The love / hate relationship I had with the 2004 Mazda RX-8 lasted ten years. We went through an engine recall that took nearly two months to resolve, a rear end car accident that nearly totaled the vehicle, breakups, makeups, mechanical problems, weird things like highway road trips where it hated the heat and every warning light on the dashboard would blink at me, a pack rat attack on the engine compartment while it was parked at work, and the last straw was the passenger side headlight that went out a few days ago. I spent $100 for a replacement bulb, installed it myself, and discovered it wasn't the bulb that needed to be replaced but the ballast that regulates that headlight. I looked into the cost and over $500 for parts and repair seemed like a stab in the heart (that requires possible removal of the front bumper to get to it) just to get a headlight working. Plus, it was starting to need some other things like a full set of ignition coils and the air conditioner compressor was starting to die. The visors were also starting to come apart from being in the heat all these years and wouldn't stay up when I drove on bumpy roads.
I may be stubborn but I know when I have to wave the white flag of surrender.
So, I did a little online research, picked out some possible car choices, and ended up at Chapman Used on Speedway Blvd. A super nice guy named Billy helped me out, and 3 1/2 hours later I drove home a 2013 Nissan Altima.
It has some neat features that the RX-8 didn't. Bluetooth connectivity to my iPhone, a ridiculously cold and forceful air conditioner, it's super quiet, has a smooth ride that I never experienced with the RX-8 and it's rock hard sport suspension, and one of those radios where it displays RDS text showing what song is playing. It also has a large enough trunk to load a dead body into, or a live one. Whichever suits your needs.
It also comfortably sits adult sized humans in the back seat. I'm sure Lucky will enjoy having more room in the back when I have to transport him somewhere.
I won't lie, I wish I could afford a Porsche or Corvette. But, I bought the most expensive car that I could possibly afford back in 2005 (the RX-8) and it had it's share of problems, so maybe being a little more modest about my purchase this time will pay off. I can only hope.
Introducing: The Ken Carr car 2.0. It's poo brown! (Note: I decided to name the car "The Poomobile" due to its dark brown color. I'm classy you know).
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| 2013 Nissan Altima The Ken Carr car 2.0 in luscious poo brown. |
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| The face of the Ken Carr car 2.0 |
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| The innards of the Ken Carr car 2.0 |
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| The ass of the Ken Carr car 2.0 |