I will freely admit it – I’m an impulsive buyer. I get an idea into my head and it just cycles through the gears and synapses of my grey matter until I am finally forced to act upon said impulse. I’ve learned to temper and control these impulses recently but sometimes I can’t talk myself out of a purchase. My first car back in 99 was a Pathfinder. Oh how I LOVED that car. The memories I have of cruising around with my friends and the shenanigans we pulled will be something I treasure until the day I die (or I lose my memory, whichever happens first).

After about 5 years and 75,000 miles on the Pathfinder, it started to break down. First it was minor things but then suddenly I was in the shop on a monthly basis paying $500 each time. My transmission fell apart and I ended up shelling out close to $2200 if I remember correctly. The next month was $500 struts and shocks. My mechanic then commented that he’s never seen what happened to my shocks happen before. He also then informed me that it seems that it’s not just my Pathfinder breaking down. Everyone who has the same model/year of my car  was experiencing the same problems. I just seemed to be the first and he could count on at least 5 more people bringing their car in. At that point I realized I could buy a new car and pay less a month than I was for the repairs. I got an ad in the mail for the Scions. I checked it out and the car was uncomfortably, ridiculously small. I ended up wedging my knee in between the steering and pedal. I seriously couldn’t move it at that point and I’m not even that tall. I’m average height. I ended up checking out the other cars and because they gave me a great deal, I ended up going with the Toyota Camry.

I will state for the record that I totally hated the car. While it was reliable, it had nothing desirable. It had no cool features, it had the same body style since 1992  (which my mom had) with a minor tweak here and there and a poorly designed interior. There was so much empty space and poor designing that it aggravated me every time I got into the car. Going from the Pathfinder to the Camry was a serious step down. I wanted the luxury edition of the Camry but I wanted the 4 cylinder as I was looking to save money gas. The gas prices at this time were hitting  $4 a gallon and the hybrids weren’t so great for an option at the time. The dealer at that time told me that I can’t get the luxury package on the 4 cylinder as it was only available on the V-6 so I settled and purchased the 4 cylinder. I drove the car for a little over 5 years. It was reliable, but it didn’t excite me or particularly enthrall me in any way shape or form.

Recently I got it in my head that I should get a new car. It was one of those thoughts I cast aside as it was just not feasible with the apartment situation and the job and the commute I was doing. The thought would come back up periodically. I just wanted to drive something a little more exciting. I helped my friend move and drove his Infiniti to his place while he drove the truck. It was a totally different experience than my Camry or Pathfinder. The strangest part of the experience were the two or three cute women who waved at me and smiled as I drove past in his car – something that had never happened to me before in any car I’ve been in. 

Fast forward a about a year and I moved back home. I did the commute to work again and it was horrible. The drives were over an hour and a half and with traffic up to 2. Then came the new job unexpectedly. It let me work from home and I went into the office only occasionally. Then out of the blue, the idea cycled back into my head. I ran it by mother because it was a large purchase and I wasn’t sure if I should do it. She surprised me with “Do it. You should be driving a better car than a Camry.” which totally surprised me. So I did research and looked at different brands. There was no major need for a new car since my current one ran fine so I wasn’t pressured to actually buy something right away.

I narrowed it down to these cars (in the order I wanted them originally):