I never thought I'd become a Holden driver... but I admit, i'm enjoying it :)
First and most important thing: I bought a car last Friday! It's a black Holden Astra TS CD... 2004 model (so it's 2 1/2 years old). Things I love about it:
And I got a 3 year extension of the manufacturers warranty on it, so it's like a new car! :)
Much thanks to harpoonblue for all his assistance with helping me buy the car - also mad props to Andrew and DJ who have both assisted me heaps in my car quest :)
So yeah. Lots of driving around in my new baby this weekend, including hitting Cottesloe beach with Jason, Phil, kai_el_solo, Steven, tru_jib, Lewis, Ric and Bec (obviously not everyone went in my car :p) then going back and watching Battlestar Galactica for the first time with them after, gym with Paul, driving around Jason's old neighborhood, etc... :) And I'm sure I'll do heaps more driving in it... I'm in love with it, it's gonna take me a little while to get over it... *grin*
Oh, and I've already dug up the leopard print steering wheel cover that was on my old car (see LJ icon) and stuck it on the new car, just to provide the initial required level of tackyness for my transportation... More tackyness may be forthcoming, suggestions welcome ;)
- The car feels very European - it has a nice solid vibe to it - the doors, seats, steering, everything feels solid. It feels a LOT like a Saab :) Other cars I looked at just didn't have the same feel, they felt flimsy and loose.
- It's automatic (yes I got my manual license, but I really like being able to drive with one hand - means I can hold hands with someone the whole trip :p)
- And if that wasn't lazy enough - it has cruise control (which I am already addicted to) - and it's DECENT cruise control too, so you can adjust the speed incrementally up and down, and use "memory" to accelerate back up again... so I hardly use my feet when driving on the freeway
- Full electrics - great for me who likes driving with all windows down, so I can wind them all down and up with a button
- Dual airbags, ABS and traction control, so I feel vaguely safe :P
- FOUR DOORS! :) And it fits five people properly - the back seat is roomy! And decent boot space! So it will be good for road trips with friends :)
- Speed adjusted volume on the stereo - this one's pretty evil, as I accelerate the car turns the stereo up, so that you don't hear the engine as much - downside to this means I find myself going faster than I expect because I normally use the engine noise to gauge speed and this screws that method up. But cruise control counteracts that ;)
- Accelerates nicely (especially in sports mode!) and corners really nicely - I gotta remember to drive it nicely when other people are in the car though, already had a few people hanging onto the Jesus handles...
- Doesn't seem to use much petrol :) (well, except when in sports mode I suppose :p)
- Decent six-speaker Blaupunkt stereo - it's not amazing, but it's better than most basic models that most cars seem to come with :)
And I got a 3 year extension of the manufacturers warranty on it, so it's like a new car! :)
Much thanks to harpoonblue for all his assistance with helping me buy the car - also mad props to Andrew and DJ who have both assisted me heaps in my car quest :)
So yeah. Lots of driving around in my new baby this weekend, including hitting Cottesloe beach with Jason, Phil, kai_el_solo, Steven, tru_jib, Lewis, Ric and Bec (obviously not everyone went in my car :p) then going back and watching Battlestar Galactica for the first time with them after, gym with Paul, driving around Jason's old neighborhood, etc... :) And I'm sure I'll do heaps more driving in it... I'm in love with it, it's gonna take me a little while to get over it... *grin*
Oh, and I've already dug up the leopard print steering wheel cover that was on my old car (see LJ icon) and stuck it on the new car, just to provide the initial required level of tackyness for my transportation... More tackyness may be forthcoming, suggestions welcome ;)