New Driver + New Car = Less $

Well, the kids are getting older and today our eldest received his license from the state of NC. So that means our insurance will increase, dramatically. Not only that, but we are once again a 3 car family. The wife has the Kia Sedona so that we can accommodate the family of six. We still have the Dodge Charger, and last week I bought a 2016 Hyundai Veloster.

Gina and I had been in discussions for a couple of weeks about the "car situation" and I had been tentatively shopping online for a small hatchback. After searching Autotrader, Carmax, Carvana I found the Hyundai through Autotrader at a local dealer. So I messaged them online to make sure the car I had seen was still available and to make arrangements to see the car and take it for a test drive. I left work last Wednesday at lunch and made my way to the dealer. After driving the car I decided it was the right price and just what I had been looking for. Gina was away on an overnight field trip so I sent some text messages to her.

The dealer was able to have the car delivered to my house since I had no other way of getting the car home. When Mason walked home from school he sent this message to Gina.

A week later I must say that I am getting what I thought I would from the new car. It is not as fast in a straight line as the Charger, of course, but it handles well. It is easier to park and as of today, I am averaging 30mpg whereas in the Charger I was averaging just over 16mpg.

This is the first car I have bought to be my daily driver since 1996 when I bought a Ford Escort. That car lasted 15 years and probably could have lasted longer. In 2011 I was going through a separation/divorce and taking care of my kids. The alternator died on the Escort and my brother heard about it. He decided to send the Charger to me. I still remember the night it was delivered from NM. I was in shock and didn't know what to say. Now more than six years later it is being passed on to the next generation.

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