Holy crap!

[Imogene]

Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God!
*has a miniature freak out*
I just got back from buying my first car!
On my credit alone! Pictures will be forthcoming after I charge my camera battery. It's a 2009 Kia Rondo, for those who're interested in the model and such.
I never expected I'd be approved on my own credit rating, first off, and then, there's the... series of events that lead to "Hey, Juwl, you need a car!"
Blew the front driver side tire a few months ago, had the front tires replaced, just to be safe.
Blew the rear driver side tire two days before Christmas, had to wait till Christmas Eve morning to have it changed for the spare, drove the car to the tire dealer Monday morning, got both back tires replaced, to be safe... started to drive home, and the same tire blew on the ride home. Got home, called the tire store, pissed, and they said "Bring it back in, we'll replace the tire..."
Got back in, they check out the tire well, and see the burnt rubber on it, and realize the strut was incorrectly aligned, apparently, so, they left the spare on, but replaced the tire, and left it in the trunk. On the drive home Wednesday night, the spare popped, and I pulled into a subdivision, to park and call for a ride home.

More when I don't have to rush off to work.

[Dave1982]

The hell? What self-respecting tire shop doesn't do an alignment when they install new tires??

Oh, and congrats on the new car.

[draggar]

Congratulations - Kia are not that bad of a car. Mine is 7 years old and still running very well.

[Imogene]

The hell? What self-respecting tire shop doesn't do an alignment when they install new tires??

The kind that apparently ONLY sells tires...

[Imogene]

So, to continue the story... three days ago, mom & I go to sit in cars at a CarMax... since the parents took my brother to sit in cars without me, and he just isn't a good stand in for my body type. So, the day after my spare tire blew, Mom called a donation company, to donate the car. They said they were full for the day, but could TRY to squeeze it into the pickup schedule, and the driver would call an hour before he'd be there. Mom and I went to a Kia dealership, to try out other cars, and to see if we could get a better deal.
No such luck, I didn't fit in anything else, and they couldn't hardly work with my credit, apparently...
So, Mom and I go back to CarMax yesterday morning, and it is just slammed busy. When we finally got seen, we went and checked out a 2010 that they had on the lot, too, just to see, cause it was about $1,000 cheaper... but I sat in it, and it felt smaller, so, I went for the 2009, got the paperwork done, met Mom at Burger King for lunch, and had her pass me the CD I'd burned for playing first...
Tron: Legacy, just for the info, and the CD started up, and I got nerdy chills. The bass is FANTASTIC in the car.
It has far more get up and go than the old car did, so, that's nice, but it'll take some getting used to... and it took me a good ten minutes on my drive home last night to figure out where my headlights are. I kept turning them on and going, "No, those must be my brights... there's no way that's the headlights..." and turning them off and driving in darkness (on a road that's pretty straight, and lit most of the way down) and then I found the Brights.

[blas]

Congrats!

It feels so great to have a vehicle that is yours, doesn't it?

[42_42_42]

Congratulations! I remember that feeling of excitement and grownupness that comes with buying your first car. When you pay it off and get the title, you get another thrill, but for some reason it's not quite the same as when they hand you the keys.

[Jester]

I have fond memories of buying all four of my vehicles. And while I love the current Jestermobile, especially with the recent reparis to make it less ghetto, I look forward to my fifth vehicle, whenever that is.....though Cathy (the current Jestermobile) shows no signs of giving me a good reason to replace her, despite her 120,000 miles.

[Imogene]

I just happened to head off to work today as our neighbor across the street was working outside, and we chatted it up a bit, and I told him, "Yes, it's my car, and it's the first one I bought on my credit..."
"That other little green one wasn't yours?"
"Nope, borrowed it from the parents."
"That's a hell of a first car."

[Geek King]

Congrats Juwl! You never forget your first...

Now go sit down and read throught the owner's manual. Make sure you understand it, and work out a chart of what needs service when. Doing that matenance on time makes a big difference in longevity, and that comes from the guy who just sold his 13-year-old pickup only because I needed something with more interior storage.

Most of all, enjoy it.