A couple of important items have recently "bit the big one" here at the Visnaw house. First, Leon's 1989 Honda Accord died on the freeway. The oil filter was loose, all the oil drained out, and since engines need oil, driving it was a bad thing. The engine is damaged beyond repair and a new/used engine for it would be $1800-$3000 depending on whether we chose the used engine or the rebuilt model. This 1989 Honda only had about 100,000 miles on it, and the used engine (the cheapest option) would have 185,000 miles on it. Our mechanic felt it wasn't worth putting that kind of money into it even though the rest of the car is in excellent condition. It is a bummer having to consider buying a new car, but I know Leon is excited to actually drive a car with a stereo and air conditioning that work. We've been car shopping the last few days and I've been online for HOURS researching and looking at cars - brutal! As of right now, we are leaning toward a 2002 Ford Focus, well Leon is. I'm too much of a bargain shopper to buy something unless I KNOW I've looked at all the other options. I'm driving Leon crazy. It's like buying a house all over again. The kicker is that we had just done our taxes and were looking at a nice tax return. I guess we know exactly where that money is going.
Does anyone have any experience with the Ford Focus or Chevrolet Aveo? We've read good and bad about both cars. We've test driven several of them and either car could go either way. Car shopping should be fun, but not when you NEED a car and SOON. Being a one car family has been inconvenient. I'm not spending any money, though - can't go anywhere.
Our possible "new" car? What do you think?The other important item that "bit it" is the memory card to the digital camera. Now I know a memory card isn't as important as a car to most people, but to me this means not being able to post pictures on our blog, and not being able to sell things on Criagslist. Thankfully, the only pictures on the memory card were of household items I was getting ready to list on Craigslist. It's really odd since our memory card reader actually MELTED the memory card - not sure why. So, the memory card is warped and the card reader is pretty much toast. I guess there won't be any pictures for a while - sorry.
9 comments:
My recommendation - see if you can find a used Toyota Matrix or Pontiac Vibe (same car, just different nameplates) for a similar cost to the Focus or Aveo. I've heard absolutely nothing but bad about Aveos and Focuses - moreover, that model year was not a kind one to the Fords.
The Matrix/Vibe has a lot more internal room and better fuel mileage with a MUCH better longevity record than the Chevy or the Ford.
Hope that helps...
Sorry about the two losses! I don't know anything about the Focus, but I like how this one looks! :) Very cool!
P.S. You know that you don't have to use the card reader on the computer. Just plug your camera into the usb port. I'm sure you know that though. Does your camera have any internal memory?
What? I can plug my camera into the computer? Man, maybe I should read the instruction manual. Good thing we have the same camera. I'm learning a lot from you.
Ah man...rough week! EXPENSIVE week! I don't know anything about the cars either, but good luck!
Well I'm one of those people that think any car you pick will be great, I just know after you buy it you need to stop looking. If I know you at all you will then want to keep looking for days and possibly weeks (:0)), just enjoy.
I don't know what kind of memory card your camera uses. Sometimes, if you search, you can get them really cheap online with rebates. I just got a 4GB card for 7 dollars after the rebate. Look around. I refuse to pay a lot of money for those.
BUY A SCION!!!!!
Seriously look at the stats---they are heaven sent.
It's probably too late, but we've had a ford focus for 9 years and love it. It's a great little car. Nathan's brother bought one and they love their's too.
Ouch, sorry about the losses. It's always sad to lose a Honda. Even when we sold ours last year the kids kept talking about the girl who came and took our Honda :). Hope the buying process can work out well for you guys, it's always scary.
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