Another Reason to Hate Cars

I don't hate cars really. Actually, I like them. I like to drive. That's part of the problem. That means that I would prefer not to own just the automotive equivalent of an appliance. In fact, looking back at my vehicle ownership history, I've owned some pretty fun cars.

One can tell that I wrestle with the interest in cars though because the history of ownership switches between fun car, practical car, fun car, cheap car, fun car... Part of the wrestling act is the challenge of coming up with a car that will fit my desires along with what my wife likes. I like small, sporty, fun, and maybe efficient. Wife likes, big, luxury.

The last car was a 1993 Honda Accord with a bit over 170k miles that we paid very little for with the thought that it was just temporary transportation since my previous (very fun) car had been "totalled" while driving home from work one day. The Honda was to the point where it was probably going to need some repairs that one might question whether or not the car was worth the cost of repairs and service.

So, we began the search for a replacement. I wanted a new VW Rabbit, a Mazda 3, or a Honda Fit. Get it; small, fun, hatchback (easy to get a bike in or out.) Anika wanted a sedan. We looked at all sorts of cars where we attempted to compromise on fun to drive yet meet the desires of my better half thinking luxury. We settled on a nice used BMW 325xi. Anika refused to entertain anything that was rear wheel drive. She also has arthritis, so out the window (much to my dismay) went the idea of a clutch pedal. (My first car EVER with a slushbox transmission and I HATE it.) But, being a BMW, it does handle nicely and is fun to drive.

Today it's at Sears Imports for service which will be covered as part of the BMW total service package that came with the car. (It was a certified pre-owned vehicle.) So, I don't know if we are being taken for a ride or what... But Anika attempted to drop the car off for it's scheduled maintenance this morning at 10. She's still there, now 3pm! Wow, what a waste of a day for her. She's been sitting in one of the cubes next to the salespeople (unbeknown to the salespeople.) She called me to share a bit of what she has overheard from the sales people. So far, we'll just leave it at the fact that we will not under any circumstance be re-visiting Sears Imports.

Based on the fact that the car needs as much service as it does after having purchased it as a certified pre-owned BMW from a BMW dealership and only 7k miles in just under a year... this does not speak very highly of the reliability of the BMW. (I don't think we are very hard on vehicles.)

The only good news is that Anika has seen the light... perhaps the next car will be small, fun, and practical again?