2013 Nissan Versa 1.6SV Sedan

After the loss of our 2009 Nissan Versa in March 2013 we became a one-car family. At the time we totaled the car, I had already decided I wanted to start slugging to work instead of driving, which meant I only needed to drive to the local commuter lot. As it turned out, just a couple of weeks after the accident Winnie quit her job at the local mall, so we really didn’t need a second car at all, especially as the Rodeo was the car we used for towing our boat and other recreational uses.

So for the next several months we relied solely on the Rodeo while  deciding what type of car Winnie wanted to replace the Nissan Versa. We discussed it a lot, and periodically Winnie would peruse E-Bay car sales, or we’d stop by the local Car Max and browse the lot.   But since Winnie was still out of work there was no real urgency for a second car.

That lack of urgency ended about August, 2013, when Winnie expected to get hired into a new job. We drove by the local Nissan dealership one Saturday and Winnie spotted a lovely blue 2013 Nissan Versa sedan on the lot. We stopped and looked then kept on going. Over the following week we talked about it, then Winnie decided she really wanted to buy it. So bright and early on a Saturday morning we went back to the car lot.

We picked up a sales rep pretty quickly and showed him the car we were interested in. It turned out the car was technically a used car, as someone had bought it several months earlier then voluntarily turned it back in. It looked and felt like a new car except the odometer had about 1700 miles on it. We checked the Car Fax report (the dealer provided it) and everything looked good, so we entered the negotiating phase of the sale. This time, Winnie was on a tear and the negotiations lasted for several hours. Several times Winnie was about to walk away, but I convinced her this was a nice car and a good deal. Finally, worn down, we closed the deal. We drove the car away the following day, Sunday.

This was the first blue car I’d owned, even though my parents were both mostly “Blue Car People”. It was a sedan vice the hatchback Winnie previously owned, but otherwise wasn’t too different than our previous Nissan. The most exciting option was Bluetooth technology for making phone calls. Winnie had just recently gotten her first Smartphone that was Bluetooth  capable, and quickly learned to love being able to legally talk on the phone while driving.

Winnie did land a job a few weeks after we purchased this car, and the new job required her to commute about 60 miles round-trip. So right away she started putting miles on this car and learned to love Northern Virginia driving. She also surprised me by getting custom license plates. She chose a number combination that was considered “auspicious” in Chinese numerology, and considering the way we lost the previous car I couldn’t help but agree this car needed good luck.

With a little luck, this car will last us for many years to come.

Ron Charest

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