Fulfilling a Dream
2005 Houston Auto Show
My family and I ventured to the 2005 Houston Auto Show at Reliant Park. We attended this showcase last year, and amazingly a full year has passed. This year, however, I went with an agenda: I was to select the future car of my dreams.
Three cars have pretty much made up my fantasy list since I began working: the Infiniti G35 Sedan, the BMW 325i, and the Lexus IS300. Today I was to take an up-close and personal inspection of my future vehicle. And when I mean future, I mean at least 2008. Let me explain.
I currently own a 1998 Nissan 200SX, otherwise known as "Nelly." I grew up in a family consisting of one older brother and a younger sister and another younger brother. My older brother, Alex, was given his first car for high school, a Honda CR-X, that was a navy/black manual coupe in which he suffered a pretty bad accident, and thus, totaled (so no car for me). His next car was a 1978 Jeep CJ-7 that was fluorescent yellow and it was a lemon (thus, no car for me). He was then given a red Toyota Paseo for college, which I rarely drove and he drove into the ground (thus, no car for me). By then, I was ready to head for college and I had gotten tired of my parents telling me I could run everywhere if I needed to get somewhere. If I did need a car, I was able to borrow my dad's red Geo Metro which I basically destroyed by driving pedal-to-the metal all the time. My other choice was my mom's Chevy Lumina van (that picture looks eerily similar to our van back in the day). Anyhow, I was now 21 years old and I never had a car! And to make matters worse, my parents purchased my little sister and little brother a car: a Toyota Corrolla!!! How could all my siblings have cars and I have nothing!? Then, my older brother buys a sweet red Toyota Celica, one of my dream cars at the time.
Well, I get hired at Texas-Pan American and am in desperate need of a car because I am tired of, literally, running everywhere in the Valley and borrowing my boss' car when in dire need. By 2001, I am hired as a full-time assistant and can finally afford a car (22 years later) and decide to purchase, guess, a navy Toyota Celica to rival my older brother's. The dealership even allows me to drive the car off the lot (with a sticker price of mid-$20,000). I get home, show it off to the team, and the next day I need to submit my insurance information, when, BAM!, my insurance for the car is over $300/month! Almost a quarter of my monthly salary! And that's not even taking into account my car payment, rent, etc. Just insurance. I end up sheepishly driving the car back to the dealership and hitchiking home...
So, back to Nelly. I research car after car and one day I find this Nissan 200SX in the paper at a great price (b/c of high mileage) and after getting the Sports Information Director to go with me (Ford had ripped me off a month prior on a Focus) to negotiate. I make a $1000 down payment, and then the problem arises again: insurance (let's just say I drive like I run). I am about to walk out without the car (a car they desparately want to get rid of and lie to me on the price) and the sales manager gets on the phone with his buddy at Allstate and wha-la! Cheap car insurance. The car is mine....
So, onto 2005. Alex now has a 2004 Mazda RX-8. My little sister now has a 2004 Mazda 6, and my little brother still has the Toyota Corrolla. And I still have the Nissan 200SX (my wife has a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLS). So, why did I say 2008 in the introduction? Because I will not buy a brand new car (too expensive). I am going to buy used. My experience with Nelly has been perfect, and you can find a great used car if you know what you're doing (and if you're lucky). So, I plan to drive Nelly to her death (perhaps 2008) and reward myself with an Olympic Trials gift of a new car. And that car will be...
The 2005 version of the Infiniti G35 Sedan (Leather, 6MT). Bottom line is that it is more powerful than the BMW. The BMW is nice, but has the worst interior. Looks pretty cheap and cheesy. The Lexus had the best odometer and interior looks, but the Infiniti dominted on style and power and size. I will say the Lexus was the sportiest, and the Beemer was the best combination of sports/luxury looks (and more suited to my size), but it's going to be the Infiniti, unless cars drastically change over the next three years.
What this has to do with running? Not much, but once I get that car I hope to be running less.. :)
My family and I ventured to the 2005 Houston Auto Show at Reliant Park. We attended this showcase last year, and amazingly a full year has passed. This year, however, I went with an agenda: I was to select the future car of my dreams.
Three cars have pretty much made up my fantasy list since I began working: the Infiniti G35 Sedan, the BMW 325i, and the Lexus IS300. Today I was to take an up-close and personal inspection of my future vehicle. And when I mean future, I mean at least 2008. Let me explain.
I currently own a 1998 Nissan 200SX, otherwise known as "Nelly." I grew up in a family consisting of one older brother and a younger sister and another younger brother. My older brother, Alex, was given his first car for high school, a Honda CR-X, that was a navy/black manual coupe in which he suffered a pretty bad accident, and thus, totaled (so no car for me). His next car was a 1978 Jeep CJ-7 that was fluorescent yellow and it was a lemon (thus, no car for me). He was then given a red Toyota Paseo for college, which I rarely drove and he drove into the ground (thus, no car for me). By then, I was ready to head for college and I had gotten tired of my parents telling me I could run everywhere if I needed to get somewhere. If I did need a car, I was able to borrow my dad's red Geo Metro which I basically destroyed by driving pedal-to-the metal all the time. My other choice was my mom's Chevy Lumina van (that picture looks eerily similar to our van back in the day). Anyhow, I was now 21 years old and I never had a car! And to make matters worse, my parents purchased my little sister and little brother a car: a Toyota Corrolla!!! How could all my siblings have cars and I have nothing!? Then, my older brother buys a sweet red Toyota Celica, one of my dream cars at the time.
Well, I get hired at Texas-Pan American and am in desperate need of a car because I am tired of, literally, running everywhere in the Valley and borrowing my boss' car when in dire need. By 2001, I am hired as a full-time assistant and can finally afford a car (22 years later) and decide to purchase, guess, a navy Toyota Celica to rival my older brother's. The dealership even allows me to drive the car off the lot (with a sticker price of mid-$20,000). I get home, show it off to the team, and the next day I need to submit my insurance information, when, BAM!, my insurance for the car is over $300/month! Almost a quarter of my monthly salary! And that's not even taking into account my car payment, rent, etc. Just insurance. I end up sheepishly driving the car back to the dealership and hitchiking home...
So, back to Nelly. I research car after car and one day I find this Nissan 200SX in the paper at a great price (b/c of high mileage) and after getting the Sports Information Director to go with me (Ford had ripped me off a month prior on a Focus) to negotiate. I make a $1000 down payment, and then the problem arises again: insurance (let's just say I drive like I run). I am about to walk out without the car (a car they desparately want to get rid of and lie to me on the price) and the sales manager gets on the phone with his buddy at Allstate and wha-la! Cheap car insurance. The car is mine....
So, onto 2005. Alex now has a 2004 Mazda RX-8. My little sister now has a 2004 Mazda 6, and my little brother still has the Toyota Corrolla. And I still have the Nissan 200SX (my wife has a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLS). So, why did I say 2008 in the introduction? Because I will not buy a brand new car (too expensive). I am going to buy used. My experience with Nelly has been perfect, and you can find a great used car if you know what you're doing (and if you're lucky). So, I plan to drive Nelly to her death (perhaps 2008) and reward myself with an Olympic Trials gift of a new car. And that car will be...
The 2005 version of the Infiniti G35 Sedan (Leather, 6MT). Bottom line is that it is more powerful than the BMW. The BMW is nice, but has the worst interior. Looks pretty cheap and cheesy. The Lexus had the best odometer and interior looks, but the Infiniti dominted on style and power and size. I will say the Lexus was the sportiest, and the Beemer was the best combination of sports/luxury looks (and more suited to my size), but it's going to be the Infiniti, unless cars drastically change over the next three years.
What this has to do with running? Not much, but once I get that car I hope to be running less.. :)
posted by Gabriel Rodriguez at 9:50 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home