I do. I really do. It’s a 2002 Kia Spectra GSX, black with a gray interior. I got it thirdhand in December of 2005. It was my brother-in-law’s. He purchased it secondhand and had it for several months, and then decided he wanted something newer, shinier, faster. At the time we had just one vehicle and we were both working full time, so we desperately needed a second vehicle. So, we bought the Kia Spectra from him. And it has been mine ever since. 
It’s not glamorous. It’s not snazzy. The acceleration leaves much to be desired, and there’s no cruise control. But it gets me from point A to point B, and the fuel economy rocks (around 30 to the gallon). It seats five, and the hatchback is absolutely kick ASS. I have seriously shoved all sorts of crap in there, including a lawn mower, a chair, a dishwasher (one of those old behemoths, nothing like the delicate, streamlined things you find today), a seven foot long box, a fully assembled corner computer tower, and a variety of boxes and oddly shaped items (FYI? Bungie cords are a godsend!). Dan used it to bring home the cherry tree he bought me for my birthday this year.
I do like the fact that it’s black. Black is a color that coordinates with everything. I accent my car with pink. I have a Hello Kitty antenna ball, a plush black steering wheel cover, and several things hanging from my rear-view mirror: a hot pink lei (from last year’s pool party), a plastic/rubbery/silicone pink butterfly with a hanging crystal charm, and a similarly designed and colored pink dolphin (a tribute to my grandparents — they had a blue dolphin in their car). I also have a spiffy pink CaseLogic “pouch” hooked onto the vent next to the driver’s side door. It’s handy for sticking my cell phone in. And then there’s the suction cup mount that I display my Garmin GPS with. And finally, Dan upgraded the basic stereo with a spiffy Sony one that lets me connect my iPod directly to it (the cord comes out into the glove compartment), and control the modes and such through the stereo’s controls.
So… that’s my car, in a fair amount of detail! In December of 2005 it had 77,000 miles on it. Last June — 2.5 years after purchasing it — I rolled over to 89,000 miles. In the past fifteen months I unfortunately did a LOT of running around (and regrettably, a lot of lending my car out to my mom — something that will NOT be happening again!), so I put on 15,000 miles. *cry* But now that my mom has her own vehicle and my driving habits are returning to normal, I doubt I’ll put more than 3,000 – 5,000 miles on it in the next year.
But aside from the high mileage, my car is in great condition. So far I haven’t had to take care of anything beyond normal wear and tear, though in the summer of ’07 I had a $1200 repair bill, thanks to some major tire cupping issues. However, that was an inherited issue — I’m assuming my brother-in-law and/or the owner before him did not properly handle tire rotations, alignments, etc. But that aside, besides oil changes and periodically replacing air and oil filters, and purchasing new tires in the summer of ’07 (right when I got the repair done), everything has been fine.
(You watch, now that I dared to put that into print, some type of major breakdown will happen sometime in the near future!)
Very nice! I think of my car as my baby. LOL I have always wanted a red car so this time I got to pick. I love it!
Aw, your car is cute. It’s simple, it does it’s job, and you managed to accessorize it to make you happy! I bought my first car when I was 16 — a 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu that I named Shelby. I spent four months fixing her up and never ended up getting my license. I drove her twice, sold her, and moved to the city where owning a car is a nuisance.
I like my car too, entirely too much (I think the fact that I have a 95 with just hitting 100,000 last month). I think we all get a little attached to our vehicles. Here’s to many thousand more for all of us with no mechanical issues.
Hey Jenn, I may be crazy but I think I see a ghost in your passenger seat! LOL!
You are brave, so incredibly brave. Every time I write something about my vehicles being awesome, they take a dump on me. I like your car though- it’s super cute!
When I first met James, he had a silver ’01 Spectra. I agree with the ability to stuff ANYTHING into those cars! We brought home a dishwasher, lawnmower, 6 foot Christmas tree, and lots of other things in it. It was a blessing when we moved from our apartment into our house, as we could pack twice as much stuff in it as we could my Civic. James had it for 3 years then wanted to trade for something shinier and faster…I still miss it’s ability to hold so much, as his new car (a Mitsubishi Lancer) has nowhere near the space.
I have to say that I adore my 2006 Spectra 5!!
We had a 2002 Kia Sephia. We had some problems with parts going and having to get the parts directly from Kia because Kia doesn’t release them to the ‘public’ like other car companies.
But, when we were in our car accident and literally run over by a tractor trailer, several of the EMT’s and officers said that the car probably helped in saving our lives. It’s a tough little car!
Two years ago we were cursing Kia and saying we would never buy another. After the accident, probably Kia is all we’ll ever look at.