Hello, massive debt load
Tue May 17, 2005 6:05 pm
Saint Louis, you may recall (or you may never have known, but I'm telling you know, so you can recall it later, smart-aleck) is a phenomenally hot and sticky city during the summer. Think of a gas station hot dog covered in soda. That kind. The vomit-inducing kind.
That, in and of itself, is enough to make you want to sit down and really take some time to consider whether you want to live in a place like this. "Isn't Milwaukee superior?" I ask myself on a daily basis. "Or Sioux Falls?"
The environment here is made far worse by driving a car - cars, with their traditionally dark interiors and glass, non-vented windows, heat up pretty quickly in the sun, especially in Saint Louis between March and November. But, you need a car to get around Saint Louis, because the public transportation system was obviously designed by either a) a mad scientist, or b) a box of rocks. So the real key to surviving here, besides rooting against the Chicago Cubs, is having a car with air conditioning.
My car's air conditioning went on the fritz last April.
Last summer was absolute misery - the parking lot in front of my workplace is unguarded by trees for most of the day, so my poor little car would get well above 110 degrees Fahrenheit by about 9:30 AM, and just keep cooking until I left at 5:00. One of the results of this oven-like environment was that my car's headliner (the cloth on the ceiling) detached from its support structure and drooped down, until I managed to fix it with superglue and a few well-placed shims. I liked to use nickels; they increased the value of my car.
(click here for a picture of a car like mine - now imagine it with no grille and one fender a slightly lighter shade of red.)
(click here to see how I actually felt driving the thing.)
So I decided last month, while roasting like a game hen in rush-hour traffic, that I couldn't take it any more and that I ought to buy a new car with a bank's money. Since I don't have any of my own, and all. I got a loan, I did a lot of research, and I decided that I really liked 1998-series Honda Accords. They were sharp-looking, they were reliable, they were fuel-efficient, and they were excellent at making you look like everyone else. I must say that those four qualities were major factors in my decision.
I took a few test drives - I liked the Accord. "It handles well," I said. "It's got good road manners," I reasoned. "It's in my price range."
And then my girlfriend Kirsten points out this car. The 2002 Elantra.
"A Hyundai?" I say. "Never! I remember the 80s, when they were garbage! Lowest of the low! A plague on Korea's house!" I ranted and raved.
Then I test-drove the thing - and I really liked it. Really, really liked it. "It handles well," I said. "It's got good road manners," I reasoned. "It's in my price range." So I bought it. I bit the bullet, took out a check, and really bought a car that I never would have thought I'd be caught dead in. I'll admit, it was partly because it's used, but under warranty for another 21 months. Who cares if it's garbage? As long as it's only garbage for 21 months (or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first), then it's free garbage, and I can live with that.
And the best part is, those poor schmoes at the dealership took 1100 dollars for my honorary lawn tractor. Suckers.
Point for discussion, lest someone think this is just a rant/gloat: What was your first real car, if you own one? Or, if you don't own your own car, what's the first car you remember your family having?
EDIT: Hmm, HTML links don't work here. Cleanup, Forum 20!
That, in and of itself, is enough to make you want to sit down and really take some time to consider whether you want to live in a place like this. "Isn't Milwaukee superior?" I ask myself on a daily basis. "Or Sioux Falls?"
The environment here is made far worse by driving a car - cars, with their traditionally dark interiors and glass, non-vented windows, heat up pretty quickly in the sun, especially in Saint Louis between March and November. But, you need a car to get around Saint Louis, because the public transportation system was obviously designed by either a) a mad scientist, or b) a box of rocks. So the real key to surviving here, besides rooting against the Chicago Cubs, is having a car with air conditioning.
My car's air conditioning went on the fritz last April.
Last summer was absolute misery - the parking lot in front of my workplace is unguarded by trees for most of the day, so my poor little car would get well above 110 degrees Fahrenheit by about 9:30 AM, and just keep cooking until I left at 5:00. One of the results of this oven-like environment was that my car's headliner (the cloth on the ceiling) detached from its support structure and drooped down, until I managed to fix it with superglue and a few well-placed shims. I liked to use nickels; they increased the value of my car.
(click here for a picture of a car like mine - now imagine it with no grille and one fender a slightly lighter shade of red.)
(click here to see how I actually felt driving the thing.)
So I decided last month, while roasting like a game hen in rush-hour traffic, that I couldn't take it any more and that I ought to buy a new car with a bank's money. Since I don't have any of my own, and all. I got a loan, I did a lot of research, and I decided that I really liked 1998-series Honda Accords. They were sharp-looking, they were reliable, they were fuel-efficient, and they were excellent at making you look like everyone else. I must say that those four qualities were major factors in my decision.
I took a few test drives - I liked the Accord. "It handles well," I said. "It's got good road manners," I reasoned. "It's in my price range."
And then my girlfriend Kirsten points out this car. The 2002 Elantra.
"A Hyundai?" I say. "Never! I remember the 80s, when they were garbage! Lowest of the low! A plague on Korea's house!" I ranted and raved.
Then I test-drove the thing - and I really liked it. Really, really liked it. "It handles well," I said. "It's got good road manners," I reasoned. "It's in my price range." So I bought it. I bit the bullet, took out a check, and really bought a car that I never would have thought I'd be caught dead in. I'll admit, it was partly because it's used, but under warranty for another 21 months. Who cares if it's garbage? As long as it's only garbage for 21 months (or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first), then it's free garbage, and I can live with that.
And the best part is, those poor schmoes at the dealership took 1100 dollars for my honorary lawn tractor. Suckers.
Point for discussion, lest someone think this is just a rant/gloat: What was your first real car, if you own one? Or, if you don't own your own car, what's the first car you remember your family having?
EDIT: Hmm, HTML links don't work here. Cleanup, Forum 20!
Last edited by shapu on Tue May 17, 2005 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Tue May 17, 2005 6:25 pm
My first (and only) car is a 2004 Lexus RX 330. It's "blue mica."
Too bad I can't drive by myself yet. ._.
Too bad I can't drive by myself yet. ._.
Tue May 17, 2005 6:32 pm
I'll be buying my first car soon, however I only have a budget of 3000 for it, yes old junk for me. and no I don't qualify for a car loan since I don't actually have a steady income as of yet.
Tue May 17, 2005 6:33 pm
Some kind of Volvo. Horrible leather seats. Never again. Having your legs stick to hot leather isn't very nice. Plzkthx.
Tue May 17, 2005 6:37 pm
The Little Evil Girl wrote:I'll be buying my first car soon, however I only have a budget of 3000 for it, yes old junk for me. and no I don't qualify for a car loan since I don't actually have a steady income as of yet.
Actually, 3000 bucks will get you a pretty decent machine. You can definitely get a 1994/95 accord for that.
Paul wrote:Some kind of Volvo. Horrible leather seats. Never again. Having your legs stick to hot leather isn't very nice. Plzkthx.
Yeah, my mother had an 89 volvo wagon for a while. We took a cross-country trip in it, and the by the second day we were sitting on towels.
Tue May 17, 2005 6:48 pm
My first car, a lovely yellow Vauxhall Astra Estate (here it is) cost me £40. And I got another one free. Which was £40 more than it was worth, but it did me well for a year and only broke down away from home once.
Second car cost £600, lasted for two years, ran like a bag of nails consistently, sold it for £450. Good riddance!
Current car cost £1500, is now rather dented after an accident, no air conditioning (in this country it's not essential - yet!). Eh, possibly the least exciting car I can imagine, but it's cheap to run and gets me from A to B.
The next car I get I really need to spend some decent money on.
Second car cost £600, lasted for two years, ran like a bag of nails consistently, sold it for £450. Good riddance!
Current car cost £1500, is now rather dented after an accident, no air conditioning (in this country it's not essential - yet!). Eh, possibly the least exciting car I can imagine, but it's cheap to run and gets me from A to B.
The next car I get I really need to spend some decent money on.
Tue May 17, 2005 6:51 pm
shapu wrote:The Little Evil Girl wrote:I'll be buying my first car soon, however I only have a budget of 3000 for it, yes old junk for me. and no I don't qualify for a car loan since I don't actually have a steady income as of yet.
Actually, 3000 bucks will get you a pretty decent machine. You can definitely get a 1994/95 accord for that.Paul wrote:Some kind of Volvo. Horrible leather seats. Never again. Having your legs stick to hot leather isn't very nice. Plzkthx.
Yeah, my mother had an 89 volvo wagon for a while. We took a cross-country trip in it, and the by the second day we were sitting on towels.
We went to France once with it; towels come in very handy.
Tue May 17, 2005 7:15 pm
This summer I shall be biting the bullet and learn to drive...finally. And my mum is giving me her old car when I can, yay. Which is good as I have no money and a massive student debt >.< And it gives my mum the excuse to go back to a citroen again as she misses her old one and it's diesel goodness. It's a Honda of some kind and a few years old. Seems like a good first car as it doesn't want to break down ever or have anything wrong with it. I like the sound of this car 
My mum's first car was a mini (followed by another mini though I only remember as far back as the next car which was a beloved Fiat Panda), and this is the car I aspire to one day own too =) Except I want one of the new mini's
Perhaps one day when I actually have money, heh...
And volvos? Ergh. My grandparents had one and the number of times I have felt car sick in the back of a stuffy volvo on bumpy roads, I actually feel sick thinking about it :/ Of course they also followed the wisdom of never allowing the back windows to be opened *shakes fist*
My mum's first car was a mini (followed by another mini though I only remember as far back as the next car which was a beloved Fiat Panda), and this is the car I aspire to one day own too =) Except I want one of the new mini's
Perhaps one day when I actually have money, heh...
And volvos? Ergh. My grandparents had one and the number of times I have felt car sick in the back of a stuffy volvo on bumpy roads, I actually feel sick thinking about it :/ Of course they also followed the wisdom of never allowing the back windows to be opened *shakes fist*
Tue May 17, 2005 9:41 pm
My parents had a 1972 Ford Maverick Grabber.
Picture this in white with black trim instead of green with black trim.
It was actually still in pretty good condition when they stopped driving it regularly in the late 80s.
Picture this in white with black trim instead of green with black trim.
It was actually still in pretty good condition when they stopped driving it regularly in the late 80s.
Tue May 17, 2005 10:03 pm
Sapphire Faerie wrote:My parents had a 1972 Ford Maverick Grabber.
Picture this in white with black trim instead of green with black trim.
It was actually still in pretty good condition when they stopped driving it regularly in the late 80s.
That's a very pretty car. Even though this one got a lot of bad reviews and really was a dud, I'm still a huge fan of almost all 70s-era American muscle cars.
Tue May 17, 2005 10:11 pm
My first car, is my parents van.
The 1998 White Chyrsler extended cab mini van.
My brother rolled our old van down a hill (i'm serious. It was a very scary accident... that he and his friend amazingly walked away from.), and... i' probably going to be getting a car sometime within the next month. I need one for various reasons (like i'm 21 and I don't live at home, and I need a vehicle), so... yeah.
Yup.
Need a car.
Car would be great.
The 1998 White Chyrsler extended cab mini van.
My brother rolled our old van down a hill (i'm serious. It was a very scary accident... that he and his friend amazingly walked away from.), and... i' probably going to be getting a car sometime within the next month. I need one for various reasons (like i'm 21 and I don't live at home, and I need a vehicle), so... yeah.
Yup.
Need a car.
Car would be great.
Tue May 17, 2005 10:16 pm
I don't want a car, I want a motorbike. 
Tue May 17, 2005 11:28 pm
o_0 wrote:My first (and only) car is a 2004 Lexus RX 330. It's "blue mica."
Too bad I can't drive by myself yet. ._.
Ooh, that's one of the two cars my family currently has. Except it's "breakwater blue", a nice light blue-silver that really makes the car easily identifiable since no one else has it. :P
Past cars my family's had are, umm...a Toyota Sienna from somewhere around '96, a Mercedes E-320 from '97 or something of the like (we have a newer model of it now), an Acura something, a Toyota Previa something, and a Honda something. I'm not sure. XD
Tue May 17, 2005 11:33 pm
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/lotus-elise-2.jpg
I figured i'd tack this on... this is my dream car.
A Lotus Elise.
Theres just something about it... that I love. And that makes me want it.
Mmm... car.
I figured i'd tack this on... this is my dream car.
A Lotus Elise.
Theres just something about it... that I love. And that makes me want it.
Mmm... car.
Wed May 18, 2005 12:32 am
My boyfriend drives an Elantra. Nice car. 
My first car was an '02 civic... lowered, nice rims, sunroof, red sox license plate on the front. Then it got totaled. >.<
I have an '03 saturn SC2 now, and it's technical color name is "Chili Pepper Red". It's a very nice car, and I put a very nice stereo system in but I really do miss my civic.
My first car was an '02 civic... lowered, nice rims, sunroof, red sox license plate on the front. Then it got totaled. >.<
I have an '03 saturn SC2 now, and it's technical color name is "Chili Pepper Red". It's a very nice car, and I put a very nice stereo system in but I really do miss my civic.