12.29.2012

We drove into G'ville today to go to the Chevy dealership. Baby has a special chip in her key so we had to have the duplicate made there. The Parts guy was very accommodating. I asked about one of the push buttons on my fob. The icons on two of the buttons are worn off and nothing had ever happened when I pressed the top one. He got out a replacement fob and said it was the Remote Start. What? He gave us our new key and told us to drive Baby over to Service and they would show us how to work it. And they did! So I can crank Baby up on those cold mornings while eating breakfast at the kitchen table! She has to be locked in order to engage the feature, so there's no worry someone will drive off with her. So, lesson learned - even if you buy a used car, a trip to the dealer can be beneficial!

12.23.2012

Baby's got bling!

I've actually had this auto decal for over year. I couldn't resist when I saw it in the SC store in the mall. Anything Starry Night and I plunk down my nickel. I never thought it looked right on the Kia but it looks great on the Chevy. All that black shiny paint just makes it pop.

12.16.2012

When D and I were informed back in January that our plant was closing, we knew that meant that we would have to have a second vehicle. We had been blessed with having just one car payment, one insurance payment and buying gas just for one car, but those days were coming to an end. We just hoped that we could get new jobs soon enough that we could use our severance monies to make the purchase. We didn't want to take on another car payment.

We checked out a few websites and classifieds but we were really disappointed with the prices in G'ville. We liked the looks of a Passat we found here in FI and D thought it drove well. When I test drove it several days later though, the 'check engine' light came on and shook our confidence in it.  Knowing that D starts work on Monday really lit a fire under us - getting a second car became a priority - the very top of the To Do list! Yesterday we went out to S'burg to see some cars we found online. We drove a Sunfire only for a tire to go flat on us. We thought, Lord are you giving us signs here, or what?

Then we looked at the 2007 Impala. It was at the very top of the budget we had set - but it has decent mileage for its age (84,000) and it is in good condition. We had to wait awhile before the salesguy gave us the key - for some reason he thought he had already given it to us. But that was fine, it was a  nice day to be out. We had a good test drive. I can see well out of its rear view which, being so short, isn't always the case in late model cars. So we decided it was The One.

We went back to the car lot and the sales guy mentioned he was actually selling it less than the sticker price and he would even take a little more off since he had made us wait.  He said we looked really familiar to him and mentioned that he used to sell cars at Kia of Greer. We said we bought an '04 Optima from there and it turns out he worked there at that same time. It's a small world!

The salesman mentioned that the police fleet uses Impalas now instead of Crown Vics. He warned us that we might notice cars slowing down around us. I certainly don't mind other drivers driving more carefully around us! A good friend at church, a car guy, said it should be a solid vehicle for us. He knows the manager and a few service mechanics at the local Chevy dealership so he gave us their names and encouraged us to drop his name if we ever need anything there. 

I laughed so hard when we decided to purchase the Impala because D and I watch the TV show Supernatural, which features a 1967 black Impala.

Baby, as she is affectionately called, is showcased prominently in the show, nearly a character itself. Fans have composed numerous videos in homage to her. I've begun calling our Impala Baby as well, but D's not so sure that's going to stick...

4.19.2011

It was only three months ago that D and I had work performed on the Kia. Last week it became apparent that we needed to put her back in the shop again. So we started to debate the old question.... do we continue to invest funds to patch her up or do we move on? We decided to take the leap and let her go.

We traded in the Optima for.... another Optima. Yes, it was a surprise for us too! We started at the very same dealership we originally purchased from. We were curious about the Sportage and the five-door Forte. It was only an after-thought to look at another Optima. Out of all of our test drives it was our favorite, no question. They've really made some nice improvements.

Our salesperson, Kelli, was very low-key and patient. We ran her all over that lot and drove her all over Greer. We looked at different models, different options and colors... and it was hot out there on the asphalt! So when the last piece of paper was signed, she was more than proud to personally top off our gas, swap our tags and hand us our new keys.

First order of business was to install our CNC decal.

Did I mention it has a sunroof? Two actually, but only one opens.
It's my second-favorite feature.

My favorite? Keyless entry & ignition. No more stares from people who think I'm trying to jimmy the door open when it sticks. And no more wheel-lock-down where I can't turn the key to save my life. Nope. The fob does it all.


I am so relieved to have a reliable vehicle again. Here's to another 8 (or more!) wonderful years with the Optima!

1.26.2011

Yesterday we left for work and hopped in the Kia, as usual, only the Kia didn't sound like she usually does. She sounded awful. We seriously wondered if a squirrel or a cat had crawled in and got stuck inside our engine block. But no, this was the Kia's cry for some TLC. Yes, we've been largely neglecting her. She gets oil and batteries and tires but the suggested things the manual encourages you to do? Nada. We've discussed it so often since we paid her off in August... do we get her tuned up or do we put a down-payment on another vehicle? The sticky-lock issue is a daily irritation but the savings account is a nice affirmation. And yet, when we heard that sound yesterday, the conversation wasn't 'are we going car shopping tonight', it was 'can the garage fit us in'. We weren't ready to let her go. The piggy bank is a little sore today but the Kia is purring along just fine. She just needed a little love. You know, three belts, spark plugs and even a fancy-dancy oil-additive. She's been good to us and we're hoping she can stick it out a little while longer.

8.9.2010

We received our paperwork from Citibank today - the Kia is ours!
Yay! What a great feeling!

7.12.2010

Tonight on the way home, about a mile shy of the house, the Kia reached 100,000 miles! It's the first car we've driven off the lot to cross that milestone (the Neon having tragically perished short of it). As for interesting timing, we'll pay it off in about two weeks. It's been a long six years!

4.30.2010

Yesterday D and I left work at 4:30 to go and pick up the Kia. The garage replaced the crank sensor. We were very pleased that they were able to repair it in one day. We were on our way to the airport to return the rental car when the Kia's check engine light came on. D was in front of me so I honked the horn and stopped the car. When I put it into park the car made a growl sound. The gear shift felt really loose, like there were no stops from one gear to the other. D said he heard the growl from inside the rental car.

So we went back to the garage. At which point my blood pressure was sky high. D said I looked really flushed. They had a stack of magazines a foot thick on the table. I love magazines. Love them. But I was just too upset to read. They said the error code the Kia gave them was for the throttle, so they cleaned it and sent us on our way again. And by that I mean the mechanic came out and said "just drive it and we'll see." I think my jaw dropped open. I work in a repair group and if I ever said that to a customer, the big boss would be all over me. We'll see what? If I end up stranded on the side of the road again? I like the garage we use but I don't think they should let their mechanics speak to the customers. We don't at work. It's better that way.

So we drove back to the airport and returned the rental car. The Kia seems OK. Finally got home around 7:30. Just in time to eat a sandwich and watch my shows. I needed the relaxation. In fact, I was falling asleep during Supernatural. I must have been really exhausted because I hadn't seen the boys in three weeks and I was so excited about catching up.

4.28.2010

I was just beginning to feel good about getting my life back into a normal routine. What's that saying - When you make a plan, God laughs? The Kia broke down on the way home today. We were at a fourway stop and it was a mess. A highway patrolman helped push us off into the grass. After the tow-truck driver did a remarkable job of parking a dead car (if I do say so), the garage lady drove us to the airport to get a rental. She waited to make sure they had a car for us. Maybe it was part of her job, but it was still nice.

I am really grateful that it happened while D was with me, in the light of day, because it could have easily happened last night while I was driving home from bible study. Alone. In the dark dark. Yes, I'm very grateful. But at the same time, I kind of feel like my life is totally out of my control right now. What's going to befall me next week? I know, as a Christian, I'm not supposed to worry about the future, or God's provision, and I generally don't. But I wish I could call for a time-out like they do in a ballgame.

I'm going to destress with a long, hot bath. Then I'll put in the DVD of the bible study sessions I missed while we were in FL and MD. The passages that I missed center on the Tribulation. That's got to make me feel better by comparison!