Pete's Log: Happy Birthday, K2!!
Entry #1187, (Life in General)(posted when I was 23 years old.)
So December 18 marked one year since my purchase of my car. However, since I wanted to be able to claim 20,000 miles during the first year, I decided the observed birthday should be once I returned to Colorado, since I'd bought K2 just after arriving for Christmas break a year ago.
After a year, I must say that the purchase has been well worth it. Before buying my car I was very worried about finances and other such things. But since then I've realized that those concerns pale in comparison to the benefits of having a car.
The freedom has been simply amazing. I've driven through at least 18 states with K2 (Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi are all I can think of off the top of my head). I've enjoyed the luxury of being able to simply take off whenever I felt like it. I've found comfort in knowing that at any point I could get in my car and, on average, drive 200 miles before needing to stop for anything.
Beyond being happy to own a car in general, I'm very happy with the specific car I chose. K2 is a 2001 Chevrolet Prizm with manual transmission. It is a delight to drive this car. The clutch is the friendliest I've ever encountered, the engine responds well considering its small size, and the gas mileage is incredible. More than once I have driven K2 more than 900 miles in a single day, by myself. I'm quite happy to say that even after such length of driving the driver's seat is still comfortable and the sound system still sounds terrific.
I'm also glad I decided to buy a new car. I can deal with the monthly payments, because they are regular and I can budget for them. Had I bought a used car, my monthly payments may have been significantly lower, but the chance for unexpected expenses would have been higher. And it's nice not having to worry about the car. It's presented me no trouble at all so far, and based on the consumer reports ratings, it should prove reliable for some time to come.
At times I try to pretend I'm not materialistic. But realistically I am. And my car is the ultimate proof of that. I love K2. I really do. My car makes me very happy.