Blog du Wren

I Bought a Car - Chevy Cruzin

[This post is being added retroactively as 1) I was in no state to be posting about frivolities at the time and 2) it didn't (and still doesn't) seem right. My mind, heart, and life are still all Della all the time. But since, as I'm always being reminded, this blog is a record of my life, I feel like I should log this entry if for nothing else, then for posterity. 3-13-21]

I bought a new car. It's a 2016 Chevy Cruze 4-door, 6-speed manual with 40,000 miles on it. I've been needing a new car for some time, as the Hector the Echo continues to gripe and groan (muffler, wheel bearings, battery, etc.), and the recent car crash* helped encourage me in that direction.

I never saw myself driving an American-made car. In fact, I still kind of don't. But through a combination of feeling overwhelmed by the used-car lot experience and a need to find something, this fell into my lap. The price was right so I thought I'd give it a shot. It's always good to challenge assumptions every now and again, and my lifelong assumption that American-made cars aren't reliable is one I'm ready to give a second look.

So far, I've got some cheers and jeers. The cheers: it is super quiet, fun to drive, interesting electronics (tire pressure gauge, MPG monitor, etc.), newer (therefore, supposedly, safer), and inconspicuous. The jeers: auto-locking doors*, inability to turn on dome light with a switch, slow fading dome light*, absurdly few storage areas*, bluetooth but not for the stereo, and clutch/gas pedal length discrepancy just to name a few. But overall, my jeers are minor and cheers feel bigger, so I can say I'm pleased overall.

Since purchasing it, I've detinted the windows*, added magnetic ladybug dots*, and removed the back seat and built a small platform so as to have the ability to sleep in it, if the occasion arises*. I'm sure my relationship with it (him? her? Terry/Penelope/Tom?) will continue to grow. And now I have this record to look back on to know when and how it all started.

Saturday March 13 2021

File under: transportation

Toggle Comments (6)

comment?

on Mon 15th Mar, 2021 06:02 pm EDT Ryan Walters said:
There's usually a way to disable the auto-locking doors, perhaps by inserting and removing the key eight times and then honking the horn thrice. Something worth Googling.
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on Mon 15th Mar, 2021 10:47 pm EDT Andrew said:
Not once, not twice. But thrice.
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on Tue 16th Mar, 2021 01:43 am EDT Ryan Walters said:
I looked it up in the manual. The automatic door lock feature cannot be disabled.
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on Wed 24th Mar, 2021 04:19 pm EDT Steve Rowe said:
If he/she/it hasn't been named yet, what about Peppy? It looks a bit like a Peppy to me. For what it's worth.
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on Sun 28th Mar, 2021 10:15 am EDT Horge said:
I vote "Francis". Thinking of it with ladybug dots reminded me that the Pixar movie "A Bug's Life" had a funny ladybug annoyed about always being mistaken for a female or something - googling it, found his name was Francis, and voiced by comedian Denis Leary
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on Sun 28th Mar, 2021 10:28 am EDT Horge said:
Just thought of another, which would be appropriate, but I actually wouldn't want it in your shoes: Ted, as in Ted Cruz(e)
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