Maria the Muse

So ok it’s been nearly a year since I started on that “new car” project.  What happened?  Did I get it?  Was it what I wanted?  Did I give up all together? What’s the scoop?

Well I got it!  But it wasn’t the car I thought I wanted and it didn’t appear last fall like I said I wanted it to.  Instead it waited until this spring and I ended up with the perfect car for me at the perfect price and right in time for me to take it on vacation!

So it all came together just like I wanted it to :)

And there were a few surprises for me along the way.  Like the things that ended up mattering the most weren’t even on my original list of “what I want in a car.”  And the car I got isn’t at all the one I thought I wanted (but I absolutely love it!).  And my main reason for not getting the car I said I wanted was a total surprise to me!

So what happened?

Well last year I’d been dreaming about a new car and at the same time I’d been dreaming about a vacation and also dreaming about some body reshaping.   Throughout it all there was this common theme of “looking and feeling great and going on vacation in my new car!”

Well summer passed last year and my body wasn’t cooperating and I hadn’t made any concrete vacation plans.  Then it was fall and I was busy working and then winter and I really wanted to go on vacation in nice weather so I kind of forgot about it.  Then the new year happened and I moved and started eating differently and the pounds started falling off.  Then a few unexpected work projects came my way giving me extra funds and a friend who lives in the exact area I wanted to visit invited me to come stay with her and so everything started coming together… really with no effort from me.

But I still didn’t have a car.  And though I kept saying “I really need to look,” I just wasn’t doing it.  But I kept affirming that it would all work out and I’d be driving my new car on my vacation in June!

Then one day something clicked.  I really can’t describe it any other way.  It was like I got up and almost on auto pilot drove to the Auto Mall (this area of town with every car dealer known to man in it).  That day I test drove not one but 12 different types of cars!  And I kept going back until I’d driven every make and model of car I was even remotely interested in!

A week later I drove off with my very own brand new car!  But guess what…..

It isn’t a Ford Fusion like I talked about in my other posts.  It isn’t a Ford at all.  And that was the surprising thing to me.  Last year I was sold on that Fusion.  I really, really wanted that car!  I believed it was the car for me!  So what happened?

This is a classic case of the Universe knowing
what I wanted way more than I did!

See there were things that were important to me that I didn’t even think about when I originally wrote that list describing my dream car.  It never occurred to me that the Fusion was too big.  I really wanted a little car, especially since I park on tight city streets.  In addition I’m at a point where the kids are grown and it’s just me most of the time.  I don’t need all that room.  Heck if a scooter could reach highway speeds and had an umbrella to keep the rain off I’d be driving that :)

Then there were the tail lights.  Funny the things we focus on.  I loved the Fusion but I hated those silver framed tail lights.  Well they changed them in the 2011 model but still… it bugged me.

Then there was the price.  When it comes to buying things I never think about what I can afford (because with manifesting you can truly afford anything you want) but I do put a value on things.  And for whatever reason I had this idea that I wasn’t paying over $20k for a new car.  Not that I couldn’t… I just didn’t want to.  And I wasn’t willing to lease either.  So while that didn’t eliminate the Fusion it did limit me to a pretty stripped down model that I just didn’t like (I like the cool stuff)!

Finally, and this was the shocker to me… it’s just too dang common!  When I first started dreaming about Fusions there weren’t too many out there.  Now it seems that every other car I see is a Fusion!  Call me weird but I just don’t like to have the same car that everyone else has…. I like to be a little different :^)

So that was the deal breaker… it’s too common. Who knew it would come to that?

So what did I end up with?

A super cool, brand new Kia Rio SX!  Who woulda thought?  Totally not what I expected and yet everything I wanted and more!

It’s cute. It’s little. It was priced way below my $20 limit. I love the little extras like heated side mirrors (for defrosting), Bluetooth for my phone, and audio/phone controls right on the steering wheel. I love all the little compartments and storage areas it has (some I didn’t even find for a few weeks and it was like another cool surprise). I love how it’s impossible to lock your car if the key is in the ignition (not when it’s running… just when you get out and try to lock your keys in there… which I’ve tried to do) and how it turns your headlights off if you forget to. And it looks cool with the spoiler and black interior and yes… the metal “sport” pedals and chrome exhaust cover (go ahead and roll your eyes… I like it). And I love the fact that I can play all my music right from a USB stick (plus it has the mp3 jack too). The people at Kia thought of everything… well except they need to add a button to the key chain so I can pop the trunk from across the parking lot at the grocery store (hint, hint Kia).

And bonus of all bonuses…. since I got this car in May it’s gone over 4,000 miles and through 8 states and I’ve seen only ONE other SX Rio. Yes there are lots of the plainer Rio’s out there but not the snazzy ones like mine. People have even commented and asked how I got that model because it just isn’t on the lots (mine came from 200 miles away and I had to request it special).

So there you have it… it took longer than I wanted but I did get my new car and just in time to take my new, slimmer body on that vacation!  Which makes sense because “I” wasn’t ready to go on vacation last year so the car couldn’t have come in then or it wouldn’t have been new… duh :P

So what’s next?  How about paying that new car off early?  Continuing on my quest to an even slimmer body?  Taking another vacation (yes it’s already planned)?  Or a million other things!

And now I realize that I don’t have to sweat if if I don’t get what I want when I want it because the Universe really is working everything out in the perfect time for the bigger picture. And who knows what other cool things I’ll get that are even better than could have dreamed up on my own!

See ya on the highways!

Oh if you want to check out the earlier “car” posts you can read them here: Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4, Part 5

And if you’re in the Cincinnati area and want to check out a Kia then Justin Roberts at Kings Kia is the guy to talk to.  He was amazing!  Absolutely no pressure and even helped me when I wasn’t considering one of his cars.  And he gave me a great deal and located exactly what I wanted and had it there the very next day too!  You can contact him at 513-677-6700 or at jroberts@kingskia.com… tell him Maria sent you :)

Ps: Here’s the car!