The One About Noelle

My car buying experience was so 2020. I bought my car through Carvana after receiving this message from the universe.

​The process was extremely easy. I didn’t believe it until the car showed up and they didn’t try to take it back LOL 

Here is what I remember:
I downloaded the app and had no idea what to search for. I ended up searching for a small 4 door sedan. 

I swiped past so many and favorited 3 different cars. I had my eye on this 2017 Nissan Altima. I thought that was the one I was going to get. 

I reviewed my options and cancelled out the other two cars because of two things: one of them was electric and the Altima had too many miles and the other one was blue. I didn’t want a blue car.

So I searched a little longer and found my girl! The sassy black 2019 Kia Rio only had 6,000 miles and looked like it was made for me. 

I reviewed the pictures and that was it. I was like yeah this is the one. They did a credit check to finance the loan and they checked my bank account to make sure the down payment was actually there. After I submitted all of my information, I received a call. We discussed what the process would look like going forward and set a date for delivery. 

I got Noelle on April 24, 2020, which just so happens to be Kehlani’s birthday!!! Swear it was a coincidence, a happy coincidence! Here's Bae in case you don't know....

Anyway, I thought I’d share some of the experiences I've had and things I’ve learned since having my own car. 

1. One thing I always wondered was why drivers don’t leave the visor down when it’s sunny. Now, I know that it’s actually really annoying and it messes up your view of the road. I get it, yall!
2. In the first few weeks of having a car, I was hitting up a LOT of drive thrus, but I’d never driven through a drive thru before...can you guess what happened? Yeah, I definitely hit the little curb when I was leaving the speaker and heading to the window to pay. I was so shook LMAO. Then I parked and got out to look at it, but I didn’t see anything. I was scared to drive for about two weeks after that. I kept seeing popped tires everywhere and I just kept wondering if it was because they ran into the curb, too LOL
3. The weekend I got my car, I took a road trip. I had driven there in the daytime, but I drove back in the dark. It began to rain. Not just steady rain, IT WAS POURING! I didn’t know how to turn on my windshield wipers. That was interesting.
4. It’s so easy for a car to get messy. Are car trash cans a thing? 
5. A little while ago, I started doing walks outside. The more time I spend outside, the more these seasonal allergies act up. Well, I was driving back from the park and I couldn’t stop sneezing!!! I was freaking out LOL I couldn’t get over, but I also couldn’t stop sneezing. I was terrified. 
6. I also learned that when you’re heading to work in the morning, just ten minutes makes a big difference. Traffic looks different at 7:30 vs 7:40. Also, the location of the sun changes in just a few minutes. Some mornings, I’m driving into the blinding sun. Other mornings the sun is low enough that it’s not in my eyes. I have had to start being very intentional about leaving on time. 
7. Speed limits are merely suggestions to most of the people on the road. 
8. My windshield was fogged up and I didn’t know what to do. I googled it and my car had a defrost button. BUUUUT the next time it was COLD and the window was fogged up. When I turned on the defrost button, it didn’t work. So I asked my friend about it and he said I have a defrost button and that I also need to let the car warm up first. Common sense isn’t so common.
9. I thought I would be more nervous to have a passenger in my car, but it actually wasn’t too bad at all. My first passenger was none other than my Tej! 
10. Parking lots are hazardous.

What was your first car? What are some things you remember about your first driving experiences? Any advice for me? Comment below :)