I just bought a new KIA. Does that make me UN-american?

[politicat]

62. That was on a Hyundai Accent.

It was the barest bare bones base model. That it made 135K was pretty darn good. We commuted 40 miles a day, 5 days a week, for almost 10 years in it, and took a couple long trips in it.

We made the decision when we got married that we were done doing our own automotive work. We both (individually) spent our teens, twenties, and thirties doing it, and we're pretty good at it, but there's a lot of peace of mind to be had in driving something that isn't likely to shit the bed, and having weekends for other things. We budget $9K a year for each car. The Soul has never cost us more than $7K a year, and most of that was payment. Now that it's paid off, her major costs are insurance (we still keep full coverage, but have spotless records), and she's not at all thirsty.