I've been a one car family since I sold my Accord in January and just rode my motorcycle from about February till now. Since that wasn't the most fun thing to do on rainy days and when it was freezing all the way into May, I decided that I want to be in a car this year.
I looked around for something that met my fairly picky criteria.
1. The right price
2. Good MPG
3. Not too boring to drive or look at
4. Fairly unique
5. The right colors inside and out
6. Perfect condition
7. Sedan
8. Very reliable and long lasting
The size car I was looking for was sort of Civic-esque. I looked at 3 series Bimmers, the Mazda6, lots of Civics, a few Toyotas, and anything else that seemed fairly reliable. I realized through this that I'm not a fan of car shopping anymore... When car shopping stops being fun then you know you are getting old.
A 3 series would have been nice, but for my budget I would have had to buy a 2000 with 80K+ on the clock and I didn't want to mess with mechanical problems or anything.
The Mazda6 is a dime a dozen. I knew there were too many of these when I found myself at an intersection behind one with one on the left, one across the intersection, and several passing in front of me. That's a little too common for me. The Mazdaspeed6 would have been nice, but again, a little out of my budget.
Civics are nice, but I had a hard time finding one available in the right color combination. I refuse to have a car with beige interior. Blech! That is a detailer's nightmare. Especially an obsessive compulsive one like me. I need something that can get dirty without looking dirty so that I don't loose sleep knowing that there is a spot somewhere that needs cleaning. lol
So it came down to an unlikely choice. I bought a 2005 Corolla XRS. I know I was just mocking the Mazda6 for being a dime a dozen and then I say I bought a Corolla, but this one is different. The XRS has the Celica GT-S motor in it and is a lot different than the average Corolla. Performance wise it is almost exactly like an Integra GSR, which I had and loved. I regret ever selling my GSR back when I did it, so this is sort of redemption for me. The car is nice and simple without being too boring. I bought it from a dealership in Casper, Wyoming and they are driving it out to me next week. So finally I'll be able to go on drives in something other than my Pilot! yay!
Anyway, I'll post pics when I get it and have it shined up, but here are some from the dealership.
Any good suggestions for this color? I've got a couple ideas of things I'd like to try on it, but the first detail is going to be a product that is going to stick around till October or November when I prep it for winter. I'm still in the looks mood and not interested as much in durability.
And I love that color.
Linear Mode
