Seeing Elantras Almost Regularly Now

You know when you get a new car, you kind of have an eye out to see who else has gotten one. It's just some weird thang. Over a year ago I found this blog in SE Asia where this dude camera-phoned every Elantra/Avante he saw and he saw lots.

Even just 8 months ago, it was difficult for me to spot another late model Elantra. Spotting one was like seeing a rainbow. I know it has been selling decently, but because of the lack of sightings, I thought the Bay Area still wasn't giving Hyundai respect.
But in the last 4 months or so, I have been spotting an Elantra or two almost every other day. Yesterday I spotted an Elantra, a Genesis coupe and a new Sonata on the same morning drive into the City. The only Hyundai that still being shy so to speak is the Elantra Touring wagon. I might've seen one on the streets so far. But it seems that seeing an Elantra sedan no longer can be classified as an unusual experience and more and more Californias are opting for one over a Corolla or Civic.

Hyundai Unveils New Avante at the Busan(China) Motor Show

Odometer: 20,210

It is the 2011 Avante and most car journalists are calling it the 2012 Elantra.
This car is going to get a Hyundai’s brand-new 1.6L Gamma engine with Gasoline Direct Injection -GDI technology. It will be the first time Hyundai's equipped a 6-speed automatic on a compact car.

The sheet-metal is quite sexy. They aren't designing these for the fuddy-duddy's that's for sure.
It doesn't look as much like a Prius as I first thought it would when the disguised prototype photos came out.

So the horizon where my new car becomes an old car now becomes visible. Sure my car nearly 3 years old already, but when the body style of the model gets totally changed, then it becomes obvious to everybody. You have the old body style, not the latest and greatest one. And your puffed up chest shrinks a bit. And you know it will shrink a little more each time you see someone driving that newer model. Let me take a few seconds to cry a little...OK...finished.

I am adamant that keeping your car as long as you can is the practical thing to do with a car. As long as its safe and doesn't cause headaches for you, you shouldn't see a need to trade up. Doesn't make financial sense even with a car that's as good a deal as an Elantra. You don't need to have the latest gadgets. Plus insurance is much cheaper on an older car. I kept my last car ('93 Geo Prizm) for 12 years! But this new Elantra coming out when my car will turn 5 years old will surely test my resolve.


The not-so-new Hotness. : (

It is unreasonable that I should feel a tinge of pity for myself now. It is unreasonable and stupid. My car just went over 20,000 miles. When I bought my used Prizm, it already had about 20,000 miles. And I was happy it only had 20,000 miles, because it was low mileage for a car that old. It meant that I had the potential to have a sound working car for a long, long time.