I decided to do a little Throwback Thursday on le blog along
with a review (this isn’t a sponsored review, it’s all on my own) of 3
different types of cars I’ve owned in my 10 years of driving. I figured this would go along with my Fast and
Furious theme this week. I have only ever
owned European cars so I can’t really give any reviews on anything else,
HOWEVER if you have any car questions leave a comment and I will be sure to
respond either with my own knowledge or with boyfriend’s expert advice (he’s a
technician/mechanic).
with a review (this isn’t a sponsored review, it’s all on my own) of 3
different types of cars I’ve owned in my 10 years of driving. I figured this would go along with my Fast and
Furious theme this week. I have only ever
owned European cars so I can’t really give any reviews on anything else,
HOWEVER if you have any car questions leave a comment and I will be sure to
respond either with my own knowledge or with boyfriend’s expert advice (he’s a
technician/mechanic).
Volvo
This is by far my favorite car of all time. I drive the C70 T5. This lovely beauty’s name is Coco, as in Coco
Chanel because she’s my first little black car (get it?). My parents have already owned 3 Volvos and
have had no complaints so when I was switching from a BMW I decided to go with
Volvo. It was the best decision I’ve
ever made. Now, I know that Volvo is
known for being “the safest car” and by no means are they known for being fast,
sporty, or super fun. My car has a turbo
in it along with it being 6 speed (my first 6 speed eek), I must say this
little thing takes off. Now just keep in
mind I’m a car enthusiast so I don’t just look at the safety features and the
overall car, I look at the mechanical side as well. Coco is very good on gas even with the turbo
because she can still take regular gas rather than other grades. This car is FWD and a coupe along with of
course the hard top convertible. I
suggest if you get a convertible get it certified if you don’t have a warrantee because just in case something happens to the hard top you are covered.
Chanel because she’s my first little black car (get it?). My parents have already owned 3 Volvos and
have had no complaints so when I was switching from a BMW I decided to go with
Volvo. It was the best decision I’ve
ever made. Now, I know that Volvo is
known for being “the safest car” and by no means are they known for being fast,
sporty, or super fun. My car has a turbo
in it along with it being 6 speed (my first 6 speed eek), I must say this
little thing takes off. Now just keep in
mind I’m a car enthusiast so I don’t just look at the safety features and the
overall car, I look at the mechanical side as well. Coco is very good on gas even with the turbo
because she can still take regular gas rather than other grades. This car is FWD and a coupe along with of
course the hard top convertible. I
suggest if you get a convertible get it certified if you don’t have a warrantee because just in case something happens to the hard top you are covered.
I was told a long time ago that only weird people drive
Volvo’s and SAAB’s. Well, I don’t mind
being a weird person. The experience I
had in purchasing the vehicle at Prestige Volvo in East Hanover NJ along with
their Service staff and the car itself has been the best. I’ve never left a car dealership this happy,
and let’s be honest we all know that dealerships don’t have the best rep for
being helpful, we all think they are after our money. Even if they were only looking to sell me the
car I have they did a good job being genuine and sincere. The atmosphere at the dealership is friendly
and pleasant. They are very professional
along with being welcoming.
Volvo’s and SAAB’s. Well, I don’t mind
being a weird person. The experience I
had in purchasing the vehicle at Prestige Volvo in East Hanover NJ along with
their Service staff and the car itself has been the best. I’ve never left a car dealership this happy,
and let’s be honest we all know that dealerships don’t have the best rep for
being helpful, we all think they are after our money. Even if they were only looking to sell me the
car I have they did a good job being genuine and sincere. The atmosphere at the dealership is friendly
and pleasant. They are very professional
along with being welcoming.
Let’s put it this way, I drove a BMW before. This Volvo compared to the BMW is
heaven. Now after driving this Volvo and
what happened within the months after my BMW review (here) I must say switching
to Volvo was worth every penny. In my
opinion it’s better than BMW. I also don’t
think this will be my last Volvo. From
what I hear they last a really long time so I’m hoping to keep Coco forever
because I love her THAT much, but I know eventually I’ll have to switch it up,
I mean this car is a 4 seater hard top convertible. When I decide to have a family I can’t
exactly fit children in the back, nor would I feel comfortable with how cramped
it is. Then I can move on to the Volvo
SUV that my parents have (insert big smile here).
heaven. Now after driving this Volvo and
what happened within the months after my BMW review (here) I must say switching
to Volvo was worth every penny. In my
opinion it’s better than BMW. I also don’t
think this will be my last Volvo. From
what I hear they last a really long time so I’m hoping to keep Coco forever
because I love her THAT much, but I know eventually I’ll have to switch it up,
I mean this car is a 4 seater hard top convertible. When I decide to have a family I can’t
exactly fit children in the back, nor would I feel comfortable with how cramped
it is. Then I can move on to the Volvo
SUV that my parents have (insert big smile here).
BMW
Oh Lonestar. That was
the BMW’s name. Don’t make fun of me, I
name all of my cars. This car was fun in
the beginning. I wrote a little blurb
about the BMW here and I must say I need to add a few things onto that post with what happened in
the following months. I still agree that
it is the ultimate driving machine when it comes to driving in terrible weather
because it does really handle well and hugs the road perfectly. I did get into my first accident of my whole
driving career with that car and walked away with damage to my car but no
damage to me, however the mechanics of the car are just not what you pay for. The service at the dealership I went to
(which I will keep unnamed just to be fair) was terrible. My sales person was extremely nice but the
rest of the place was horrible.
the BMW’s name. Don’t make fun of me, I
name all of my cars. This car was fun in
the beginning. I wrote a little blurb
about the BMW here and I must say I need to add a few things onto that post with what happened in
the following months. I still agree that
it is the ultimate driving machine when it comes to driving in terrible weather
because it does really handle well and hugs the road perfectly. I did get into my first accident of my whole
driving career with that car and walked away with damage to my car but no
damage to me, however the mechanics of the car are just not what you pay for. The service at the dealership I went to
(which I will keep unnamed just to be fair) was terrible. My sales person was extremely nice but the
rest of the place was horrible.
This car was a computer on wheels and I’m not too sure about
everyone else but I don’t trust a computer to be correct every time. There can be glitches and there can be
shutdowns. I mean for heaven’s sake
there’s no dipstick it’s all computerized!
There were a few major mechanical issues that happened after I wrote
that post and when I went in they pretty much wouldn’t help me so I would do my
research and ask some friends if I didn’t know what the problem was and would
go back to BMW and tell them what it could possibly be. Now trust me, I know it’s a lot of work to
take something apart and then have it not be the issue at hand but first of all
it’s a BMW, second of all your delivery of saying no was very unprofessional! Let’s put it this way, the dealership didn’t
think that I knew anything about cars and made a joke about it, YEA, big
mistake. If the BMW was worth what my VW
was worth then I probably would’ve stuck with it. However it’s overpriced to maintain and when
I got the car it was worth 40,000 but after 2 years of driving it along with a
minor accident the internet said it was worth around 19,000 (which I know this
is always much higher than the actual price someone will give you when trading)
and guess how much they wanted to give me for it? $12,000!!
For a 2 year old BMW that I got brand spankin’ new!!! The depreciation value was insane. I’m not about to invest my time and money
into a car that loses its value that quickly, even with an accident to its name. Yes, it’s a status symbol, and yes I was
treated differently when people saw me driving or getting out of my car but it’s
not a car for me. If you have any
questions about your BMW leave them in the comments below, if I can’t answer
them I’ll have my expert answer them!
everyone else but I don’t trust a computer to be correct every time. There can be glitches and there can be
shutdowns. I mean for heaven’s sake
there’s no dipstick it’s all computerized!
There were a few major mechanical issues that happened after I wrote
that post and when I went in they pretty much wouldn’t help me so I would do my
research and ask some friends if I didn’t know what the problem was and would
go back to BMW and tell them what it could possibly be. Now trust me, I know it’s a lot of work to
take something apart and then have it not be the issue at hand but first of all
it’s a BMW, second of all your delivery of saying no was very unprofessional! Let’s put it this way, the dealership didn’t
think that I knew anything about cars and made a joke about it, YEA, big
mistake. If the BMW was worth what my VW
was worth then I probably would’ve stuck with it. However it’s overpriced to maintain and when
I got the car it was worth 40,000 but after 2 years of driving it along with a
minor accident the internet said it was worth around 19,000 (which I know this
is always much higher than the actual price someone will give you when trading)
and guess how much they wanted to give me for it? $12,000!!
For a 2 year old BMW that I got brand spankin’ new!!! The depreciation value was insane. I’m not about to invest my time and money
into a car that loses its value that quickly, even with an accident to its name. Yes, it’s a status symbol, and yes I was
treated differently when people saw me driving or getting out of my car but it’s
not a car for me. If you have any
questions about your BMW leave them in the comments below, if I can’t answer
them I’ll have my expert answer them!
VW
Now VW is a love hate relationship haha. I’ve had 3.
All different generations, all different motors. I must say, as much as I hated that my check
engine light was always on I loved my VW’s.
So, let’s tell y’all what VW’s were mine. I had a MK4 Jetta TDI (2004 to be exact), a
MK5 Jetta 2.5 (2006 to be exact), and a MK3 Jetta VR6 (1995 to be exact). All three cars were completely different and
had their own personalities. Of course
they were all a pain in my patootie when it came to them getting fixed but I
still loved them. The best out of the
three if you’re just looking for a regular car would be the Jetta TDI. That car was amazing. It was great because it was a diesel and it
had a turbo. No, TDI does not stand for
turbo diesel as some people think. It
actually stands for turbocharged direct injection. Regardless when you say you have a TDI people
already know it has a turbo and it’s a diesel motor. That car’s name was Prince Henry the 16th
aka Put Put. I learned how to drive
stick on that car.
All different generations, all different motors. I must say, as much as I hated that my check
engine light was always on I loved my VW’s.
So, let’s tell y’all what VW’s were mine. I had a MK4 Jetta TDI (2004 to be exact), a
MK5 Jetta 2.5 (2006 to be exact), and a MK3 Jetta VR6 (1995 to be exact). All three cars were completely different and
had their own personalities. Of course
they were all a pain in my patootie when it came to them getting fixed but I
still loved them. The best out of the
three if you’re just looking for a regular car would be the Jetta TDI. That car was amazing. It was great because it was a diesel and it
had a turbo. No, TDI does not stand for
turbo diesel as some people think. It
actually stands for turbocharged direct injection. Regardless when you say you have a TDI people
already know it has a turbo and it’s a diesel motor. That car’s name was Prince Henry the 16th
aka Put Put. I learned how to drive
stick on that car.
The second VW I had was my MK5 Jetta 2.5 which I had for
most of my driving life. I got rid of it
in 2012 and got it in 2005. Even though
there were a lot of problems with this car because it was the first generation
of it’s kind (this is when they switched from a boxy style to a really rounded
off egg looking style) she was my “Eleanor” that’s a Gone in 60 Seconds
reference for those of you who don’t know.
We loved to hate each other haha.
Pretty much I was very unlucky and unfortunately bought the first
generation of a new car and was in and out of the dealer and shop starting from
2 months after I got her all the way until I gave her up. Her real name was Monroe, like Marilyn
Monroe. Can you tell that I have a thing
for the past? I really think I was born
in the wrong decade sometimes. Anywhoo,
I won’t even go into the problems that I had with her but all I will say is the
motor wasn’t the greatest and if you ever get a VW MK5 try and go to years
after 2006. Then finally we have the MK3
Jetta VR6 that was split between my ex and I.
That car was fast and a lot of fun while it ran. There had to be a motor swap and I can’t even
count how many times that car was in pieces being fixed, but hey at least parts
were cheap because it was so old.
most of my driving life. I got rid of it
in 2012 and got it in 2005. Even though
there were a lot of problems with this car because it was the first generation
of it’s kind (this is when they switched from a boxy style to a really rounded
off egg looking style) she was my “Eleanor” that’s a Gone in 60 Seconds
reference for those of you who don’t know.
We loved to hate each other haha.
Pretty much I was very unlucky and unfortunately bought the first
generation of a new car and was in and out of the dealer and shop starting from
2 months after I got her all the way until I gave her up. Her real name was Monroe, like Marilyn
Monroe. Can you tell that I have a thing
for the past? I really think I was born
in the wrong decade sometimes. Anywhoo,
I won’t even go into the problems that I had with her but all I will say is the
motor wasn’t the greatest and if you ever get a VW MK5 try and go to years
after 2006. Then finally we have the MK3
Jetta VR6 that was split between my ex and I.
That car was fast and a lot of fun while it ran. There had to be a motor swap and I can’t even
count how many times that car was in pieces being fixed, but hey at least parts
were cheap because it was so old.
***
Now just to set a few things straight, please please please
don’t take my opinions as any disrespect towards anyone who drives any of these
cars. Maybe you had a better/worse
experience than I did. You never know,
maybe one of us just had a “bad apple.”
Also, if you’re going to be the typical rude car scene type of person,
keep your comments to yourself because I have to moderate all comments prior to
posting. GOOD VIBES PEOPLE, good
vibes. Also, as I said earlier, if you
have any car related questions leave a comment below! If I can’t help you I’ll get the expert to
help.
don’t take my opinions as any disrespect towards anyone who drives any of these
cars. Maybe you had a better/worse
experience than I did. You never know,
maybe one of us just had a “bad apple.”
Also, if you’re going to be the typical rude car scene type of person,
keep your comments to yourself because I have to moderate all comments prior to
posting. GOOD VIBES PEOPLE, good
vibes. Also, as I said earlier, if you
have any car related questions leave a comment below! If I can’t help you I’ll get the expert to
help.
Haha, this is a fun throwback post! Love it!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
I definitely feel like I was born in the wrong decade as well! I love that you named all your cars; I think Marilyn and Lonestar were particularly cute! And of course Coco is best 😉 Best, ican'taffordmylifestyle.
That first photo of you – the dress, the shoes, your hairstyle. All of it so gorgeous and sexy. I didn't even notice the car. =))
Have a great Easter Monica!