ladysprite: (steampunk)
ladysprite ([personal profile] ladysprite) wrote2014-01-22 03:45 pm
Entry tags:

Totally

I just got the call from my insurance company; my car has been officially declared totalled.

RIP Little Silver Saturn. October 2001 - January 2014. You lasted almost forever, you drove nearly 200,000 miles with me, and you gave your life to protect me. You were the first treat I bought myself after graduating from vet school, and the first car I bought that wasn't an ancient death trap.

I miss you.

Coincidentally, I now find myself in the market for a new car, having not actually paid any attention to cars for the past decade-plus. In a perfect world I'd just go on driving Saturns forever, but sadly that's not an option.

So, anyone out there who knows more about cars than I do (which is likely most of y'all), advise me. I'm not looking for brand-new; I know that's kind of a sucker deal. I want something small - not Smartcar small, but I don't need or want an SUV. Easy to take care of and good fuel efficiency are important; I'd like a hybrid if I can but I'm not sure how they fare in the used market. And affordable is a plus; I've been out of work for 4 months and I'm not going to be getting huge amounts of money back for my poor lost baby.

Advice? Suggestions? Spare vehicles you have lying around?

[identity profile] corwyn-ap.livejournal.com 2014-01-24 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
" I've heard some troubling things about the batteries not lasting too long..."

Mostly hype. In CARB states (such as MA) batteries are warrantied for 150,000 miles, and car companies aren't going broke because of it. There are some Prius taxis with 500k miles on the original battery. Most batteries are lasting the life of the car.