Geo Prizm is Sold!

Today(well Oct. 26 actually) was the last day I was going to strap my bicycle onto my Geo. The back of the car bears the scars of when I didn't know where to position the steel pedals during transport. Took it to the smog test station in the morning-- passed easily. Went to work. The guy came by the office late in the afternoon and we filled out the bill of sales and transferred the title. Exchanged cash for keys. Final selling price was $1850. The final odometer reading was 152,110 or something like that. Rode my bicycle home. Funny, on my way home, he called me from the freeway afterwards saying the temp gauge seemed to be going up as high as he thought it should. It was working fine in this morning. I think the weather was just kind of chilly. He didn't call back so I hope it that means it started to act normal further along on his trip back home.

Glad to finally sell it. Glad that it went to someone who appreciates the Prizm as a nice little car. (The guy used to have a '94 Prizm.)

So now with only driving the one car...hopefully I can acclimate to it faster. I think going back and forth between two cars made it hard to get to know the new car. Take parallel parking for example. This should be an easy task for this car, because of the lighter steering. It is freakin' easy to turn the wheel when parking. Right now I seem to end up backing in pretty sharply and I think I am going to hit the curb, but when I "return" I end up kind of far from the curb. With the Geo I was a pretty decent parallel parker. Living in S.F., you can't help but develop those skills. I intend to be a decent parallel parker again.

Ownership Update #3

Just hit the 1400 mile mark. I still have the old Geo Prizm, so let's make some comparisons with the new Hyotness.
These are things that you don't really notice until putting a few hundred miles on the cars.

From the driver seat:
- The Geo Prizm fits me a little better. When I put my arm on the arm rest or out the open window, it feels pretty good.
On the Elantra, because it is a more spacious vehicle, I cannot really put my arm on the armrest w/o consciously leaning to the left. Also the seat of the Prizm, while it doesn't hug quite like a racier seat, the raised sides/bolsters do actually touch my body, while on the Elantra, they are practically useless for me. The car was built for a larger person than I (5'7" and slim). What will I do to brace myself when I want to dive into a tight corner? Especially when the dead pedal is plastic.

- I think I like the steering wheel of the Geo a little better from an ergonomic standpoint. It had the finger grooves on the back of the wheel and was wrapped in vinyl. Also the 6 o'clock area is free, and I like to drive one handed with my hand there when there isn't much traffic. The leather wrapped steering wheel of the Elantra has no grooves; it has yet to prove slippery, but it could be if you were eating KFC before driving. But it also has steering wheel mounted stereo controls. And I think I am already getting used to the Elantra's wheel, so I don't think it will be an issue, unlike the arm rest. (I can't grow longer arms.)

- The aftermarket sunroof I installed is a little further back than on the one in the Geo. On the Geo, I could look straight up and have a decent view of the sky and trees. On the new car this is harder to do. It was just a restriction of where the buttons could go. Also I do not like how the new roof automatically closes when I shut off the engine. I like to leave the sunroof tilted open on hot days. If I push the open button on the sunroof while turning the ignition off, the roof will stay open, but so far I forget half the time. It is frustrating.

- The seats on the Geo Prizm though it is 14 years old are actually FIRMER than on the Elantra. This is a testament to the quality materials used for the seat foam. I don't know if this is saying that the Elantra seats are poor quality. It feels supportive enough now, and if it ages as well as the seat foam of the Prizm, it will stay supportive for a long time.

- I am still not 100% comfortable with the light steering of the Elantra. I prefer the "spring back" feel of old hydraulic power steering. But in a hairy situation, where the old power steering may "spring back" too much, I probably would welcome the light steering then. Supposedly the original Korean version of the Elantra has even lighter steering (almost effortless at parking lot speeds). The Hyundai Irvine team, along with TRW, re-tuned the steering for the American market.

- But before someone cries "Buyer's remorse," I must share that sitting in the driver seat of the Elantra is more relaxing than sitting in the Geo. It is the spaciousness, the breathing room. The Geo was not claustrophobic, but it was hard to stretch out in it and it doesn't give you the feeling of well being the Elantra seems to give. The seats are higher and more adjustable, so it feels more natural. Going back to sit in the Geo now feels kind of like sitting in a kid's seat now. And I have a bigger glove box(lit), 2 extra cubby holes up front, and nicely sized center console. The bottle holders fit my cycling water bottles, which I use everyday. The Prizm's only fit tapered cups and mugs. The climate controls knobs are big and easy to use, though I question the placement of the "off" setting with the functions knob instead of on the fan strength knob. Also I am going to appreciate the climate control's air filter when allergy season rolls along.

From the driver's seat the Elantra has much going for it that a 14 year old economy car cannot begin to address.

Backstory: When is it time to buy a new car?

There is a personal thing really. Some people think they ought to buy a new car every five years. I am not one of those people. I bought a 1993 Geo Prizm LSi back in 1996. Found it in the paper. (This was before I knew what e-mail or the internet was!) It was 3 years old and only had 24,000 miles on it. Very clean. . It had an alarm, sunroof, and 10-disc CD player installed by the previous owner. With all that and a price of $10, 500, it seemed a great deal.
After 11 years of ownership, it turns out to be a one of my best buying decisions. The car was generally reliable except for occasional electrical problems early on. The car still runs well and gets good gas mileage. The seats are still supportive and in good condition. But the rear seatbelt does not work, the light on the clock/stereo display is out, and the right passenger inside door handle recently broke. I lived with the stereo display out for years, but the door handle is more a safety issue than a mere inconvenience. That was the probably what pushed me to look for new car.
I still have not sold the Geo yet. I still drive it to work, when I don’t ride my bike in. The Elantra is now my weekend car and the car I use when I need to carry passengers. Why? A friend of mine actually encouraged me to keep it for a while, so I would put less wear on the Elantra. Makes sense, but it can be a hassle to keep two cars….Insurance, finding parking spaces, registration, upkeep. Eventually I will unload it, but there is no rush I guess.