need to be able to fit in it will fit in it.

I feel your pain. Spec sheets never seem to tell you what you want to know.

So the local bank is cool with financing a previously salvage car. Cue relief!

My brother says he got my check and has ordered the parts. Now comes the waiting...

*snort* Somehow I'm not surprised.

Scion: Glad that's been resolved. I really hope everything goes well for you. No one I know has a car less than five or six years old.

My brother's keeping me updated as he does repairs. Body panels & doors have been replaced, and he's working on the suspension.

From what he's told me about it, it sounds like the car was sideswiped.

scion: Yeah the used car I have has that obvious damage as well. That and car cancer aka rust from all the liquid salt based product they coat our local roads with.

Edited by TuefelHundenIV on Aug 3rd 2018 at 5:42:53 AM

...I'm gonna miss owning a car with all fiberglass body panels.

Your new ride feel a little heavier in how it handles?

Edited by TuefelHundenIV on Aug 3rd 2018 at 5:41:32 AM

Haven't got it yet. I'm sure it will. Though makers try for lighter designs and materials, as it helps fuel economy.

Messaged my brother yesterday asking for an update, as I hadn't heard anything in a week. I think this is turning out to be more difficult than he hoped.

One part had to be ordered from Canada, and is probably sitting in customs as I write. He had to buy a whole set of clips to hold on another part, because when he went to remove the part, all the clips broke. And he can't find a fender in the correct color and may have to have one painted instead.

The purchase agreement gave him until the end of this week to deliver the car. I hope he can meet that without too much scrambling.

I might be taking a look at a truck next week which seems decent and is actually within my budget. It's so cheap that I hope there's nothing drastically wrong with it.

Are you having a mechanic look at it?

Eh, the seller failed to respond after several days so there that goes. I probably dodged a lemon.

Back to looking at Vespas at the used scooter shop and counting my money.

So I'm trying to come to some sort of decision about what to look for for my first car between a Mark 6 Ford Fiesta and a Mark 2 Hyundai i20.

Well, my brother the mechanic is pretty positive about both of those makes, if it helps.

So yesterday I shelled out what I feel was an exorbitant amount for car repairs ... almost $1600. Mostly a whole lot of small issues all at the same time: tire rotation, four new brake pads, leaking radiator hose, tune up and smog check, new air filters, transmission fluid flush ... mainly because my wife didn't do anything more complicated than an oil change while I was on deployment (plus the car's at 67k miles).