MISCELLANEOUS.

[redfirecracker]

Couldn't remember how to spell the noun form of "miscellaneous" . . . was too lazy to look it up, so there's an inappropriate adjective as my subject header. Whatever.

The "check engine" dashboard light came on last Monday evening, so Thursday night, I took the car to the shop for a diagnostic. Sherman was in the shop all day on Friday, to the tune of $250. Worst of all was that Midas wasn't able to get the correct solenoid purge valve, whatever that is. Something to do with emissions. Anyway, the part is a dealer exclusive, and they would've had to order it and wait, like, a week. So instead, they just cleaned up the one that was in there and replaced it. I saved about a hundred bucks on the part, since they just charged me for the labor, but they did warn me that the check engine light would probably come back on eventually.

I just didn't expect it to be today.

Seriously. TWO LOUSY DAYS?!?!?!? You've got to be KIDDING ME.

I know that I'm going to have to give up Sherman eventually. I'm putting it off as long as possible, but it looks like the time is coming sooner, rather than later. I saw an ad for a very good deal on the Kia Soul, which I can't help but call "The Rapping HamsterMobile".

They get decent gas mileage, they're a good price, reasonably safe, nicely equipped, and they're cute. What else could you ask for in a car?

Dad does NOT want me to have one. And since he'd basically be buying it for me, I don't really have the high ground, here.

I think it's silly, though, to spend twice as much on a monthly car payment for a bigger car that I don't want to drive. Dad wants me to drive the new Hyundai Sonata, which is like a total land yacht. I've test driven the thing, and I just don't fit in it. There really is such a thing as being too short to drive certain vehicles. It's not just an issue of personal comfort--although that's part of it--but it's also a question of safety. If I'm groping for the controls for mirrors or flailing for the gearshift, it's distracting at best and dangerous at worst.

It doesn't matter how well your car is supposed to survive a crash if the reason you get into a crash is because your car was too big for you to be driving it IN THE FIRST PLACE.

You know what's stuck in my head right now? That friggin' commercial for Rosetta Stone language learning software.

Which is weird, because you'd think that I'd be earworming one of the Kia tunes.

Comments

[zannes.livejournal.com]

When I was shopping for a new car, the Kia Soul was one that I tried. I did not buy it in large part because the damn rapper hamster commericals. I can never get past that. It was one case where the ads made me completely unable to buy a product. I was test driving the damn thing and thinking of how toolish those hamsters were.

[redfirecracker.livejournal.com]

LOL, I'm okay with the first two hamster commercials, it's just the last one in the series-- the one with the robots, too-- that I hate. But what did you think of the car, otherwise?

[zannes.livejournal.com]

This was about a year ago, but from what I recall it was a comfortable car, easy to drive - unlike the Jeep Liberty which was like sitting on cinderblocks. Even my dad liked it, which surprised the hell out of him. It was a top contender (except for those commericals!), but I found something I liked better.

[redfirecracker.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info... I think I might go out for a test drive, and at least if I *don't* like it, I can stop obsessing about the stupid thing. :)