Sticker-Price Shock

I bought my first new car in 1978... a Plymouth Arrow. It was an import. It was made by Mitsubishi and I absolutely loved it.

The car was run over by a 45 foot tractor-trailer and extensively damaged a month after I bought it, but, it was rebuilt and given a custom paint job. I chose Hugger Orange, the color of the 1969 GTO Judge. The Arrow cost me $4995.00 and it was a lot of car for the money.

I had a newer-used Mitsubishi before I bought the new Arrow. It was a Colt GT and I liked it so much that I stuck with Mitsubishi for my first new car.

After the Arrow was old and tired I bought another new car-- a Colt GTS. Yep, another Mitsubishi. That one cost a little more than the Arrow, but it was still a modest investment.

Years went by and I owned several other new cars. I finally returned to Mitsubishi in 2005 when I bought a Lancer (16,000 clams). It was not the worst car I ever owned; No, that dubious distinction goes to the beautiful ESCORT GT I bought in 1989 --the Mitsubishi has had the front-end replaced twice, the brakes replaced twice, and the up-stream O2 sensor replaced as well. I had $4000 in repairs in the last two years and, recently, the brakes started grinding again. The car only had 86,000 miles on it.

MITSUBISHI... you will never get another dime from me.

Holy Sticker-Price Batman!

With average new cars selling around twenty-five grand, I've been hesitant about replacing that crappy Lancer. Even used cars average sixteen to twenty grand these days.

Last weekend, I bought a used Honda Accord. It has a lot of miles on it, but, Honda cars often give you over 350,000 miles before they give up the ghost.

The car rides like a dream. It has a great sound system. It is comfortable. It has NO RUST and has never been in a collision. So, even though it is a 2007 model and this is 2017, I pulled the trigger. I bought it.

Here are some pictures:

I took the car to Darby Creek Metro Park to take a few pictures without a cluttered background.

This is the parking lot on Kuhlwein Road for those of you familiar with the Columbus area. There is a bike trail running alongside the parking lot.
 
The fields surrounding the parking area are filled with birds and an occasional white-tailed deer. It is a perfect place to take a few pictures.

The Accord has a 2.4 liter engine with hemispheric heads and a low restriction exhaust. It is quiet and feels as if you are driving on air. The engine purrs.

In the center console is a 6-CD changer and 120 watt amplifier. There are six speakers inside the passenger compartment. This is first-rate car audio. I am very happy with the sound quality and I am a professional musician with a passion for audio.

The car features cruise control, air conditioning, a leather steering wheel, comfortable bucket seats, vanity mirrors with lighting, reading lights, side-view mirror defrosters, rear defroster, electric windows and door locks, electric adjustable driver's seat, and a moon roof.

The transmission is a six-speed automatic. That is important since my wife cannot drive a stick-shift car. I've tried to teach her, but, it just ain't happening. This is a luxury sedan with tons of leg room. In short, after one week, my next new car will be a Honda Accord.

Reviews of this car are all favorable. Some people have reported getting 400,000 miles on their Accord. Once you drive one you'll understand why so many Honda owners are absolutely loyal to the brand.

I admit it. I am hooked. The Honda Accord is a keeper.