Today I purchased a car to replace my 1993 Saturn SC2! A 2000 Subaru Impreza with only 28,000 miles! This isn't a fully loaded car, so I might have to do some customization, such as changing the radio and other upgrades.

It was fun looking at all the used cars out there. Dealing with pressure salesman was not fun. My favorite experience was in Framingham. A sales person wanted to sell me a Dodge Neon with 8,000 miles. However, I could not test drive the car since it was blocked in. Nevertheless, he wanted me to put down a deposit before I left. Also he was talking to a couple who were looking at a Jeep while he was going back to his manager. Good thing I didn't buy the Neon, as it didn't make the "Consumers Report Reliable Used Car" guide.

What I learn in finding a Used Car

1. Use the Internet to find available cars. You are better off checking specific dealers websites than sites like Vehix.com. Not all dealers will use global sites.
2. Research various cars, use Consumer Reports Reliable used cars as a guide.
3. Do not be afraid of walking away once you see the car you like.
4. Find out the total cost of the car before putting any money down.
5. Test drive the car.

2000 Subaru Impreza Feature List

Power Sunroof Air Conditioning Cruise Control Power Steering Power Brakes Power Door Locks Power Windows Cassette Player Alloy Wheels Gauge Cluster Clock Trip Odometer

Tachometer Tilt Steering Wheel Tinted Glass Interval Wipers Rear Defroster Remote Trunk Lid Driver Side Air Bag Console Front Bucket Seats Reclining Seats Cloth Upholstery Body Side Moldings

Center Arm Rest Maintenance Free Battery Courtesy Lights Map Lights Child-Proof Locks Fog Lights Anti-Lock Braking System Passenger Side Air Bag Am/Fm Stereo Radio Rear Spoiler Dual Electric Mirrors

At 10:30 this morning a Tow truck from Tracy came and towed my 1993 Saturn SC 2. The car will be auctioned off at Capitol Auto Auctions with proceeds to be donated to the Salvation Army.

I purchased the car on September 12, 1994 with 19,936 miles. Today it had 133,484 miles. It was a fun car to drive, and sometime in the next few days I'll be purchasing a used car.

So far I test drove a Toyota Matrix, Toyota Celica, Toyota Camry, Pontiac Grand AM, PT Cruiser, and Mercury Cougar.

After a few months of looking at various cars, I have decided that a 2001 Toyota Celica will probably be the car I'll be buying.

Used Celicas are hard to find in New England. In particular a manuel certified pre owned 2001 Celica with low miles.

Want to learn about the last time I drove my 1993 Saturn SC 2?

 

At 7:45am this morning my car died while driving to Boston on Route 2 near Waltham. This is the famous car that got me to and from California. It appears the problem might be the transmission, and I'll have to make a judgement call to decide if its worth fixing or is it time to buy a used car.

What Happened
It sounded like something hit under the car, and all of a sudden some smoke appeared from the engine and I could see lots of smoke in the rear-view mirror. I was in the center lane and there wasn't that much traffic around me, so it was pretty easy to quickly pull into the breakdown lane. I didn't notice that the car was not accelerating when I stepped on the gas. This would have been a problem if I was in an area where there was no breakdown lane.

Car Towing History
This is the third time my 1993 Saturn SC2 required towing. The other two times happened when I was in California. Once due to an alternator problem in 1998 after leaving the Gilroy Garlic Festival, and the other because of a dead battery in 2001.

Could have been much worst
A car failure never happens at a good time. I was on my way into work to begin a very busy work week, and a dead car wasn't in the mix. However it would have been a lot worst if it happend any other time in the past 48 hours:

• Sunday Night on the Sagamore bridge during heavy weekend traffic
• Friday Night on 93 in downtown Boston during the evening rush