It seems that generally whenever people get a new job, especially their first real job coming out of school, the first thing that they get with their newfound income is a shiny, brand new car. Usually, this is to replace the rusting, beat up car that got them through college or grad school (as a side note, it was always amusing to me that when I was doing my post-doc at UC Irvine in Orange County, the professor/post-doc parking lot was filled with old Hondas and Toyotas while the undergrad parking lot was packed with Mercedes, BMWs, even Maseratis).
However, I was never a real car guy. A car, for me, was a tool to help facilitate getting me from point A to point B in a relatively easy manner. Bonus points if the ride was smooth and wasn't loud enough to drown out the stereo. But while some people really enjoy the act of driving, it was mostly just a chore for me, something that had to be done. As a result, I didn't really drool or geek out over new cars like other people. I had my beat up Honda Civic and it worked fine for me. So when I started my first real job three years ago, I didn't even think about getting a new car. It also didn't hurt that I tend to be relatively frugal, and if I could avoid dropping thousands of dollars at once, that was fine by me. I was just going to drive that Civic until it died.
Unfortunately, that happened a lot sooner than I thought. After only two years on the job, it was pretty clear that the car was falling apart. As in, literally falling apart. Various pieces of the car started falling off. It was almost as if the car had suffered a stroke---none of the electronics on the right half of the car worked, including the windows or locks. While it hadn't died, it was clearly dying.
So off we went to find a new car. Although I'm not a car nut, I do like new technology. And I've been becoming more environmentally conscious as well. Plus, with gas prices rising inexorably, getting a car that gets good gas mileage was a must. So if I had to get a new car, I definitely looking to get a hybrid. By this time, the Toyota Prius had been out for nearly a decade, so it was established technology, but still relatively cutting edge. We gave it a test drive, and we were astounded at how smooth and quiet the ride was. Although this may be partly due to us being used to a loud, old car that was falling apart, the hybrid electric motor makes the ride significantly quieter. The console had a futuristic, space-age feel to it that befit a car with new technology. It was almost like being in the cockpit of a spacecraft. Needless to say, we ended up walking out with a Prius, getting a decent deal on a very slightly used 2009 Prius in "Spectra Blue Mica".
Our First New Prius
Meanwhile, my wife was still driving her old BMW, which was approaching fifteen years of age. It was a good car, handled very well, and got decent highway mileage. She had been driving it for almost ten years, so it was her baby. However, the car was starting to show its age. Last year, it broke down on the Turnpike while we were driving to the city. One of the engine coolant valves broke and the hood of the car started smoking. We had to stop the car in the middle of the highway during rush hour to avoid overheating the engine. Needless to say, it was a nightmare to get the car towed and fixed. Maintenance for these old European cars can get ridiculous. However, we sucked it up and got it repaired and it seemed to be okay once again.
However, my wife recently switched jobs and as a result her commute ballooned from 8 miles to nearly 50 miles one way. We hemmed and hawed over having her drive the Prius, since it gets better mileage, but ultimately we decided to have her drive her car until it died and avoid putting a lot of miles on the new hybrid. Things were going smoothly until she recently started hearing some funny noises. She brought the car in to our mechanic and it turns out that her car had some badly bent wheel bearings. Even worse, the wheel bearings were rusted and stuck to the front axle, so they couldn't be easily removed. And if we didn't try to repair it, the wheels might eventually fall off. As a result, it would cost well over a thousand dollars to fix, approaching the total value of the car. That alone wasn't a deal breaker, but if her car started having these big problems every year like clockwork, it was something that wasn't going to be tenable in the long term.
So just about a year after we went car shopping the first time, we ended up going car shopping again. We already had a Prius, so we were hoping to get something different. Although we wanted to get something that got good mileage, in the worse case my wife could drive my Prius and I could drive the newer, more practical car. However, we were both pretty opposed to getting an SUV or a minivan. It also didn't make sense to get a fun, sporty car with less room either. So we ended up looking for other roomy sedans or even station wagons (sadly, there were no wood-paneled station wagons out there).
However, despite looking around for other cars, we kept circling back to the Prius. It really is a nice car and it really fit our lifestyle at the moment. So, although it is a little embarrassing, we ended up getting another Toyota Prius. Even more embarrassing, the second Prius is essentially the exact same year and model with almost the same mileage. It's even blue, although it's the lighter "Seaside Pearl" blue. We are now officially a two-Prius household. Now it's a battle over who gets the better miles per gallon...
Our Second New Prius
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