November 28, 2018 11:59AM
I've only had 3 brand new cars in my lifetime, all Mazda 626's, all stick shifts. No bells or whistles on any of them. I bought my first new Mazda in 1984. Bought the next one in 1990. The last one was a 4-dr sedan, Mazda 626-LX that I bought new in 2000. It was a great car and I had very few problems with it over the years. After 18 years, this past summer it began to have some problems and I figured rather than start sinking money into a car that old, it was time to get another car. So I donated my Mazda to Goodwill and began looking for another car. I didn't want to buy a brand new car because I just don't think they're worth the money and I didn't want to spend over a certain amount. What I wanted was a newer sedan, but not BRAND new, an automatic (I've been driving a stick for almost 50 years), with not too many miles, in very good condition and not a ton of bells and whistles. I did a lot of research on cars and tried to find a used car that fit what I was looking for. It took me about a week but after looking at hundreds of cars, I found it. I went to the dealership (a large, well-known and reputable one in the area) that had the car and when I took it out for a test drive, I knew after I'd driven it about a mile that that was my car. I ended up buying a 4-door 2015 Toyota Camry LE. It had 31,000 miles on it and it rides so smooth. I just love this car! It has a few minor, hardly noticeable scratches but it's never been wrecked and it looks REAL good to be 3 years old. I paid cash for it and also bought an extended 7-year warranty because it's my intention that this is my last car. Now that I'm retired, I put less than 5,000 miles a year on my car so if I take care of it, it should last me quite a while. It has some bells and whistles which is a new thing for me. Last week, I noticed a message on my dashboard that said I had low tire pressure. Wow. I've never had a car that told me that. I've always had to check tire pressure manually. As soon as I saw that message, I whipped into an Auto & Tire center and sure enough, all my tires needed some air. They hadn't been checked since I drove the car off the lot in June. I still don't know yet what all the bells and whistles are on the car but I figure I'll learn as I go. I love that my radio picks up HD stations and discovered that one of them plays Smooth Jazz!! I am in heaven!!!! Also, my car has Bluetooth and a USB port so I can plug in my iPod and listen to it like it's a flippin' radio station. It shows me the song, album, and artwork even. Just too cool. The trunk is roomy, so is the backseat. It doesn't have GPS but I don't need it since I have it on my iPhone. It doesn't have a moonroof either but I don't care about those as much as I used to so I was fine with that. I'm not an SUV person. Frank has one so if we need to haul something, we use his car. My last car got better gas mileage but this one is not bad... just not as good as what I'm used to. All in all, I'm very happy with my purchase.







Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2018 12:06PM by MamaRAMa.
SubjectAuthorViewsPosted

  What happened to the ability to buy a SIMPLE car????

Ramgator323November 27, 2018 04:35AM

  I started buying used....

JamesJM126November 27, 2018 05:04AM

  I will SERIOUSLY consider Car Max.

Ramgator142November 27, 2018 05:44AM

  My experience has been quite good...

JamesJM138November 27, 2018 05:51AM

  Both mine are REALLY simple..

sstrams136November 27, 2018 05:20AM

  Music in a car.

waterfield138November 27, 2018 08:30AM

  And then there is me...

JamesJM138November 27, 2018 08:36AM

  Siri...

sstrams140November 27, 2018 08:41AM

  I have Spotify and sirius

ferragamo79161November 28, 2018 12:39PM

  Is there any real difference between them these days?

JamesJM139November 28, 2018 01:58PM

  Re: I have Spotify and sirius

Aries191November 29, 2018 05:44AM

  That's totally true, waterfield..

sstrams153November 27, 2018 08:37AM

  Bluetooth

IowaRam158November 27, 2018 08:39AM

  Man oh man..

sstrams232November 27, 2018 08:42AM

  Re: Man oh man..

IowaRam135November 27, 2018 08:55AM

  I need advice for the music system in my car.

Ramgator132November 27, 2018 09:24AM

  Well, that's complicated, Gator..

sstrams203November 27, 2018 10:00AM

  My new (used) Toyota Camry

MamaRAMa204November 28, 2018 11:59AM

  Yeah, a slightly used car is the best way to go..

sstrams167November 28, 2018 03:41PM

  One problem

waterfield131November 28, 2018 03:51PM

  Re: One problem

MamaRAMa109November 28, 2018 03:59PM

  Re: One problem

waterfield139November 28, 2018 04:44PM

  I think that's a good point...

JamesJM132November 28, 2018 05:22PM

  That's true...

sstrams123November 29, 2018 02:52AM

  gotta 2004 Honda CRV

ferragamo79112November 28, 2018 05:05PM

  Re: gotta 2004 Honda CRV

Atlantic Ram129November 29, 2018 03:38PM

  Re: What happened to the ability to buy a SIMPLE car????

RamsFootballFans.com158November 29, 2018 02:28AM

  Hell, I'd drive that..

sstrams139November 29, 2018 02:50AM

  Re: Hell, I'd drive that..

RamsFootballFans.com122November 29, 2018 08:08AM

  VAN???????? I bet it's a ...............

Ramgator125December 03, 2018 09:44AM

  Honda ...............

sstrams120December 03, 2018 10:59AM

  Re: VAN???????? I bet it's a ...............

RamsFootballFans.com151December 03, 2018 11:25AM

  That reminds me.....

Ramgator122December 04, 2018 03:44AM

  Bwwahahahaha....

RamsFootballFans.com151December 04, 2018 05:13AM

  That dude was a famous RB

Atlantic Ram123December 04, 2018 09:01AM

  Re: That dude was a famous RB

RamsFootballFans.com138December 04, 2018 10:32AM

  At Fire Station? YES!! And OFTEN....

Ramgator123December 04, 2018 02:30PM