Photo Taken in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Sunday, February 17, 2013

New Car

I'm driving so much for my new job that I needed to make a decision about a car.  I was standing out front looking at my beloved New Beetle Sport the other day and I knew that if I kept driving 340 miles a day six days a week in it that it would be gone by summer.  My New Beetle is the same car from this post.  It's been babied and I've only driven it every once a week or two.  I worked from home for a few years, so it was only used when I'd run from the lake to town.  I liked that lifestyle, but now I have a new one.

One of the people I work with has a Prius and when he trained me for his route, I got to see the inside of one and experience it for the entire trip.  I was sold.  I couldn't stop thinking about that car.

Not only do I need a car that can take a lot of miles and Toyotas are famous for that, but I need a car that gets amazing gas mileage and a hybrid is the perfect answer.

It was a big decision, but it already has over 1,000 miles on it and I love it!  It reminds me of a Buick I had a few years back.  It has that similar luxury feel and I forgot how much I liked that.

I love my job too!  It is so fantastic.  I deliver from pharmacies to nursing homes.  It is a seamless part of my life and that is so important in a job.  I've never been fond (who is?) of the dread of going to work when you don't want to.  It's a wonderful independent contractor position and I'm very grateful for it.

Since I took that picture of Ozark Cafe I've been up to Jasper several times now.  I enjoy driving around the town square to leave town and go down Scenic Highway 7 back to the Little Rock area.  The Prius handles the Ozarks like a dream.

6 comments:

  1. That is a wise move and such a "green" car...our friends have one and have had it for years as they bought it when it was first introduced in the market place. Looks very nice too! I love the new car smell...

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  2. I think the Prius is a great choice! It's beautiful too.

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  3. Beautiful car. Congratulations. And I'm so glad you like your job. (340 miles a day is a lot!) So many people get old fast in jobs they aren't happy with.

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  4. Nice ride! So glad you have a position you're happy with.. makes all the difference! -Tammy

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  5. I had looked at Prius before I bought my Scion. I wondered if the Prius would handle the hills well, and whether in the end you still get the gas mileage. You're the only person in the same sort of terrain as me that I've seen talk about owning one. I'm glad it works for you, and it's so much nicer than a pure economy car when you're driving so many miles. Even in these hills do you still get at least 40 mpg? Are you ever able to use the electric only feature? That was the part I most wanted to be able to use.

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    1. I average 47-53 MPG by the end of the day and I spend about $26-$27 a day in gas, which is really nice. It tracks what you save too. Yesterday I used nearly an entire tank of gas because I had an extra town to go to and I saved nearly $19 compared to my New Beetle which I consider a pretty economical car. It does handle the hills well even in Eco Mode, which is the mode I keep it in all the time. I like driving in Normal Mode because there's more oomph, but I've adjusted to Eco and I feel like if it's doing a better job then I'd rather use it. What surprised me is how much it feels like a luxury car instead of an economy car. It's getting a good run through the hills too. Ever since I've owned it, I've been driving from Little Rock to Clinton to Harrison to Jasper and back. Once you leave Conway about 15-20 miles north of Little Rock, it's all Ozark hills, that windy-curvy-hilly terrain we all love so much. The electric only feature comes on in Eco Mode automatically at random times and then when you're moving slow like in drive-thrus or near your house. What I like is the jake brake feature for going down the hills and curves. I rarely touch my brakes and the jake brake charges the battery extra too. Pretty cool and if you get a chance to own one, I'd do it.

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