- 2,429
- Heaven's Fence
- Anathema-Kure
- Justin Jectlol
After the Expo decided it had had enough of living (still not exactly sure what died on it, but the metal flakes in the oilpan gave me a hint that it was terminal) I was once again trying to find a car.
This time, though, thanks to the new job (at UPS) I am making enough money to actually get something decent for a change, something that wasn't older than I am.
So cue a good 2-3 months of searching for something that was:
A) good on gas, due to the new job's commute;
B) manual.
This limited my options a lot, if I'm honest. 'Good on gas' I use here loosely, given that the Expo and 240SX only averaged around 22 MPG (for both.) Good to me was at least 30 MPG highway.
The first serious contender (i.e., was actually planning to buy it) was a Hyundai Elantra Blue in really good shape (the Blue is the base trim model with a 5 speed manual gearbox) but by the time I had started the financial side of things, it had been sold. Lesson learned, if it's at a dealer, put a deposit on it before it's gone.
A number of other cars caught my eye, but nothing really stood out. Went to look at a Veloster (base model obviously) but wasn't a fan of the non-traditional manual 'box.
April 6th, I did my usual routine of disconnect from a league race while in a good position (screw Verizon, honestly) and then browse sites like Autotrader and Craigslist to try to find something. I did find something, all right.
This caught my eye, and not just because it had only been posted that day. With only 26k miles, a clean bill of health (with a full service record history), a very good price, and a proper manual 'box, I was absolutely ready to go see it.
Since the dealer was closed by the time I had seen it online and contacted them, I spent Sunday and a good part of Monday thinking about this little copper 500, and nothing else. Got there after work, everything checked out, test drove it and was hooked.
They hadn't even had a chance to detail it/ do their full presale inspection, and as I was talking with the salesperson I learned why; they'd taken it on a trade-in that past Friday. Made sure to not make the same mistake as before and put a deposit on it, then had to wait until the 17th to pick it up and sign all the paperwork.
So, information. It's a 2012 Fiat 500, Sport model, meaning I get a good bit of extra goodies to play with. Alloy wheels, upgraded sound system, hill start assist, fancy seats, etc. One owner, used as 'the fun weekend car' by an older gentleman and his wife. It's super clean throughout, I would be posting more pictures of the interior if it wasn't raining out (and if I had the good camera working again and not the phone's mediocre one.)
Having driven my parents' car (an '08 Elantra, nicknamed Old Mann) back and forth for a while, it's taking a bit to adjust to the copper boi. I absolutely love it already, even though the road noise is a lot more noticeable than in the Elantra.
There's no major plans for this other than to take good care of it, but I will be getting a set of the steel wheels in a few months, and some snow tires to go with them. My sister has a '14 500 Sport in red (also a manual, she did convince me to look for a 500 in the first place) and she's had problems in the snow before. Given my commute I'd rather be safe than sorry - while the Contis that are on the car are good, given past experiences with her car I kinda do need snow tires.
Other than that, there's one or two decals I'd probably put on the car (and one I have to remove, not a fan of dealer decals) and that's really it. I've only ever seen one other 500 in the copper color (Rame) and that individuality makes it stand out.
This time, though, thanks to the new job (at UPS) I am making enough money to actually get something decent for a change, something that wasn't older than I am.
So cue a good 2-3 months of searching for something that was:
A) good on gas, due to the new job's commute;
B) manual.
This limited my options a lot, if I'm honest. 'Good on gas' I use here loosely, given that the Expo and 240SX only averaged around 22 MPG (for both.) Good to me was at least 30 MPG highway.
The first serious contender (i.e., was actually planning to buy it) was a Hyundai Elantra Blue in really good shape (the Blue is the base trim model with a 5 speed manual gearbox) but by the time I had started the financial side of things, it had been sold. Lesson learned, if it's at a dealer, put a deposit on it before it's gone.
A number of other cars caught my eye, but nothing really stood out. Went to look at a Veloster (base model obviously) but wasn't a fan of the non-traditional manual 'box.
April 6th, I did my usual routine of disconnect from a league race while in a good position (screw Verizon, honestly) and then browse sites like Autotrader and Craigslist to try to find something. I did find something, all right.
This caught my eye, and not just because it had only been posted that day. With only 26k miles, a clean bill of health (with a full service record history), a very good price, and a proper manual 'box, I was absolutely ready to go see it.
Since the dealer was closed by the time I had seen it online and contacted them, I spent Sunday and a good part of Monday thinking about this little copper 500, and nothing else. Got there after work, everything checked out, test drove it and was hooked.
They hadn't even had a chance to detail it/ do their full presale inspection, and as I was talking with the salesperson I learned why; they'd taken it on a trade-in that past Friday. Made sure to not make the same mistake as before and put a deposit on it, then had to wait until the 17th to pick it up and sign all the paperwork.
So, information. It's a 2012 Fiat 500, Sport model, meaning I get a good bit of extra goodies to play with. Alloy wheels, upgraded sound system, hill start assist, fancy seats, etc. One owner, used as 'the fun weekend car' by an older gentleman and his wife. It's super clean throughout, I would be posting more pictures of the interior if it wasn't raining out (and if I had the good camera working again and not the phone's mediocre one.)
Having driven my parents' car (an '08 Elantra, nicknamed Old Mann) back and forth for a while, it's taking a bit to adjust to the copper boi. I absolutely love it already, even though the road noise is a lot more noticeable than in the Elantra.
There's no major plans for this other than to take good care of it, but I will be getting a set of the steel wheels in a few months, and some snow tires to go with them. My sister has a '14 500 Sport in red (also a manual, she did convince me to look for a 500 in the first place) and she's had problems in the snow before. Given my commute I'd rather be safe than sorry - while the Contis that are on the car are good, given past experiences with her car I kinda do need snow tires.
Other than that, there's one or two decals I'd probably put on the car (and one I have to remove, not a fan of dealer decals) and that's really it. I've only ever seen one other 500 in the copper color (Rame) and that individuality makes it stand out.
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