Meet My New "Toy"...

Quote for the Day:

"I want a car that will last 10 years or longer because I totally hate the process of researching, shopping for a new car, and then haggling for the price. I wish I could just snap my fingers and my car is there."

~Kiran Ahluwalia 

..."Toy"...as in "Toyota"!

We've been shopping for a good, reliable vehicle since Andy's Subaru is starting to have "issues" that aren't worth getting fixed due to too much rust around the wheel-wells.  :(  It's still good enough to tool around town, or even the state, in but not good enough to take on longer trips, etc.

So for about the last 3-4 weeks we've been used-car shopping.  And that quote at the top of the page???  YEP...that's exactly how we feel!  We like to buy reliable used cars with low mileage and run them till the wheels fall off...10+ years...usually up to 200,000+ miles.

Friday afternoon we thought we had found the car we were going to buy but wanted to check in with the salesman that sold us our Toyota RAV4  1.5 years ago to see if he had anything that could compete with the Toyota Corolla S we found on Friday in Fairmont.  Unfortunately, he did not have anything that could compare.  

Since we still had most of the Saturday left after that stop, Andy asked if we should take a drive down to Buckhannon Auto Mall and see if the Toyota dealership there had anything that could compete with the car and price of the Corolla S  up at the dealership in Fairmont.  I really didn't want to make the extra trip to Buckhannon because I thought it was just a waste of time and gas...but I agreed anyway since he wanted to go.

Lo and behold...guess what?  We ended up finding a Corolla LE with the extra options on it that we had liked on the "S" model.  They COULD BEAT the "S" in price AND this one is a "Certified Pre-Owned" which gives it extra warranties with Toyota!  YAY!

We now have a beautiful 2011 Toyota Corolla addition to our gaggle of automobiles!  :)

And look...it comes with a "flying WV" emblem already attached!!!  (For those of you who aren't from West-by-God Virginia, the "flying WV" is the West Virginia University logo and shows your support of the WVU sports teams!)

Loretta

Mama Has a "New" Car...

Quote for the Day:

“In less enlightened times, the best way to impress women was to own a hot car. But women wised up and realized it was better to buy their own hot cars so they wouldn't have to ride around with jerks.”

~Scott Adams

We've known for about a year now that our trusty 2000 Subaru Outback was going to need replaced soon because of the amount and length of road trips that we take, but we've been putting it off until just the right replacement came along.  We've been watching Craigslist and the local weekly "penny saver-type" newspaper for our area, and other available sources, looking for a good deal on a reliable used car.

Well...today that replacement showed up on the lot of the local Ford dealership...a 2011 Toyota RAV4.  We test drove it as well as a 2011 Subaru Forester and the RAV4 won out!

Part of the deal was that they put on 4 new tires and that still has to be done, yet, after they get them in stock.  But we drove it home today and are very impressed with the way it handles and rides!  Can't wait to take our first road trip in it in a few weeks!  :)

Ya know what we thought was really cool?  No temporary plates!  They registered the car right there at the dealership and issued us a permanent license plate!  Okay...so it's the little things that we find amusing!  LOL

Ya know what else we found amusing???  It only has 28,800 miles on it.  Do you know how long it's been since we've had a car that new with that few miles on it???   About 15 years!  LOL 

Like I said...it's the little things in life that we find amusing!  ;)

Oh yeah...they also filled the gas tank up for us (for free) before we drove it off the lot!  We've never had that done before.  Do you know how much that had to cost at today's prices??  The low gas indicator light was on when we test drove it!!   That's $50.00 right there!  :)   I'll take that all day, any day!  :)

BTW...I know that car salesmen are considered sleazy and untrustworthy...but I would highly recommend anyone in the area who is interested in buying a car to visit Toothman Ford and speak with Sam Gerkin!  He was a great salesman.  Not pushy, not rude, not condescending...just helpful!  Their motto is "cars cost less in Grafton" and from our many hours of research online before buying...no one in the north central West Virginia area even came close to their prices!  We went in prepared, knowing what the ratings and averages prices were for the cars we were looking at and we feel we got a great deal. 

All in all, it was a pleasant buying experience...which isn't always the case when you are buying cars...and we are comfortable and happy with our decision/selection!   

Loretta