Bella’s car won’t last forever, and I keep wondering what we’ll look at next. Things that matter to me:
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Small-sized person compatibility: Some cars (including my E30!), Bella just can’t drive. She needs power-adjusting seats (and pedals, preferably!) and a tilt/telescoping steering column.
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Safety: I don’t want my family in a death trap. In this I include active safety: A vehicle must be stable and maneuverable enough to avoid problems, with positive driver feedback. It must also have enough power to get out of its own way.
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Economy: This is not just pure fuel economy, but also operation, maintenance, and repair. Preferably, this would be something that runs on regular gas (or diesel), with cheap parts, that’s designed with maintenance in mind. E85 or biodiesel compatibility’s a plus. Fuel economy > 30mpg on the highway is almost mandatory here.
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Reliability. This is a given; this will be the car for family trips, and which must get the family to/from school and taking Joey to Louisville 2-3 times per month. Things I’d prefer here: Timing chain instead of timing belt, self-adjusting valves, 4-wheel disc brakes with semi-metallic pads, non-interference engine, Dexcool or other long-lasting coolant.
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Comfort: This is the Queen Mary, not the speedboat. I want long-distance comfort for 2 adults and 3 kids, and their stuff.
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Affordability: Oh yeah, and…I have to be able to pay for it in cash, so no $20k monsters allowed.
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It can’t be a Ford or Ford-owned (Read: Mazda) product. It CAN be any GM except Chevrolet. Sorry, I know my wife.
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It can’t be a Volkswagen. Sorry, I know myself.
Alot of these are contractictory…I realize that. A comfortable vehicle, large enough for all of our stuff, that gets 30mpg while being powerful enough to accellerate in traffic.
As far as vehicle TYPES, this implies either a sedan, wagon, or minivan. I’d prefer something with a hatch for utility.
Actual VEHICLES that fit this bill? Yikes…
Pontiac Montana (only 26mpg hwy, tho):
Volvo V70 wagon ($$$, plus expensive parts):
What does Bella want? Same old, same old: Corolla S!
38mpg highway! Regular gas! Only 4 cylinders to cause problems! Cheap-to-replace 15" tires!
(bear with me folks, this is as much car fever as I’m allowed to get….)