Dragged Into The 21st Century

Twenty years ago I bought my first new car.  A Volkswagen Fox, the cheapest "real" car out there (all the others were sketchy, and missing things I wanted like a full-size spare, etc.)  I kept that car for 17 years, drove it into the ground.  I got 2 other Foxes as it got too unreliable.  Yes, at one time I had three red Foxes.  After several breakdowns, and lots of help from Miss Mox and our friends and family, she persuaded me that it was time for something more reliable.  I'm hoping to keep the best of the Foxes (the wagon) going, using parts from the other one.  The wagon's a quick car, with a turbo for backroads fun.  Plus it's useful for hauling stuff, and maybe I can use it to teach Miss Mox and her siblings to drive a stick.

I tend to hold onto things, and definitely do not often get the latest gadgets. I'm not a Luddite, but I appreciate simplicity and reliability.  Besides, the best way to be green is to "recycle" by just keeping something a long time in the first place, repairing it when necessary.  The Foxes have been getting 30mpg the whole time.  I feel like I've done my bit.

My commute is long, and sometimes cold and dark.  I needed something reliable and economical.  We had rented some cars for trips (and a breakdown,) and I did other research on what I might want.  To me the choice was either another very cheap old car, or a newish used one.  Miss Mox went with me to a local megaplex where we could compare many.   As with anything we do, she made car shopping fun; more than just tolerable.  The salesman was decent, not too pushy.  Miss Mox provided insight, and levity, and distracted the salesman so I could focus.  And just for fun urged me to test a Hyundai Veloster- a sporty, semi-practical 3-door.  It was about as fun as the wagon, but at 2x the cost of what I ended up with, a Ford Fiesta.  The Fiesta is almost new.  My first near-new car in decades.  My first American (well, kinda- Mexican) car.  And my first automatic.  Actually, it has power everything. Plus heated seats.  Nowadays, manuals are rare.  Crank windows are almost gone.  Some people don't know how to use them, just as some are confused by rotary phones.  To me, AC was a luxury- I had it, never used it.  So this is a big change for me.  Of course, it's still red...

Now I'm trying to figure out all the gadgets.  I may never use all the capabilities (just like my iPhone...) Some of the things are nice; I guess I'm getting soft as I get older.  I'm enjoying the reliability, and economy, and even the driveability- it's no sports car, or even Fox, but it's more fun to drive than some.  See you down the road...