But first, here is a picture of Fred when I first got her:
So she really has been great all this time. A few minor repairs here and there. Last year was a little bad, what with the new radiator and timing belt. But she kept running, so I didn't replace her. Well, last week she almost overheated as I was driving from the theater to my parents' house. She almost overheated again while driving to my house. So I took her into the mechanic and got the bad news a few days later. She needs a new head gasket. It's a very expensive repair, and one that I don't want to pay for. Especially, because the transmission will probably be the next thing to go.
So I needed to find a new car. But I am INSANELY busy at the moment with "Scrooge". Not to mention that I don't have the money for a new car. So I borrowed my parents' car for a few days, but they needed it back on Friday. So I got to borrow Craig's car for a few days, but he needed it back on Wednesday. I just needed to find the time...make the time...to go car shopping.
I took the day off on Tuesday so that Dad and I could go out looking for cars. I had looked online, but nothing had really jumped out at me. I drive by a few car dealerships occasionally, so there were a few I wanted to go to, just because I thought I had seen some cars that might work. I had some parameters set.....4 doors, smaller, lesser miles and newer than my current car. Those were all negotiable. My price range was not negotiable. I knew I'd really like another Saturn, but I was open to other makes and models.
So we set out around noon. We started out at Keck Auto Sales on N. Garfield, across from Runza. They had several Saturns on their lot. The first car I saw was a 2005 Saturn Ion. The price was just under my price cap. They also had a 1999 Saturn SL2. (Fred is a 99 Saturn SL1.) We didn't talk to anybody, just looked around. But I really liked the Ion. So we wrote down the information and then left.
Next we went to The Car Guys on the corner of Lincoln and 12th St. They didn't have a lot, but they did have a 3 door Saturn that they had just gotten in and was going to be fixed up. The guy we talked to there was really nice. I knew that car wasn't going to work, so we moved on.
We went to Warner's Auto, but they didn't have anything that would work. Then we went back up to Finish Line Auto, on the corner of Monroe and Eisenhower. They didn't have anything that would work, but we did see a gold Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that was in my price range. We joked that I should buy it so that Shauna and Neal and I would all have the same cars, just different colors. As much as I would like 4 wheel drive, I know I couldn't afford that gas for that car.
Next we went up the street to Auto Integrity. The guy there was really nice. I test drove a 1999 Dodge Stratus. It was a nice car, with actually really low mileage for a car that old. And the price was right, but it just didn't feel right. I couldn't stop thinking about the Saturn Ion back at Keck. We told the guy we'd call if we were coming back.
We stopped by the dealership at the corner of Washington and Eisenhower. They had some Volkswagons. I drooled over the black Jetta and laughed at the '98 Beetle that was red with some weird yellow stripe. I joked that if I got that car, I would name it "Ronald". As in...Ronald McDonald.
We headed back to Keck and the note on the door said he would be back at 2:30. It was 2:25, so we walked around and waited. At 2:35, he wasn't back yet, so we went back to the car and were going to head up north. But I made a phone call first, following up on a lead (which didn't pan out) and while I was on the phone, the guy came back. So we talked about the Saturns with him. I found out that the '99 had a practically new engine and 89K miles on. (Another car with surprisingly low mileage for a 12 year old car! Crazy!) The Ion had 78K miles on it and was about $1000 more than the Dodge Stratus I'd driven earlier. Similar mileage, $1000 more, 6 years newer. And with the SL2, sure everything was pretty much new under the hood, but the rest of the car is still 12 years old. I voted in favor of the Ion. I took it for a test drive. It's really quite nice! Similar to Fred.
The only thing now was what to do with Fred. With the need of a new engine, I wasn't expecting a lot for the trade. But the tires are practically brand new! I just bought them in August! But he needed to see it before he could tell me how much he could give me for it. (Oh, and I couldn't switch the tires. Wrong size.) We don't want to drive it too much, because it overheats, so he came over to take a look. She really is a great looking car. No body damage, since I've never been in an accident. He thought the engine sounded okay. So I am going to get $500 for the trade, which is about what I expected.
I decided that I definitely wanted the Ion, but I really needed my mechanic to check it out for me first. But he couldn't get it in until Wednesday morning. The dealership gave me the key on Tuesday and said I could come pick it up early and take it over. So I did and got it Mark by 9 am. But he couldn't look at it right away, so I called Dad and had him come pick me up. I didn't know how long it was going to be, so I just stayed at their house for awhile. After awhile, it was getting really close to when I needed to go to work. So we got it all worked out so I could go get Craig's car and then come back over when the car was ready, but then Mark called just as we were about to leave. So Shauna took me to get the Ion and Dad drove Fred over to the dealership.
It didn't take long to fill out the paperwork and what not, so I am now the proud owner of a 2005 Saturn Ion. Here's a picture:
I'm still debating on a name. I like to name my cars after iconic musical or movie characters. Rosebud...Winnifred. I have a couple of ideas for this car, but I'll have to wait and see. The name needs to be earned. Emily said that should name it Fred. I told her I wasn't giving this car the same name as the old car!!
I'm a lot poorer now, much more in debt than I would like. But I have wheels. I don't have to walk to work. I still think it's funny that I bought the first car that I saw. Literally, the first car I looked at. But I looked at so many other cars before I came back to that one! That way I was sure!
Merry Christmas to me!
Follow up: I named the car Adelaide. I couldn't decide between Adelaide and Penelope, so her full name is Adelaide Penelope.
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