People certainly tend to become creatures of habit. Even if you aren’t prone to it, you know those who are. Sometimes you just need to challenge them (or yourself).
Realizing this, I have been thinking outside my box lately.
My beloved ’93 Buick Century is what has prompted it. It has been a great car, but despite it having just under 65,000 miles, time and deferred maintenance is starting to make its ugly presence known. If we stayed closer to home, it wouldn’t be a big deal. However, our trips are either five miles into town or over one hundred–there is nothing in between. My parents and in-laws are starting to become of a certain age; Mrs. Jason’s parents are closer as they live 110 miles away with mine living 230 miles away. One must keep a firm grasp upon the realities of life.
Realizing the totality of every vehicle I have ever owned has had a Ford, Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler, or Buick nameplate, I challenged myself to think outside my box. So in an effort to expand my horizons, I recently test drove…
…this spiffy diesel powered Volkswagen Jetta. It was couple of firsts for me; the first VW and the first European nameplate. I have ridden in numerous examples of both, but have never partaken.
It was very nice and the heated seats were terrific for the 15 degree Fahrenheit day. Best of all…
…it had six forward gears I could choose from. It was a hoot to drive except that the console was entirely too close to my right leg. I did not buy it, and I’m still deciding my direction.
As an aside, my criteria was a Jetta with either the 1.8 liter gasoline or 2.0 liter diesel engine hooked to a manual transmission and not painted white. Out of 96 Jetta’s on the lot, this was the only one that fit that criteria.
I have triumphantly stepped out of my box, which leads to my question(s): When was the last time you stepped out of your automotive box? What was it? And, were you pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised?
The closest thing for me was a ’92 325i. Never owned a “premium/prestige” make before, and nothing with climate control, heated seats, etc. While it was a blast to drive, I would never buy a used one out of warranty again. Even doing most of my own repairs, it still became an unreliable money pit after about 125,000 miles, and not perfectly reliable at half that mileage.
At the same time, in 1999, Dad purchased a new Camry. My kid is still driving it at close to 300,000 miles and the idle valve is the only chronic problem the car has ever had.
A new Honda Fit Base functionally replaced the BMW. At least I experienced the “Ultimate Driving Machine” once in my life.
Given my preference for large, RWD, and BOF, I think ultimately I’ll end up raising the box to a big SUV like a Tahoe, or Escalade (and keeping an older Cadillac or two for weekends).