Out With The Old, In With The New

It was time to put Mike's car out to pasture. His beloved Volvo S40 was on its very last wheels and it was becoming a safety concern.
We had hoped it would last until next spring, but when we honestly looked at the state of things we knew we couldn't wait that long. Let's review the almost comical list of things wrong with it:

1. It was insured in Hall County (a.k.a. the boonies) because it failed the DeKalb County (a.k.a. the city) emissions test. (We don't know why ... it didn't have smelly exhaust or anything like that)
2. We purchased a GPS unit for the sole purpose of using it as the car's speedometer
3. The odometer stopped working about 6-8 months ago at approximately 220,000 miles
4. The front headlight was out and couldn't be fixed because it was an issue with the wiring
5. The air conditioning hadn't worked right in over a year
6. And a partridge in a pear tree worth of other small mechanical issues

The car did not look like a beater. He took very good care of it. My boss had the best analogy -- she said it was like an old lady that had lots of plastic surgery -- looks great on the outside, but things are falling apart on the inside.

A family friend was an enormous help with our car buying process. He gave us lots of helpful advice, discussed some pros and cons that we probably wouldn't have thought of and also thoroughly coached us on what to expect and what to say/do when we got to the negotiating process. We were so thankful for his help!

We started our search with four cars as contenders ... let's play "Car Hunters":

2011 Toyota Camry

We initially looked at the Camry because we thought we could get a great deal on a 2011 model. However, we did not like the car at all. The inside looked like a stripped down rental car. It was awful! We took a quick look at the redesigned 2012 model - which was much improved - but we didn't love it and knew we could get a better price on one of the cars we liked better. We almost immediately crossed it off the list.

Which leaves three contenders ...

2012 Honda Accord

I come from a family of Accord drivers. We've had at least one in the driveway since 1995. We looked at the LX-P model, which had a few more features than the base model. We liked it, but felt that it was really large. The newer Accords (2008+) feel cavernous as compared to the older ones. I loved the comfy seats and we both loved the back seat space and trunk space.

2011 Honda CR-V

We also checked out the Honda CR-V. We looked at both the SE and the EX package. We really liked the idea of a small SUV, as this car will (hopefully) be our family car. We really liked the extra space that the SUV offered, as well as riding up higher. It drove well and the overall fit and finish on the car was nice. I wasn't sold on the seats ... they were not as deep or as comfortable as the other cars we looked at. Also, we were concerned about the price and didn't know if a small SUV would fit in our budget.

2012 Hyundai Sonata

We were really impressed with the Hyundai Sonata! We looked at the GLS with the preferred package. It drives just like an Accord, which we liked. It was a very comfortable car with an impressive amount of trunk space. It had some standard features, like satellite radio, that were only found on the top-of-the-line Hondas. We found that the backseat headroom was a little tight, and I also felt that the front passenger seat sat really low. Also, we were concerned about long-term maintenance and resale value on a Hyundai, because we tend to keep cars until the wheels fall off.

So which one did we choose?

The Honda CR-V EX package. We love it! As soon as Mike sat in the car the first time he said, "This is it. This is what I want." It wasn't quite love at first sight for me, but the more I looked at it and drove it, the more I realized this was the perfect car for us. Plus, we were able to get a phenomenal deal on it.

Welcome to the family Gunner! I feel like we should be on a Honda commercial ... the addition of the CR-V is the NINTH Honda my family has owned since 1995. My brother is the only traitor one who doesn't drive a Honda currently. Yes, we love our Hondas!