In this article, I want to talk to you about the cars I have owned, own, rented and what I want to buy in the future. The first car that I had was gifted to me by my own grandfather. Without my grandfather, I wouldn't be able to come to Huntington and go to school and have a car on campus without him giving it to me. The first car was a 2005 Ford Five Hundred SE four-door sedan with incredible safety features, beige in color, CD changer, very comfortable and great on gas. That car had only 25,000 miles when it was bought and my grandmother got it for my grandpa as a gift.
After 6 years of driving it, my grandfather started letting me drive it with my permit and I got to use it for my driving test. I brought it to Indiana in my sophomore year and I recently traded it in for another car. Even though it had good gas mileage, Ford is notoriously known for having weak transmissions and they should have put a recall out for this one because before I gave it up, it started going, along with the A/C compressor and rear brakes. It was my first car though and I will always remember the memories in it.
My next car is the car I currently own, a 2011 Kia Sorento Base model 2.5 liter 4 cylinder with 22 combined mpg. I bought it used at 118,994 miles and it currently has 132, 700 and I have grown to like despite having doubts about it in the beginning. I never thought I would be driving a car larger than a sport sedan but surprisingly, the car is very comfortable, smooth, roomy, good on gas and very safe. It is a 6-speed automatic with a manual option, top speed at 150, heated front seats, AUX and USB, hands-free phone calls, Sirius XM radio and CD changer and Bluetooth. It can sit up to 7 people and has incredible trunk space. I can't wait to take my dad and brother in it on a road trip back to California. Because I bought it used, it came with a price but not too expensive. Let's just say without getting into detail, I'll have this car paid off in a year or two.
In about 5-6 years, I will be buying another car and I want to buy used again because a new car is too expensive and I love cars. I want my next car to be a mid-sized sedan with incredible gas mileage, GPS navigation, Sirius XM radio, hands-free calling, heated seats, speed, safety features like a back-up camera and more. I am debating between a 2016 Nissan Altima 2.5 S sedan and 2016 Hyundai Sonata SE sedan. I should probably mention that I have rented cars in the past through Enterprise and continue to. I love renting cars. Unfortunately being under the age of 25, they tack on fees but it's worth it because I love traveling.
In the past, I selected a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu, Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata and out of all three, I loved both the Altima and Sonata. In terms of comfort, sport and gas mileage, I loved the Altima. I was able to go almost 700 miles on a tank. I traveled all over Ohio and back to Indiana and I only had to fill up twice. The Sonata was also very nice in terms of its handling, speed, comfort and sound system. I think what it will come down to on these two cars is price. Both cars average 38-40 mpg on highway and 25-28 in the city. If you guys have any suggestions on cars, let me know.
