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Before My Santa Fe I Drove a ___?

32 messages,  Last post on Jan 06, 2008 at 8:42 AM

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What is this discussion about? Hyundai Santa Fe, Car Comparisons, Wagon, SUV, Van

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#7 of 32 My Car Story by sduff68

Sep 02, 2007 (7:53 pm)

1971 Superbeetle- 1st car, was purchased by my mom right after high school and I paid her back with my first job. I drove it for 5 years. You can’t really say anything bad about an original beetle. The are probably the perfect first car. Affordable, cheap to fix, and they get good gas mileage with the right engine.
 
1980 Honda Prelude-drove it for about 2 years. It was the old style early model however it was still a pretty neat car, the AC worked, had a power sunroof that still worked too. Wrecked it during a fender bender (car in front of me had brake lights that didn’t work) managed to straighten out the front and drove it till it lost oil pressure coming off a freeway overpass one day and dropped a cylinder ring.
 
1979 Toyota Celica-drove this car until it died too. Only paid about 400.00 for it. These model Celicas are really reliable cars. If you have the money to fix one up they are worth it, they will last forever if properly maintained. Mine was a piece of junk when I got it..but it still lasted me for a few months.
 
1994 Ford Escort- My first brand new car. I bought it from Worthington Ford (Go see Cal, Go see Cal, Go see Cal!) If you are from southern California you will know what that means! It was a true base model, it did not have a radio or air conditioning. Drove it for 5 years and I never had a mechanical issue.
 
1999 Mercury Cougar- I really miss this car . Other than a broken throttle which was probably my fault I had no issues with the car. Had an an aftermarket open air filter and a custom dual exahaust. That was finally perfected after playing with it 3 or 4 times. (I wish I would have kept this car until it broke down for good…I already had a mini-van and really didn’t need another family car at the time. But I was impatient and I thought I needed a truck)
 
2005 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab - A huge mistake only drove it 3 days before taking it back to Carmax. It originally seemed like a great deal! 2005 with only 12,000 miles! V8, 4 doors, spray in bedliner, cargo box in the bed, Alloy Wheels 4WD! The Kelly Blue Book price was $27,000 and Carmax was offering it for $19,999! However the gas mileage was terrible (it was barely getting 14mpg hwy and it was supposed to get 15 city and 20 HWY!). This began a rollercoaster car trade in scenario that would last a year.(I am so glad I got rid of truck…I would have never bought it if I would have read Edmunds forums….I was going of Edmund’s four door truck comparison test where it compared favorably to the Toyota Tacoma.) (This was also the first automatic transmission vehicle I ever purchased. I was approaching Forty and I was tired of shifting gears in city traffic. All subsequent vehicles are automatics)
 
2003 Ford Explorer-Best truck on the Carmax lot, in my price range I still wanted a “Truck” . (For some reason I wanted the capacity to tow) drove it about three months before trading it back at Carmax for the still lousy gas mileage (However, it did get the 15 city, 20 HWY mileage it claimed!). (Also glad I got rid of this vehicle…the transmission was beginning to show some of the infamous signs that plague the Ford Explorers …however I did not realize it until after I got rid of it).
 
2003 Ford Focus ZX5 -The little car was loaded, leather seats, sunroof, power everything. It got great ratings from Edmunds, Consumer Reports, and Consumer Guide. I also like how it actually had a pretty high seating position, almost like an SUV. My wife hated it. I took it back to Carmax within the free trade in period and I let my wife pick up the first thing she liked.
 
2005 Scion XB-Drove the car for about 6 months too. Loved it initially, but the lack of features like cruise control (which the ZX5 had!!!), and the total lack of luxury (hard plastic everywhere), began to wear on me. I was nearly Forty and wanted a comfortable car to drive with some luxury features. However it had great gas mileage, an amazing amount of room for it’s size, and a bumping factory radio. However, in addition to the lack of luxury the insurance institute’s safety test really concerned me, this was meant to be a second family car, and it was not a safe vehicle.
 
2007 Hyundai Santa Fe SE- The car I never knew I wanted . I was originally looking at the Sonata Limited for the Luxury features and the value compared to the Accord and Camry. Before I left with the Sonata I test drove the Santa Fe, then I had my wife test drive it. WE WERE BOTH HOOKED. My wife and I never looked back. My only regret is that I wish I had got a limited for the leather seats (A three year old is murder on a cloth interior). A great car that looks and drives like a much more expensive car. Plus…it has great safety ratings.
 
So this is my story…it is really embarrassing, between April of 2006 and April of 2007 I owned five different cars , even though I only possessed two of them for a few days. I wish I would have followed my first mind and brought the Mercury with me to Northern Virginia and traded it in then. Oh well, that’s what happens when you get impatient and don’t listen to what you believe the Holy Spirit is telling you…you make stupid mistakes and wind up wasting a few thousand dollars!!!

#8 of 32 Re: For ALL the ones I've LOVED B4.... [somedai1] by sduff68

Sep 02, 2007 (8:13 pm)

Replying to: somedai1 (Aug 23, 2007 5:19 pm)
I don't blame you for keeping the AMC Eagle. It was the original X-over vehicle. Whenever I have gone to a town in the mountains (like Big Bear, or Lake Arrowhead) you still see them. It is probably one of the few AMC vehicles that are actually coveted other than their muscle cars of the late 60,s early 70's.
 
The craze for the Gremlin when "Wayne's World" came out was just a short lived fad.

#9 of 32 Re: My Car Story [sduff68] by steve_ HOST

Sep 02, 2007 (8:32 pm)

Replying to: sduff68 (Sep 02, 2007 7:53 pm)
I think you qualify to post in Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous too.

#10 of 32 Re: For ALL the ones I've LOVED B4.... [sduff68] by kdahlquist

Sep 02, 2007 (9:51 pm)

Replying to: sduff68 (Sep 02, 2007 8:13 pm)
"The craze for the Gremlin when "Wayne's World" came out was just a short lived fad."
 
Garth's car in Wayne's World was a Pacer, not a Gremlin.

#11 of 32 Re: For ALL the ones I've LOVED B4.... [kdahlquist] by somedai1

Sep 03, 2007 (8:59 am)

Replying to: kdahlquist (Sep 02, 2007 9:51 pm)
NICE TO SEE SOME KNOWLEDGE AND RESPECT OF THE AMC CARS - wish they'd find a way to bring it back like the Delorean....

#12 of 32 Re: For ALL the ones I've LOVED B4.... [kdahlquist] by sduff68

Sep 03, 2007 (3:35 pm)

Replying to: kdahlquist (Sep 02, 2007 9:51 pm)
Thanks for the clarification.

#13 of 32 My Rides... by bambew

Oct 05, 2007 (6:25 am)

1973 Ford Pinto... Was my first car. What can I say, it got me around. Was trashed while delivering pizza.
 
1984 Honda Nighthawk 650cc... Loved every minute riding that thing. It developed a very loud valve train tick. The dealer fixed it under warranty. Some time later, the same prob occurred so I got rid of it.
 
1986 Mustang GT... First year of F.I. Straight line/Go fast car. Had it only 6 days. A couple of trees got in my way.
 
When I met my wife in '89, she had an '88 Mustang LX and her ex-b/f had an '89 Ford Escort GT with 1.9L H.O. that he sold to me. The Escort was an awesome car. It developed a stalling prob that the dealer couldn't fix. So... bye bye Escort...
 
The '88 Mustang started doing strange things (I swear it was possessed!) and again, the dealer, couldn't rectify the probs. So, bye bye Mustang.
 
1995 Chev Cavalier (Wife's)... Great car for the money. Very few problems, very dependable.
 
1998 Pontiac Sunfire (Mine)... Okay car but a tad on the small side for my liking. I'm a 6 footer. Traded the Sunfire in for a...
 
2001 Camaro SS Convertible. Awesome car... Personal amusement park ride! Too much work though. Either you own a car, or a car owns you! And the SS owned me... Had a few moving violations, insurance premiums went way up so... bye bye SS
 
2004 Chev Cavalier... When the wife and I were shopping for a new car in '04, I wanted an SUV, but I promised that she could choose the car. So, we ended up with an '04 Cavalier. Was not impressed with the fact that it needed a new fuel pump at 20,000 Km. It was difficult to get into first gear (5spd). The pwr window motors were intermittent also. I had enough of GM's poor quality and decided to switch camps... Hello Hyundai!
 
Last winter while we were at the Granddaughter's hockey game, there was an '07 SF on display at the arena. I instantly took a liking to it. During my '07 summer holidays, I was window shopping for a vehicle as our lease on the '04 Cavalier was soon to expire. My first stop was at Attrell Hyundai in Brampton, Ont. I test drove an '07 (the one which we bought) 3.3L AWD. I instantly knew that this was the vehicle for me. Later that same day, my wife took it out for a drive and she loved it.
 
As the SF was a demo with 12,000 Km on the clock, I asked for a discount equal to the remaining value on the Cavalier lease. Roughly $3000. The sales manager said he couldn't make the deal. So I said bye bye...
 
Two days later Attrell called and they said come on in, let's work something out. The wife and I went back to the dealer and got the $3000 discount on the demo.
 
Sorry for rambling... anyways, that's my story...
 
Bambew

#14 of 32 Re: For ALL the ones I've LOVED B4.... [somedai1] by kdahlquist

Oct 05, 2007 (6:55 am)

Replying to: somedai1 (Aug 05, 2007 10:28 am)
'79 Olds Cutlass Calais. My first car. Buckets, floor shift, mag wheels, Road Hugger radial raised white letter tires. Pinstripes. It was bitchin'! (give me a break -- I was in high school)
 
'81 Honda Accord LX. A little puke green hatchback. The first car I bought all by myself -- for $800. It was ugly but reliable and got me through college.
 
'94 Chevy S-10 ext cab. The first new car I ever owned.
 
'66 Pontiac Bonneville station wagon. My favorite car. I bought it out of a barn where it had sat for 10 years. Paid $1200 for it, and put another 2 grand into getting it roadworthy. It was a city block long and seated 9 people comfortably. The 389 HO V8 rumbled! It was stolen just a year later and has never been recovered.
 
'96 Mercury Sable. I'd gotten married and needed a reliable "family man" car. It was boring, but it was a good car.
 
'95 Mazda Miata. My wife bought it, but then got pregnant and couldn't drive it (too small and shifting bothered her), so it became my car. It was the most fun car I've ever owned. Sold it when our kid was born because I needed a back seat.
 
'00 Volvo V70. A good solid family wagon. Great ride and sharp looking, but lots of reliability problems. Stuff kept breaking. Dumped it for...
 
'02 GMC Yukon XL Denali. A sweeeeeeeeet ride. Loved it, but sucked gas (13-14 mpg) and was hard to park. Later became my wife's car.
 
'03 Pontiac Vibe. Bought it new and commuted in it for four years until buying my current car....
 
'07 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD. Love it!

#15 of 32 Re: For ALL the ones I've LOVED B4.... [somedai1] by hpg122

Oct 08, 2007 (4:09 pm)

Replying to: somedai1 (Aug 05, 2007 10:28 am)
My first car was a yellowy-beige 1977 VW Dasher. It was 9 years old then and bought it from the original owner. Manual transmission, great little first car. We called her "old yeller".
 
Right before I left for college my parents thought it would be best to upgrade a little, and along came "blue", a 1980 VW Rabbit, that we got from a mechanic friend of my Pop who had rebuilt the engine. --wonderful, reliable car. started in the coldest of winters, good on gas, easy to handle and felt sort of sporty to me then.
 
After college, I spent the next 10 or so years without need for a car. Blue was donated to the same charity as Old Yeller before her and I was 30 and completely clueless when I bought the next car, which I still regret to this day.
 
It was a 2000 Ford Focus. After the first $1000 of about $7.5K in repairs in 3 years, it was named "the (something else that begins with F)us" Because I truly felt that was what Ford did to all of us that bought this first US model of this car. My entire braking system (not just the pads)had to be replaced within the first 9 months and that was just the beginning.
 
Last summer, I got my gently used 03 SF. I'd wanted a Rav4, but the dealer wouldn't work with the price and we'd planned on having whatever car we chose just for this tour and we'd get rid of it when we move next, and we only really one day to look for a car for me and the SantaFe was a really good deal. and now I love it. We have a new baby now and we need a 3rd row so the next car will be an 07 or 08.

#16 of 32 Re: For ALL the ones I've LOVED B4.... [somedai1] by mpuzach

Oct 08, 2007 (6:12 pm)

Replying to: somedai1 (Aug 05, 2007 10:28 am)
Here's my list, all bought new, 3 special-ordered:
 
  • 1st car ever was a brand new 1973 Pontiac Grand Am. I bought it off the showroom floor and loved it. It had a 455 V8, dual exhaust, genuine "African Crossfire Mahogany" wood trim, full instrumentation with real numbers on the gauges, A/C, AM/FM stereo. I was fresh out of college making the big bucks ($150/week). Life was grand.

  • Traded the Grand Am for the worst car I've ever owned, a new 1975 Mustang II Mach 1. I had the first Mustang II V8 in Wisconsin. To this day, buying it was the biggest automotive-related mistake I've ever made.

  • 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ. Nice car; had the Firethorn Red velour bucket seats. Pretty snazzy at the time.

  • 1979 Pontiac Bonneville coupe. It was a barge but I loved it. It was 2-tone metallic red/claret.

  • 1984 Pontiac Trans Am. It was the first car I ever ordered from the factory. I waited 2 months for it but it was worth it. It was black with literally every option offered that year except for automatic transmission, white letter tires, and the goofy shade and wiper for the rear window. It was a fun car but it was poorly built.

  • 2007 Dodge Omni hatchback. Bought it as a low-cost commuter car for work. Oddly enough, it was one of the best cars I've ever owned. It had every available option, was very comfortable, and surprisingly fun to drive.

  • 1989 Volvo 740 GL. My first import and a darned nice car.

  • 1992 Volvo 940 Turbo. Another great car. I drove it 245,000 miles without a major repair and sold it in immaculate condition for $5000. AFAIK it's still going strong.

  • 2000 Audi A6 2.8 quattro. One of the 2 finest cars I've ever owned, period. The car just reeked of quality and refinement. I special-ordered it from Germany and waited over 4 months for it but it was worth the wait.

  • 2003 Audi A6 4.2 quattro. Just like the previous one but with Audi's 300 hp 40V V8. Absolutely beautiful machine.

  • 2005 Chevy Corvette coupe. Another factory-ordered car. I decided that since I was single with no kids and with a company car it was time to get a real American sports car. I only drive it for pleasure and it doesn't disappoint. I still have it, still really enjoy it (even though I'm married now!).

  • 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD w/ Premium Package. I bought it to replace a company car (2007 Volvo XC90 AWD) that I had to give back when I left the company earlier this year. The Volvo was a great SUV but I enjoy my Santa Fe just as much.
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