How is your summer going to far? Mine has been pretty “uneventful.” We can’t go away on vacation due to our pets. We have no one to help take care of them, and two of our cats require medicine (pills, inhaler and insulin shots).
Because we have to stick close to home during the summer, we tend to do a lot of “day trips.” That means we’ll go away for several hours, but where ever we go we are not that far from home. That way we are home every evening to tend to our pets and administer medications.
When you are stuck doing day trips it’s essential that you have the perfect car to suit you family’s needs, as well as one that is going to get you from “Point A” to “Point B” without any issues.
Some people buy cars for how they look. Other people buy cars based on performance. I would think most people would fall somewhere in between both of those trains of thought.
My husband and I have had only used cars for the past 20 years. It’s fine. We’ve had some great cars and we weren’t strapped with huge monthly payments.
We’ve had cars we totally regretted, and other cars that we loved so much that we practically drove them into the ground.
Each of the cars we’ve owned has had their own “personalities,” so to speak. Take for example the car I drive right now (2005 PT Cruiser). I love, love, LOVE my car. She treats me well. I have never had any issues with her. She’s my baby. I love her.
I had another car, a 1985 Chrysler New Yorker that made me miserable. Everything that could have went wrong with that car did. I swear he (the car) was out to get me. It’s like he had it in for me. Sigh…
Are you familiar with Autotrader? Autotrader is a website that helps consumers buy and sell new, certified and used cars. They put control of the buying process in the hands of the consumer and make finding a vehicle easier than ever before. It’s also the most visited third-party car shopping site.
We’ve been using Autotrader a lot recently to look for a car for our son. It would be his first car. He doesn’t need anything fancy, and high miles are OK. He just needs it to get to/from college and to/from work. He won’t be going on any cross country road trips with it.
Autotrader recently launched a fun new campaign in collaboration with Disney Pixar Cars 3, which is out in theaters now. We haven’t seen it yet (we’re waiting for the camp groups to see it first). We hope to see it in the next week or two.
Check out this cute video staring the characters from Cars 3.
I love that the video touches upon how cars can have different personalities. Of course in real life they don’t talk – except my New Yorker. That car talked (and it was creepy!).
When you shop for a car on Autotrader you have the ability to narrow down your search based on the qualities you are specifically looking for in a car with their online car match tool . It’s kind of like a “dating” website. You select the qualities that appeal to you the most and Autotrader will match you up with vehicles with those qualities.
Autotrader has specific qualities too including;
- Year
- Make
- Model
- Trim
- Mileage
- Engine
- Interior/Exterior Color
- Transmission
- Drive – front wheel, rear wheel, AWD
- Fuel Type
- Features – navigation, CD player, power locks, premium stereo, security system, keyless entry…
There are many options to select from which help help to narrow down the perfect car for you. You can even set how many miles from your home you are willing to travel to find a car.
What are the types of things you’d find in your ideal car? For me, getting great gas mileage is important. I also MUST have an air conditioner in my car (believe it or not there are still cars out there without AC!). I prefer a four door sedan and it must be automatic (I can’t drive stick). I would love an all wheel drive (AWD), but I have yet to have a car that has that. A great stereo system is also an option I would check off using the matching tool. I need to listen to my tunes when driving to/from work.
What types of features are most important to you when purchasing a car?
If you are in the market for a new or used car, why not give Autotrader’s online matching tool a try and see what you’ll find. You’ll need a good car to take your family to the movies to see Cars 3 too!
If you would like to learn more about Autotrader please visit Autotrader.com. You can also check them out on social media – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even Pinterest. The official hashtag for this campaign is #AutotraderCars3.
Kimberly
*I have partnered with Autotrader to bring you this information. I received some promotional materials in exchange for my participation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.