Well, its been a long 5 months since I got laid off from my last job. Everyday I strived to apply and find interviews everywhere I could. Went to Honda R&D in Ohio for an interview as well as Honda Manufacturing in Indiana. FF to last Tuesday and I got a call back after an in person interview with the good luck and congratulatory wishes from the HR director of the company. I'll soon be a new Vehicle Test Engineer come Oct. 28th!
Now, the only problem with this job, well it isn't a problem I suppose, just an inconvenience for now, is the location is about 60 miles away from my house each way. I'd be traveling 120 miles a day, with many of those miles on freeways, BUT, during the rush hour commute so lots of traffic. I'm trying to come up with ideas and solutions to what would be a good choice of vehicle that would suit me, my commute and my budget really well.
FYI, when I went for my follow-up 2nd interview at 930ish, I barely got there with time to spare and it took about an hour and a half driving in my sedan on a Wednesday. So I can't imagine how long it'd take if I had an 8am start time, which I'm assuming. 8-5, M-F, 40hr work week, salaried is what I'm thinking.
I was looking heavily into the new 2013+ Accord V6 6spd coupe. It has everything I want. Plenty of power, fun/sporty, good looks, great tech (smart entry is awesome, push button start, great connectivity with smartphones and apps) and just a very competitive car for the price point. I also and very interested in the new 2014 Mazda6. I hope they're coming out with a coupe model? It just looks so damn good! I don't know what powertrain it has though, for now the 4cyl would be disappointing, maybe a V6? If you remember, I made another thread about a Cayman S about a year back....yeah I've come to see that that wont be a good fit for me now esp. with this commute thrown into the mix. But now with my loans paid off from college just about and not really that much debt, I feel I can move forward with a new car purchase.
My 4dr accord which I've used for my last two jobs/internships for DDing is a concern, even though I put some rather new Michelin Defender 90k mile tires and the timing belt/WP have plenty of life left, its still got 275k on it. I'm worried one day the engine will go. So, I think its time for a newer car. Still gets consistent 30 mpg mixed though. Idk, rolling up in a beat up looking 23yr old car in my mid 20s with a degree and now this nice job is also my annoyance. I feel like I should at least have a newer car. I could drive my Coupe which looks a lot nicer, but fuel costs (21mpg avg in city/traffic) and tires and wear and tear on it would break my heart. But that may go as well if I'm getting a new car.
It'll most likely be a couple months, maybe 2 or 3 before I could get into a new one after saving up for a little bit for a down payment, and paying off my current debts so take that into consideration if any newer models you've been thinking about may hit the showrooms.
The pay for this job is rather well, better than my last job, so I assume I would be able to afford something in the 30k range.
The ideas of leasing an electric car have come up, I even asked the engineering manager if there'd be electric vehicle charging stations on site that I'd be able to use and even though there are, he said its not within this years budget for employee use. Also, the thought of using the carpool lane all access would save me about 30 minutes sitting in traffic each way. I don't really know what cars are eligible, but I've seen civic hybrids, Priuses, Leafs and Volts all be able to use the Carpool lane any time of day with 1 person. But living with one everyday is a big lifestyle change, lots of prioritizing.
But basically I'd be driving from Chandler, AZ to Wittmann, AZ (Ford AZ Proving Grounds) every day, 5 days a week, ~600 miles a week just in commuting alone, so I'd want something comfortable and bearable for this long commute. I'd be spending a lot of time in the car everyday.
Fuel economy is of some concern too since I'd be putting a lot of miles on it, so I don't think a big V8 muscle car would work out that well. Just something more on the sporty side with more power than my H22 would be nice. I feel that 200hp nowadays is laughable.
Sorry for the long post, hope I didn't put you guys to sleep.
Oh PS. I'm not sure, but since I'll be working at the Ford Proving grounds, I think I may be eligible for a discount on Ford vehicles
Now, the only problem with this job, well it isn't a problem I suppose, just an inconvenience for now, is the location is about 60 miles away from my house each way. I'd be traveling 120 miles a day, with many of those miles on freeways, BUT, during the rush hour commute so lots of traffic. I'm trying to come up with ideas and solutions to what would be a good choice of vehicle that would suit me, my commute and my budget really well.
FYI, when I went for my follow-up 2nd interview at 930ish, I barely got there with time to spare and it took about an hour and a half driving in my sedan on a Wednesday. So I can't imagine how long it'd take if I had an 8am start time, which I'm assuming. 8-5, M-F, 40hr work week, salaried is what I'm thinking.
I was looking heavily into the new 2013+ Accord V6 6spd coupe. It has everything I want. Plenty of power, fun/sporty, good looks, great tech (smart entry is awesome, push button start, great connectivity with smartphones and apps) and just a very competitive car for the price point. I also and very interested in the new 2014 Mazda6. I hope they're coming out with a coupe model? It just looks so damn good! I don't know what powertrain it has though, for now the 4cyl would be disappointing, maybe a V6? If you remember, I made another thread about a Cayman S about a year back....yeah I've come to see that that wont be a good fit for me now esp. with this commute thrown into the mix. But now with my loans paid off from college just about and not really that much debt, I feel I can move forward with a new car purchase.
My 4dr accord which I've used for my last two jobs/internships for DDing is a concern, even though I put some rather new Michelin Defender 90k mile tires and the timing belt/WP have plenty of life left, its still got 275k on it. I'm worried one day the engine will go. So, I think its time for a newer car. Still gets consistent 30 mpg mixed though. Idk, rolling up in a beat up looking 23yr old car in my mid 20s with a degree and now this nice job is also my annoyance. I feel like I should at least have a newer car. I could drive my Coupe which looks a lot nicer, but fuel costs (21mpg avg in city/traffic) and tires and wear and tear on it would break my heart. But that may go as well if I'm getting a new car.
It'll most likely be a couple months, maybe 2 or 3 before I could get into a new one after saving up for a little bit for a down payment, and paying off my current debts so take that into consideration if any newer models you've been thinking about may hit the showrooms.
The pay for this job is rather well, better than my last job, so I assume I would be able to afford something in the 30k range.
The ideas of leasing an electric car have come up, I even asked the engineering manager if there'd be electric vehicle charging stations on site that I'd be able to use and even though there are, he said its not within this years budget for employee use. Also, the thought of using the carpool lane all access would save me about 30 minutes sitting in traffic each way. I don't really know what cars are eligible, but I've seen civic hybrids, Priuses, Leafs and Volts all be able to use the Carpool lane any time of day with 1 person. But living with one everyday is a big lifestyle change, lots of prioritizing.
But basically I'd be driving from Chandler, AZ to Wittmann, AZ (Ford AZ Proving Grounds) every day, 5 days a week, ~600 miles a week just in commuting alone, so I'd want something comfortable and bearable for this long commute. I'd be spending a lot of time in the car everyday.
Fuel economy is of some concern too since I'd be putting a lot of miles on it, so I don't think a big V8 muscle car would work out that well. Just something more on the sporty side with more power than my H22 would be nice. I feel that 200hp nowadays is laughable.
Sorry for the long post, hope I didn't put you guys to sleep.
Oh PS. I'm not sure, but since I'll be working at the Ford Proving grounds, I think I may be eligible for a discount on Ford vehicles
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