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Wheels for All Kinds of Drivers

Erich Zechar - Jan. 2006

Here at Low End Living, we're the sort of people who relish the simple life. Living the simple life comes with many benefits, the most dramatic of which is its impact on the pocketbook.

Still, saving a buck at any cost is not what we're all about. The low end is where you meet your needs and wants without going overboard.

Buying a car should be about satisfaction, not restraint, and surely not indulgence. In this age of marketing, companies fool us into thinking that we need the latest and greatest, when we really don't even want it.

Why overcomplicate things when you could be happier living within your means?

In this recurring column, I will be writing primarily about the automotive aspect of the low-end lifestyle.

I am a 24 year old recent college graduate, and I have a wealth of experience in researching cars. You could say it's a hobby. I've been nuts about cars since before I could reach the pedals. I learned how to drive on a 1950 Chevrolet pickup with a floor pedal starter and three-on-the-tree.

The automotive low end has been my home, but I've not found it to be unpleasant shopping for cars at a low price point. For many, shopping for a car is like pulling teeth, but it doesn't have to be.

My first car was a hand-me-down 1987 Chevy Caprice Classic Brougham LS. Big, comfortable, and with two velour bench seats, the Beast took me where I wanted to go in style and comfort - at least when gas was $1.10 a gallon for premium.

While my high school friends were sweating lease payments and fretting over the parking lot dings on their new cars, I was finding comfort and reliability without all the new car hassles.

I graduated from high school just as the gas price surge of 2000 hit, and I started scouring the Internet for a nice replacement for my Caprice. Looking at countless websites and discussion forums gave me the tools and knowledge of low-end car shopping.

After much research I decided to buy a Honda CRX, a small, efficient two-seater that would be perfect for my situation. The local classified ads turned up a nice 1987 CRX after a few months of looking, and I snapped it up for the sum of $1,700. Ridgeback, as I named the diminutive runabout, averaged a frugal 38 mpg over two years and always got me where I needed to go.

Oh, it was also quick, rare, and fun to be seen in - just the thing for this gearhead college student.

Ridgeback finally started to rust badly in my senior year of college, and it was time to give him up while he could still be sold. I was working at a dealership at the time, and one day an older woman traded in a 1992 Honda Civic VX with just 47,000 miles on the odometer.

The VX was one of the many models that was on my "buy" list. Why? You could think of it as the precursor to today's hybrid vehicles. It has technology that allows it to get better gas mileage than similar models, and return increased horsepower at the same time. Some quick and frantic negotiations with my manager allowed me to purchase it for $2,600.

I named the Civic Shoe for its distinctive shape and because it practically costs less to drive than walk. Three years later I'm still driving Shoe and still getting a downright stingy 45 miles for every gallon of regular.

These experiences have taught me that you don't have to sacrifice what you want to get what you need. I've learned that paying a lot doesn't always mean getting a lot in return, either. I've enjoyed driving all these cars immensely, chiefly because I did substantial research before jumping into ownership.

While these cars have fit my lifestyle perfectly, another buyer may not have been happy with, say, the CRX's two person capacity. In the next column, we'll concentrate on the first steps to researching what kind of car you want: finding the right type of car for your lifestyle.

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Wheels for All Kinds of Drivers

Go to the Low End Living home page.

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