This is part four of the series on my cars. Writing this I continue to remember my life through our cars!
2011 Chrysler 200
In part three of this series I talked about our beloved Mitsubishi Lancer that was unfortunately totaled. We really would’ve considered another Lancer but Mitsubishi had not been doing too well in the US and in fact was stopping production of the Lancer ( a mistake in my opinion.
Enter the Chrysler 200. I was looking for something comfortable and not too expensive. The Chrysler fit the bill. It was black with a nice tan interior and chrome-like accents. They did up the interior nicely and it featured a terrific stereo complete with a real hard drive. This was definitely the fanciest sound system we ever owned in a car.
Chrysler products are not exactly known for longevity but no complaints. We eventually gave it to my son who was putting on huge miles commuting to a long distance job. After 170,000 miles he traded it in and even then it was still running fairly well.
2014 Dodge Minivan
I was always a fan of minivans, and even though Dodge vans did not have the reputation of a Toyota or Honda they were way less expensive. Our previous Dodge minivan has lasted a lot of miles and only died due to a freak disintegrating spark plug that caused engine damage.
This new minivan was great. It had fold-in floor seats that allowed it to carry as much as a pickup. Only disappointment was that we were miraculously able to carry two kayaks inside the old minivan but the new one has redesigned front seat backs that made that impossible. Otherwise we liked it and made two memorable cross country trips using it.
2015 Camaro
This one was a surprise. I had always wanted a sports car. A few weeks right before Chrisrmas my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I responded as I often did “A Camaro.” To my surprise she said do it! We had a little extra money (which never happens) and went to a Chevy dealer only a mile away. Sure enough they had a beautiful red Camaro Convertible sitting on the lot. Of course nobody buys a convertible in December in Pennsylvania, so we got a great deal and bought it on the spot!
The Camaro was a third car for us and spent most of its time in the garage. But boy when we took it out on a nice day it was fun, and it turned many heads. Only down side was I discovered convertibles get really hot in the hot sun!
We kept the Camaro a few years and eventually sold it for a good price as sports cars hold their value better than many cars. I miss it in some ways but at least I had a real sports car once in my life, and who knows what the future may bring.
2016 Ram
The RAM pickup was kind of a necessity. We bought a travel trailer and needed something to tow it. With the pickup we no longer needed the minivan so that got trade in for the RAM. I’ve written a separate article about the merits of a pickup here.
2019 Jeep Cherokee
The Cherokee was a bit of a compromise. We wanted four wheel drive because of winters in PA. I like real Jeeps (aka Wangler) but they are really rough for normal driving. The Cherokee fit the bill. We decided to lease it so the Cherokee only lasted for 3 years.
2021 Kia Sportage
The KIA is sort of my retirement vehicle. It has all wheel drive and every available option so it is very convenient and comfortable. We still have the pickup for towing and carrying stuff so the KIA is our “everyday” car. We don’t put many miles on either one these days. This is also a lease so time will tell whether we buy it at the end of the lease. This definitely a possibility because we won’t even come close to using the mileage allowance.
So that’s where our car history stands at this time. I still like cars so maybe in a few years there will be a Car Stories part Five!
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