Remember back in October when I excitedly posted about my new (to me) 2015 Hyundai Veloster? I had saved money to purchase it with cash and nicknamed it Sunburst! Don’t get me wrong, I am loving my car but I am having a bit of a dilemma I thought I would share.
I did a lot of research on buying a used Subaru Impreza but the bright orange Veloster caught my eye and the decision to buy was made quickly without research. I am having 2 problems that are making me question my decision.
My first issue is the car has performance tires. I didn’t even know what these were before the Veloster turned my head. These tires are cool looking and supposedly give the driver better control, a better ride and hug the curves. I haven’t really noticed any of that! What I have noticed is they are like a bee drawn to a pretty flower and in this case the flower is a pothole. They hit every pothole in just the right way to cause a small puncture and a leak and the subsequent trip to the tire place. Being cool and new, they aren’t easily fixed or plugged like normal tires and need to be replaced. Being cool and new, they are expensive and often need to be special ordered.
I brought Sunburst home from the car dealership in the middle of October. Before the calendar turned even 1 page, I had my first flat and had to buy a new tire. Then before the calendar turned again, I had to order 4 snow tires. By the beginning of January, I had my second flat and had to buy a new tire. These tires are so “cool” they don’t look flat- even when they are flat. You can drive on them for 20 miles without causing damage. From January to now, I think I have earned the title Professional Pothole Dodger! I have learned to check my air pressure pretty religiously and keep those babies inflated to the manufactures recommendations.
I had one scare on my trip to Massachusetts when the tire light came on. One tire, needed air and I filled that baby up. A second tire needed air but refused to take any – a sign of a more serious issue. Of course it was a Sunday and the tire place was closed. Luckily on Monday morning, the tire store around the corner from my friend’s house got me in and out under 2 hours and were able to fix the issue for $35 bucks!
Can you tell I am a bit frustrated with my “Performance Tires”?
My second issue that has resulted from not doing my research when I bought my car is that I am not convinced it can carry my kayak, much less my honey’s.
We live in the Finger Lakes – I have been saving money towards a car rack and J-bars so I can transport my kayak to different lakes in the area. I decided on a Thule rack and was hitting the order button when I figured I should just get the J-bars too. Up pops a message that Thule doesn’t have a kayak carrier that will work with my Hyundai Veloster. I talk to Ben, the super nice guy at EMS who looks it up and he confirms this. I email Thule and they promptly get back to me to confirm it as well. They can’t recommend any of their kayak carriers that fits on their own racks on a 3 door car. They can sell me a $500 car rack but not a $150 set of J-bars to attach to it. Am I the only person who thinks this is uncool?
My car is fun to drive, cool to look at and turns some heads. But it is attracted to potholes and might not be able to carry my kayak. I am starting to miss my Mini Cooper (Hot Chocolate). In the seven years I drove it, I never had a flat tire and Mini made its own car rack and J-Bars to carry a kayak.
I have some homework to do this week to resolve this issue.
- Go to Hyundai to discuss car racks, J-Bars and how much weight the roof can handle.
- Check out at least 2 other car rack companies to see if their products are recommended for my car.
- Email this company I found who makes a removable rack designed to transport surfboards on 3 door cars. Maybe they can handle a kayak.
- Consider selling Sunburst and buying the Subaru Impreza that has AWD and I know can carry at least 1 if not 2 kayaks with ease.
Car ownership is expensive – I have just made it more expensive by not doing my research! Guess I chose a cool car instead of wealth! Life is a learning process and I am still learning.
Lake Girl