The Ascent of Paula
So today, me and my parents came to a joint decision... The Bradmobile's days are numbered.
That's right, Paula the Impala (as I've affectionately called her) is on her final legs. If all goes right, she'll be traded within the next two to three weeks. A month, tops.
"But why, Brad, why? She's been a good car!! Lots have happened with and in that car," you may find yourself thinking or even saying right now.
It's true, there have been many of great things in that car and many memories and unspeakable things, but the fact of the matter is she's old. Sure she's only a 2001, but in the sense of cars, she's got too many miles (over 122,000), the coolant thermostat needs replaced, her rotors are all screwed up (they make a nice shake whenever I come to a stop or slow down when going above 45 mph), the tranny needs flushed, the interior's pretty filthy, her front quarter panel is all dented up, the front passenger's side is scraped from ditchin' her with Kel during LO's sectionals and the back bumper has been pounded more than a South Side skank. Paula's also very thirsty for gas these days, suckin' it down almost as fast as I put it in. She's also blown a head gasket before and that's not cheap (I'm still paying for it and that happened when I was at WVU).
Sure, all of these are fixable, some of them within a few hours, others would take more time, but the problem is, there is probably over $1,000 (or close to it) worth of work/repairs/maintenance there. It turns out it's just cheaper to trade her off and start fresh.
Me and mom sat down and did the math, comparing the fixes and remaining payments to what it would cost to put me in a newer model car. Although I may end up paying on a car longer than I would if I just fixed up Paula and finished paying her off, I'll have fewer miles on a more fuel efficient car that will last exponentially longer.
The long and short of it is I've been an abusive owner and Paula was my bitch. I beat the hell out of that car and she's got next to nothin' left.
Sure I'll miss her, but we've all gotta move on. This weekend will start the slow cleaning process involved in getting Paula ready to go onto greener pastures...or the used car lot.
So what will take Paula's place? Well, I've decided not to buy a new car. When you buy one, the value depreciates 30-40 percent as soon as you drive off the lot, so I'm not going to waste my cash on that. Instead, I'm going to get a used car. I've weighed my options and a Toyota is the way I'm going to take it.
I've narrowed it down to three options:
The top choice is the Toyota Scion Xa, a nice hatchback that's fuel efficient and roomy enough for me and my roommates.
Advantages: It's small and has a flat back end, so it's easy to parallel park and it gets close to, if not over, 30 miles per gallon. I also really like the body design and, despite the look, they have a lot of head space and leg room. It's also more modern and not an "old persons car," like many called Paula.
Disadvantages: There's not a lot of room to haul stuff, although I didn't have much, if any, with Paula. Also, there's no enclosed trunk, but I can deal with that.
My second choice is the Scion Xb. I know, I've gotten shit since I first mentioned I liked the cube-car, but I like it.
Advantages: It's got no butt, so it's easy to park, and is very similiar to my first car in design (I had a Jeep Cherokee, so this is like a smaller, shorter version, really). It's roomy as hell and can haul smaller things, such as my love seat, if I lay the seats down. It's got more trunk space than the Xa, and darned close to the gas mileage.
Disadvantages: Well, everyone says it's ugly, so maybe that'll slow down my "let's try to impress this girl with my car" game, but oh wait, I've never ran that game and think it's lame, so really, there's no true disadvantage. Another setback, it costs more than the Xa.
My third choice for a car is the Toyota Carolla. It's a more sedan-ish look than the other two and blends in more. It's sportier than the other two. Plus it looks like a mini-Paula! But that might not be a good thing, I need a change.
Advantages: From everyone I've talked to, these things are built like a fuckin' tank, rivaling the Honda Civic for durability. The mileage is probably the best of the three and it's a more professional looking automobile. I've ridden in one and know they're comfortable. The seats are pretty plush, the interior is really nice and they're actually pretty roomy. It's also the most fuel efficient, and they can use FlexFuel.
Disadvantages: The cost. A new one of these badboys runs about $22K, which is a bit out of my price range, but I'm not looking for new, I'm looking at about a 2004, which shouldn't be too far out of range. It's also got less storage than the others and, compared to the Xb, it's got no space to haul anything. It's also got a butt, so it'll be harder to parallel. As I said before, it looks like a mini-Paula.
So my friend Bumps is checking out the car auctions to see what we can find. These are the three, so it really comes down to what he can find and get. He knows my ranking and price range, so we'll have to see what he can do. Keep your fingers crossed, I really want the Xa. If I have my choice, for all three, the colors I'd choose (in this order) are hunter green, black or red. I dont' really want silver or white. I don't know why, maybe it's because of my old Tempo, but I hate white cars. Ugly. My favorite color for a car is dark/hunter green. I like it when it's so dark, it's damned near black. That's slick.
So hopefully this'll end my car drama. My car, right now, is the number one cause of stress in my life.
That's right, Paula the Impala (as I've affectionately called her) is on her final legs. If all goes right, she'll be traded within the next two to three weeks. A month, tops.
"But why, Brad, why? She's been a good car!! Lots have happened with and in that car," you may find yourself thinking or even saying right now.
It's true, there have been many of great things in that car and many memories and unspeakable things, but the fact of the matter is she's old. Sure she's only a 2001, but in the sense of cars, she's got too many miles (over 122,000), the coolant thermostat needs replaced, her rotors are all screwed up (they make a nice shake whenever I come to a stop or slow down when going above 45 mph), the tranny needs flushed, the interior's pretty filthy, her front quarter panel is all dented up, the front passenger's side is scraped from ditchin' her with Kel during LO's sectionals and the back bumper has been pounded more than a South Side skank. Paula's also very thirsty for gas these days, suckin' it down almost as fast as I put it in. She's also blown a head gasket before and that's not cheap (I'm still paying for it and that happened when I was at WVU).
Sure, all of these are fixable, some of them within a few hours, others would take more time, but the problem is, there is probably over $1,000 (or close to it) worth of work/repairs/maintenance there. It turns out it's just cheaper to trade her off and start fresh.
Me and mom sat down and did the math, comparing the fixes and remaining payments to what it would cost to put me in a newer model car. Although I may end up paying on a car longer than I would if I just fixed up Paula and finished paying her off, I'll have fewer miles on a more fuel efficient car that will last exponentially longer.
The long and short of it is I've been an abusive owner and Paula was my bitch. I beat the hell out of that car and she's got next to nothin' left.
Sure I'll miss her, but we've all gotta move on. This weekend will start the slow cleaning process involved in getting Paula ready to go onto greener pastures...or the used car lot.
So what will take Paula's place? Well, I've decided not to buy a new car. When you buy one, the value depreciates 30-40 percent as soon as you drive off the lot, so I'm not going to waste my cash on that. Instead, I'm going to get a used car. I've weighed my options and a Toyota is the way I'm going to take it.
I've narrowed it down to three options:
The top choice is the Toyota Scion Xa, a nice hatchback that's fuel efficient and roomy enough for me and my roommates.
Advantages: It's small and has a flat back end, so it's easy to parallel park and it gets close to, if not over, 30 miles per gallon. I also really like the body design and, despite the look, they have a lot of head space and leg room. It's also more modern and not an "old persons car," like many called Paula.
Disadvantages: There's not a lot of room to haul stuff, although I didn't have much, if any, with Paula. Also, there's no enclosed trunk, but I can deal with that.
My second choice is the Scion Xb. I know, I've gotten shit since I first mentioned I liked the cube-car, but I like it.
Advantages: It's got no butt, so it's easy to park, and is very similiar to my first car in design (I had a Jeep Cherokee, so this is like a smaller, shorter version, really). It's roomy as hell and can haul smaller things, such as my love seat, if I lay the seats down. It's got more trunk space than the Xa, and darned close to the gas mileage.
Disadvantages: Well, everyone says it's ugly, so maybe that'll slow down my "let's try to impress this girl with my car" game, but oh wait, I've never ran that game and think it's lame, so really, there's no true disadvantage. Another setback, it costs more than the Xa.
My third choice for a car is the Toyota Carolla. It's a more sedan-ish look than the other two and blends in more. It's sportier than the other two. Plus it looks like a mini-Paula! But that might not be a good thing, I need a change.
Advantages: From everyone I've talked to, these things are built like a fuckin' tank, rivaling the Honda Civic for durability. The mileage is probably the best of the three and it's a more professional looking automobile. I've ridden in one and know they're comfortable. The seats are pretty plush, the interior is really nice and they're actually pretty roomy. It's also the most fuel efficient, and they can use FlexFuel.
Disadvantages: The cost. A new one of these badboys runs about $22K, which is a bit out of my price range, but I'm not looking for new, I'm looking at about a 2004, which shouldn't be too far out of range. It's also got less storage than the others and, compared to the Xb, it's got no space to haul anything. It's also got a butt, so it'll be harder to parallel. As I said before, it looks like a mini-Paula.
So my friend Bumps is checking out the car auctions to see what we can find. These are the three, so it really comes down to what he can find and get. He knows my ranking and price range, so we'll have to see what he can do. Keep your fingers crossed, I really want the Xa. If I have my choice, for all three, the colors I'd choose (in this order) are hunter green, black or red. I dont' really want silver or white. I don't know why, maybe it's because of my old Tempo, but I hate white cars. Ugly. My favorite color for a car is dark/hunter green. I like it when it's so dark, it's damned near black. That's slick.
So hopefully this'll end my car drama. My car, right now, is the number one cause of stress in my life.