Random Thoughts of the Day

I am gradually getting acclimated to the newer car. I really like its smooth ride.  The control panel can be confusing and there will have to be a learning curve for me.  I will have to consult the owner's manual.

When I bought the car I had to switch over the insurance.  My agent told me that there is a defensive driving course that I should take to get a 10% discount.  I am now taking it online and should be finished in a day or so.  It is much more convenient than having to sit in a classroom somewhere.  Most of what is discussed is common sense.

Today I drove to the Cinemart Theater in Forest Hills to see On the Basis of Sex.  I must say that it is excellent.  All patrons of this theater received a free bag of popcorn.  This never happened to me in all my years of going to movies.

Picture of the Newer Car My 2015 Chevy Cruze

My Red 2015 Chevy Cruze

Today, I felt more comfortable driving around with it.  I stopped in Crocheron Park in Bayside and spent some time reading the owners manual.  I opened the hood and looked around.  I was quite impressed with the sound system.  Can anyone guess what radio station I played?

Buying Chevys in Forest Hills: 1972 and Today

Today I got a 2015 Chevy Cruze from Sunrise Chevrolet in Forest Hills.  Let’s turn back the clock to April 1, 1972 and examine the parallels between then and now.

In spring 1972 I enrolled as a graduate student at the University of Rhode Island in rural Kingston.  I found out the hard way that is was very hard to get around without a car.  I lived in a room about 1 mile north of the campus and took a bicycle to and from the campus.  That area was very spread out and I was limited to where I could go.  I pleaded with my parents to get a car for me.  On April 1, 1972 my father took me to Luby Chevrolet on Yellowstone Blvd and Queens Blvd in Forest Hills where we bought a 1972 Chevy Nova.

Over the years there had always been a Chevrolet dealership at that location, but the name had changed.  It became Lawrence, then HB and now Sunrise Chevrolet.  So today, almost 47 years later I went with Karen today and picked up a pre-owned Chevrolet Cruze.

Since it was a cloudy, dreary day, I decided not to photograph the new car.  I'll do it tomorrow.

Video about the 2015 Chevy Cruze

This is the longest video that I found on the 2015 Chevy Cruze that I am getting tomorrow.  I just think all the controls are quite complicated, but I'll be able to handle it after a learning curve.  

I Bought a Newer Car Today

Well, I went through with it.  Karen and I went down to Sunrise Chevrolet in Forest Hills and put a deposit for a 2015 Chevy Cruze as seen above.  The actual car that I purchased is red.  It has only 18,000 miles on it, so I think I got a pretty good deal.  Since I am approaching 70 years of age, it is likely the last car that I will ever own.  I will try to do some more driving with it as I averaged only 3,600 miles/ year on my 2000 Chevy Cavalier.  That car owes me nothing as it gave me almost 19 years of reliable service.  The dashboard on this newer car looks much more complicated so there will be a learning curve for me.

Random Searching for Videos at the Paley Center

I thought I would visit the Paley Center again today, but I had no specific topic to research.  As I went on the terminal certain random topics came to mind and I viewed the following:

• A documentary on the 1960 presidential campaign focusing on the Wisconsin primary with John F. Kennedy running against Hubert Humphrey
• A review of New York City News events of 1958 featuring Gabe Pressman who was the dean of New York TV reporters for many years
• Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In featuring Howard Cosell on December 18, 1972
• 20 years of On the Road with Charles Kuralt featuring stories done from 1967-87.  Charles passed away in 1997.

New Years Resolution - A Newer Car

My 2000 Chevy Cavalier

I have certainly written a lot about commuting by public transportation over the years.  I actually own a 2000 Chevy Cavalier that I bought as new in April 2000.  In 18 years and 9 months, I have put on only 69,000 miles on it which average to about 3,600 miles/year.  I must say that I had pretty good luck with this car over the years, but it is time for a newer one.  Over the past year, I had to get an oxygen sensor for about $200 and a catalytic converter for about $550.  In recent weeks the car has been making a noise which I suspect means it needs a new exhaust system.  I was going to wait until the spring to look for a newer car, but I certainly don't want to spend money on an exhaust system and then getting rid of the car. I must say that I got my money's worth out of this car.

I have done some "window shopping" online for a few weeks.  Since I do such little driving, I would rather buy a used car since a car depreciates in value during its first year.  Since I have owned only Chevys since my first car in 1972, I want to stick with that brand.  The Cavalier was discontinued some years ago and was succeeded by the Cruze.  I found a 2015  model with low mileage and will be looking at it later this week.

Stay tuned.