Pontiac Bonneville. It was big, red, metal and it carried me through the end of high school, straight through college and on into Fountain Hills following graduation.

By the time I moved to town, I couldn’t drive at night because one of the front headlights had been ruined beyond repair by an unfortunate run-in with a deer in Globe several years prior. The front passenger window was held in place by some wood wedges and the thing sounded like a small atom bomb going off when you first hit the gas. Also, the AC didn’t work.

I loved that car.

I’m a firm believer in driving a car until the wheels fall off, which is pretty much what happened with my Bonneville. Repairs became too frequent and expensive and, once I experienced my first summer here in the Valley, the lack of AC became a legitimate concern.

The Bonneville was a gift from my folks so, when I decided to trade it in just before my second Valley summer struck in 2006, it was going to be my first car-buying expedition.

I was woefully ill prepared for the entire process. Heck, I picked a dealership simply because I remembered my folks buying a car there more than a decade prior.

When I walked out onto the lot, I imagine the salespeople saw a big, neon sign hanging over my head that read “Easy Mark.” I got paired with a kid that had to be in his early 20’s and he was doing his best to sell me on a hunk of junk I’m fairly certain had just rolled onto the used lot that very morning. He kept trying to sell me on the “ice-cold AC,” as I made the mistake of mentioning my Bonneville was lacking in that particular department.

I’m a pretty research-oriented guy, but I somehow managed to completely sidestep that process before going car shopping. I remember being asked what I was in the market for and answering truthfully that I “just need something reliable that will get me from A to B without breaking the bank.”

When I finally stumbled upon a car that matched my admittedly limited criteria, I ended up getting traded up the salesperson ladder twice because of my unwillingness to budge on a price.

But while they thought I was simply trying to get the best deal possible, the fact of the matter was that I knew my limits and refused to pay more than I was comfortable with.

Long story short, I ended up in a Dodge Neon that has treated me well for about a dozen years. Unfortunately, the wheels are once again just about ready to fall off of the thing, so it’s time to go on another car-buying adventure.

I still just want something that will get me from A to B without breaking the bank, but this time I’m putting in the research beforehand.

I’ve been pouring over articles, reviews, videos, comparisons and the like and narrowing my list down to just a couple of models. With a little luck, I’ll be heading into the New Year with a new ride. Bare minimum, at least I’ll have a better answer this time around when asked what I’m in the market for.