I was making my way on interstate 680 this morning when I noticed a man in the car next to me calmly eating a rather large bowl of cereal as if it were Sunday morning at his table. There was no hesitation in his merging, and his ability to do so without spilling the entire contents of said bowl down his front side had me in total awe. I can’t image the skill it must take hosting a full breakfast in your car, I can’t even handle a bagel and lox without at least part of it landing somewhere on me.
It was that man and his cereal bowl that got me thinking though, how many of us commuters live out of our vehicles? With the commutes on the upwards of two and three hours a day, the bay area is finding life is happening inside of our cars more often than not. Just think for a moment, how many meals have you had inside your car? How many movies have your children watched while sitting in traffic? How many naps have you taken in your car? You get the idea.
When I was younger, I remember having a debate with my father about new and pre-owned cars. He preferred buying older cars and accepted the fact that he would repair his car more often than most, but the savings on the overall cost would be worth it. I, on the other hand have always had a preference for new or certified pre-owned. I think it was growing up and watching my father always working on the car instead of driving it that swayed me so heavily. I didn’t see the point in owning a car that you would always have to be fixing. To me, that felt like a moving money pit.
Flash forward to my first car buying experience. The first car I ever bought was a 2001 Nissan Sentra. Prior to my first buy, my father had gifted me several older vehicles that of course, broke down and required replacing within just a year or two of purchase. It was with the history of these prior jalopies that I went into the dealership with a checklist of attributes I wanted to have in my dream car.
I wanted something reliable. After having three cars die on me in the five years prior, I was ready for something that would be around for a while. I needed a car with excellent gas mileage. While, at the time of this purchase, gas was still close to the $1.99 range, I was also a very broke college student and gas for my car was the least fun thing I could use my money on. I wanted a low car payment. Again, college student, I think you get the idea. So with my minimal budget and practical mindset I purchased my reliable yet fairly basic Nissan Sentra. It was everything I had hoped for. Great gas mileage, never broke down on me, and being as I purchased it pre-owned, I was able to achieve the lower monthly payment I was hoping for.
Now flash forward to the car I purchased after my very reliable and inexpensive college car. I purchased a Certified Pre-owned 2003 Mercedes C240. My wants list had upgraded, and I now had the budget to pay for it. Having graduated from college and gotten a job running call centers for Fortune 500 banks, my ability to move past my needs and start addressing my wants became a reality. The car buying process stopped being about the basics or being thrifty, but rather about showing myself appreciation for a job well done. This was my proverbial pat on the back for finally getting a grown up job and making it out there in the real world.
When I was younger, the purpose of my vehicle was to get me from one exciting adventure to the next without breaking my very tiny bank account. Having luxuries such as movie screens, heated seats and even smart phone integration were just wastes of money, however as I got older, I realized that the majority of my adventures were found in the journey itself. For me, adventures have become conversations with my daughter driving to and from work, driving my daughters Brownie troop to and from their next patching activity and our monthly excursions out of town for weekend getaways. I found that I was willing to pay a little extra for added conveniences if I was going to be spending so much time in my car.
While there are a multitude of makes and models to choose from, you will find that many of life’s mini hacks have already been made a standard feature in most new vehicles.
I can recommend a few that I’ve found to be life savers for my adult/parenting lifestyle.
- Heated/cooling seats are a must. Living in the bay, the weather changes at the drop of a hat and between sweltering heat and biting winds, this little feature will ensure that your body temperature stays just right.
- The AUX/USB port in my car is a daily go to. Being that I hate everything about commercials, being able to stream my music from Spotify or Pandora allows for me to stay happily Zen while maneuvering through the travel crunch.
- And although I know they are a bit controversial, I am a big fan of the DVD and TV screens for the back seat passengers. The best part is that each back seat passenger has a headphones jack allowing for them to enjoy their selected movie while you continue to drive without the added distraction!
Want to check out more available features on your next luxury vehicle? Click on the link below now!
http://www.acuraofpleasanton.com/new-inventory/index.htm