God needed a Protege

In mid-July, I was driving our 14-year-old Mazda Protege on the freeway with all three kids in the back and a trunk full of groceries when the "check engine" light came on and I started to lose speed. We made it to our usual exit for home, and I noticed white smoke coming out from under the hood when we stopped at the light. The car wouldn't start again when the light turned green, but luckily I was able to roll to a side street, pull the emergency brake and park.  I realized I didn't have my cell phone - Mom brain! - so we called AAA from the gas station across the street.  A tow truck arrived quickly and gave us all a ride home. (Thank goodness - I didn't know any of my friends' phone numbers who might have picked us up).

At a minimum, the head gasket needed to be fixed with more engine damage likely, and the repair would cost more than the car was worth.  We found a scrap yard who gave us $300 for it plus some nights at a Holiday Inn.  Going to get our stuff out and see it hauled off gave me the same feeling I had when I said good-bye to my dog when she was put to sleep--awful!  This was my first car that I bought as a senior in college.  It was our only car in San Francisco for 11 years and brought my two baby boys home from the hospital.  I thought we'd have it for several more years, but that was not in the cards.      

After TONS of research by my husband and many hours spent hunting down the best deal, we decided on an all-electric car as a replacement, the Fiat 500e.  It works with our lifestyle for now as it will mostly be used to drive to and from the train station and run occasional local errands.  We are leasing it for 3 years at a cost of $200/month after putting $1000 down.  But California gives you a $2500 check and an HOV lane sticker, we won't pay for gas or oil changes, and Fiat gives you 12 free car rentals per year for times when you need to take longer trips. (The car can go about 80 miles before it needs to be charged again, which can take a long time via a regular outlet or you can pay to install a faster charging station).  It's a 2-door, seats 4 and is really zippy and fun to drive.  Plus we can feel really cool having a car with new-fangled technology.