Posts Tagged ‘Hyundai Sonata’

Thankful Thursday | Car Buying with AAA March 6, 2014

Hello Friends and Happy Thankful Thursday!

Thursday is the best day of the week because it gives me an opportunity to share one of my many blessings and to also read some of yours. I am not shy when it comes to talking about being blessed by the best, nor acknowledging that I know from where those blessings flow.

I do not discriminate and respect all cultures, beliefs, and religions.

Last week as I was leaving work the TCS warning light illuminated on my dashboard, it was the 2nd time in less than 2 months. I have had a 2005 Hyundai Sonata with over 187K miles and it’s timing belt should have been replaced at 120K miles. I drive 100 miles per day, every day in all types of weather, and that car has gotten me safely to work in West Chester, PA every day since 2005 with no problems.

2005 Hyundai Sonata

I drove the car directly to Middletown Car Care to be serviced and the next day anxiously waited for the diagnosis and repair cost. Fortunately, the timing belt could wait but there was another more severe problem, the engine needed replacing – long story short, she wasn’t coming back home. I must admit that the Sonata gave me more miles than expected and for that I will always be a loyal Hyundai car owner.

Not anticipating the urgent need to purchase yet another vehicle on an already tight budget, I took to Twitter to ask AAA and AARP to assist me in finding car buying savings. In 2005 I used the AAA online car buying service to purchase the Sonata and once again they came through with an immediate response. The link directed me to not only another Hyundai, but in the exact price range that we could afford and at a dealership I knew and trusted. #blessed

Less than 5 mins after completing the online contact form, I received a phone call from a friendly representative and made an appointment to see the vehicle that evening after work. My husband and son met me at Carman Ford Lincoln in New Castle where we spoke to Doug Walton, the Sales Consultant, and he along with the business manager, Bob made the purchase a pleasant and stress free experience.

After giving Doug the AAA Car Buying Certificate which contained the guaranteed, no hassle price, in less than 2 hours we were home with our new/used car with a payment that we could afford. #blessed

Thank you AAA and Carman Ford, it was by far the best car buying experience given the fact that we were totally unprepared to make this major purchase, no buyer’s remorse here!

Yes, I am sad that my car died, but feel truly blessed knowing that it could have been worse. The Sonata could have died while I was on the road traveling to or from work, in a snow storm, at night or not even having the funds to replace it.

I am truly thankful and blessed by the best!

Bye Bye 2005 Sonata – thank you – you will be missed!

Hello Accent – welcome to the family!

As always, I am thankful for my family, friends and faith.

Now it’s your turn – what are you thankful for this week?

I’m a socializing this afternoon over at Katherine’s for her weekly

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

Be Blessed – No Stress in 2014!

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Last Minute Shopping at The “W” December 23, 2013

‘Twas 4 days before Christmas and all through the house not a gift was purchased…no not one…nothing even wrapped. Was I in a panic…no, not me…no mall trip to navigate no whoa is me! I jumped in the Sonata and drove down the street, parked and got out and entered the big “V”…oh I mean the “W” Walgreens.

Long gone are the days of Santa and toys, I now have mini-men, they are no longer little boys. Safety and Life Skills are things that they need, a job application and gas money will be under the tree! ‘Tis the season for a few little gifts so they’ll have something to unwrap when they finally roll out of bed….after 12 noon if that!

A Polaroid Tablet for Son #1, he can take notes in class, read a book or just have fun.

Wrestling, lifting, or just watching TV…they definitely both needed one of these!

Son #2 is up texting all night so he needs help in getting up and a Bluetooth for no talking while driving (I know it didn’t rhyme this time).

What to get hubby…oh boy…what does he need…nothing really, except maybe me! Can’t go wrong with a gift card…one or maybe two and with Walgreen’s big selection that wasn’t too hard to do.

Food and drinks and a trip to Lowe’s will fit the bill, added a little Dove Body Wash and all is chill.

Last minute gifts are sure to be found and if you need any assistance just look around, or maybe someone will greet you as soon as you walk in the door.

I am so glad to finally be done, no stress…no hassle…actually it was kinda fun!

Now it’s time to head home and wrap up these gifts and place them neatly under our beautifully decorated tree!

If you have any last minute gift buying to do head over to your local Walgreens as most stores are open until midnight.

Happy Holidays!

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Car Shopping Is No Longer A Fun Event! March 11, 2013

Once upon a time not so long ago car shopping was a fun and exciting adventure, flipping through magazines, reading the classifieds, looking for the perfect car, with the perfect color for the perfectly affordable price. That was “BK”, “before kids”, now as a parent of 2 sons we are once again in the market for a car, not for me nor hubby but for #1 son.

We were very fortunate the first time when we found a 2002 Hyundai Elantra at a very affordable price but with very high mileage and now, “Miranda” is on her last legs. She is not going to make it much longer and it’s not worth putting any more money into having her serviced. She was dutiful in her position and served us well, she valiantly got the boys back and forth to High School with weekend jaunts to the mall and grocery store. Now the time has come to find a replacement and it is not a fun event. The sticker prices are a hard pill to swallow but we must keep in mind that good safety features and good insurance ratings are our number one priorities.

Hubby and I spend a few hours yesterday looking for vehicles that might fit the bill, first stopping at Carman Auto Group in New Castle. We didn’t see many but there was a 2012 Ford Fiesta, with mileage that wasn’t too high but was a bit out of our price range.

Our next stop was at Willis Chevrolet in Middletown. Willis is where I have my Hyundai Sonata serviced and customer satisfaction is their #1 priority so it wasn’t a surprise to find that they had a few vehicles that caught our attention.

A 2011 Ford Fiesta SES, mileage was a bit high for it’s age and a sticker price worth negotiating, the other vehicle was a 2009 Chevy Cobalt Sport, mileage and price more palatable.

Now comes the fun part…the research…checking State Farm Insurance, KBB, Carfax, Cars.com, AAA, Costco and any other website to compare prices, and safety features – this is no longer a fun event and I still have to get a hooptie for son #2 – do you know where I can get a 2fer!

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