Thread: Goodbye GM...

In September I was in a accident and totaled my '04 Impala SS. I was really disappointed as I wanted to give the Imp to my boys as their first car, but $#!t happens. I've had a history of seizures, and minutes after the accident I apparently had my third. I don't remember having any of them as I black out. Long story short, Impala was totaled, I spent some time in ICU, and started thinking about my next ride. I have an '06 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, but it's got over 200,000 miles, and it has been the training vehicle for my sons - definitely not the Impala. I have to drive for my job, so getting a hybrid was a consideration. I have no interest in the Volt, so it was unlikely I'd be going the Chevy route. But I've always like the looks of the Ford Fusion. So I had been looking at Carvana and Cars.com the past few weeks, eyeballing Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ hybrids. Saturday morning, I check my local Ford dealership's inventory, and just start by clicking on the hybrid engine. Low and behold, a new 2016 Ford Fusion Energi shows up, with some great pricing available, with all the bells and whistles I'd want. I tell my girlfriend we're going to test drive it, even though I'm not really in a hurry to buy anything.
The test drive goes well, and as we're pulling back into the lot, the locks on the car start going crazy. I'm thinking, great, a new car already with electrical problems. This doesn't bode well. But it was another salesman hitting the lock button looking for the car. Too late, I'm first in line. We go back into the dealership to discuss price, and ANOTHER salesman comes looking for the car, but I'm on the clock!
We come to a price I can work with, and so I drove out with my new car. Plus, since it's a plug in hybrid, I'll claim a $4000 tax credit on my 2016 return!
Now I'm on the hunt for another power adapter, as well as scoping out all the charging stations near me that are free or cheap. And I can maybe talk a little smack to my coworkers who have a Tesla and Leaf that I can make it across the country without having to stop for 2 hours to charge up!

Dang man. That sounds awesome !

While laying in the hospital, I thought of all kinds of "next cars" - looking for another Impala, the G8, and even the Elio. But since I have to drive for my job, I wanted something reliable, not just cheap. I've always gone the used car route, and my Mariner was a great Craigslist find. But the deal was just too good to pass up on the Fusion, and walking in the door their asking price was what KBB said I should pay. So I tried to ask for a great deal, and they met me halfway. Which was acceptable to me. I'm going to shop around for a Ford ESP, since it's then good at any Ford dealer, no paperwork to file, not a lot of questions, etc, since I intend to hold onto the car for the long haul again. If I can get 200,000+ out of my Impala, and my Mariner is over 200,000 on the original hybrid battery, I'm hoping to get at least that much out of the new car. And if I can find the right places to charge it up for free or cheaper than gas, then even better.

The one thing that I was somewhat nervous about is the Fusion is consider mid-sized, and I had been driving the full size Impala. I'm 6'2", so I enjoyed the leg room in the Impala. I even considered looking for a Taurus SHO just so I could have another performance car. But I decided I've had my performance thrills after 9 years with the Impala, and I wanted comfort and reliability in my older age.