To All The Cars I’ve Loved Before – Why I Drive A Kia Forte

Andrew Bennett |

Updated: Jul 11, 2018

Drew Bennett Kia Forte Lease Day — The Day I started my new Kia Forte Lease - Photo: Drew Bennett

In all honesty, you only need a car to get yourself from point A to point B in relative comfort and safety.

All other options, accessories, sport packages and trim colors are just gravy.

Sort of…

While a car is essentially just a mode of transportation it also reflects your own personality and attitude. It is also a necessity for many reasons like the number of children you have and how long the commute is to your job. Do you go out on outdoor adventures and need to carry along things like bikes, kayaks or skis? What vehicle will fit best to the life that you are living? In my nearly 30 years of driving my needs have certainly changed and so has my decision making process when buying or leasing cars.

During My Carefree Single Days

My first car was a 1985 Pontiac Grand Prix. We bought it from my Dad’s friend. I was told that it was “babied” for years. I think that we had different ideas about what babied meant. However, I loved driving that rear wheel drive car and would often take it to the back roads on wintry days to work on how to control skids and fishtailing. I’d drive my friends to school each morning in that car, too. Gas was cheap and so were my passengers when it came time to kick in for it.

I had that car for two years and then I went off to college. As a college Freshman, I could not have a car on campus. My sister didn’t want to drive my car. She called it a deathtrap. So, my dad sold the car while I was gone. I loved that car.

When I graduated college I drove a 1977 Dodge van that was in pristine shape because it had been in a garage for years. I learned how to drive a standard with that van. I learned in a trial by fire on a hot Summer’s day in 1992 on the Bourne Bridge in bumper to bumper traffic with no AC all on my own. I used to be able to carry everything I owned in that van including a full sized couch. I loved that van.

After college, I drove a 1992 Volvo 740 Turbo. I drove that car for a few years until the ceiling deteriorated and began to fall down. I had also gone through several sets of tires. I put a ton of money into that car. Then one day I went out to buy comic books and came home with the first brand new car of my own. I did love the turbo on that Volvo, though.

I had been finding my way to the type of car that best suited my needs.

Small, Practical and Fun to Drive

My first brand new car was a 2002 Honda Civic EX. I walked on to the lot looked around and found a black four-door that I liked. I was going to pick blue but my girlfriend gave me so much grief about everything that I owned being blue like my Volvo, my kayak, and my bike. So I opted for black. Black with blue flecks in the paint job.

Then I Met Kia

In 2012 I worked with Kia to promote the Big Game commercial for the Kia Optima. The commercial featured the rock band Motley Crue and their song ‘Kickstart My Heart’. That was sort of an anthem song for me and always makes me goose the gas pedal a bit when it comes on the radio.

I looked a little bit closer at Kia after that. So, when the time came in 2015 for me to push, pull and tow my aged Honda Civic onto the Kia lot I took a look at the Optima, saw it was too rich for my blood and then test drove a Kia Forte. The car was comparable to my Honda Civic but I liked the look and the lines of it much more and so I leased one.

Because Adulting…

At this point, I was a dad with two kids. I worked weekend nights and used my car primarily to drive to work and back. I also took the kids around to activities. I chose the car because of the price as well as the large trunk for all the things I would haul around.

Liked The Kia Forte So Much I Leased One Again

I must have liked driving one because when it came time to turn over the lease I opted to get a new lease with a 2018 Kia Forte. This time I went back to blue, my favorite color. It is actually called Deep Sea Blue and I love that color. I also like the overall look of the car, especially the front end. It is not as aggressive and lean a front end as the Kia Stinger, but it does have some style. I want that (a Kia Stinger) to be my next car which I’ll be calling my mid-life crisis, yet affordable, car.

Why The Kia Forte

There are a number of practical reasons why I chose the Kia Forte, too. The Forte gets great gas mileage. This is great for me because I commute to work around 60 miles each day. Luckily, I only work on weekend overnights, so there is no traffic. Also, because I work that abbreviated schedule I can still fall within my lease mileage allotment.