The Old
Quarterly Newsletter of The Hess Agency
How did you choose the car you drive? We’ve been
discussing this topic in our family recently since one of
our children is itching to purchase their first car.
Before we buy a car, most of us review and somehow prioritize factors such as these: affordability,
reliability, safety, efficiency, utility, appearance, and
then the intangible elements of some sense of driving
enjoyment or personal engagement. While the first five
can be compared using hard data, such as car prices,
independent safety ratings, fuel mileage, cargo space,
owner satisfaction surveys, etc., the last two factors are
harder to quantify. How does this car make you feel, and
how heavily does that weigh against the other factors?
Is there a statement that you are making when you are
driving your car? A Mercedes versus a Yugo? A Ford or
a Chevy? A Maxima or a Mini?
Fond memories of good times involving their car,
a familiarity with the car’s quirks, the routine of
daily commuting, or perhaps a feeling of maintaining a
connection to one’s youth cause some people to
develop an attachment to their cars. There are those who
wash their car at least once a week, buff off the excess
water, and vacuum out the interior. Cleanliness and
orderliness are positive attributes and while I admire
those that take care of their cars in this way, I am not
one of those people. The cup holders of my car are
stuffed with pennies, pens, paper clips, and gum
wrappers. My car gets washed every time it rains, and
not much more often.
Here is a listing of the cars that I have owned and
driven: 1964 Ford Falcon, 1971 Ford Pinto, 1976
Renault LeCar, 1983 Renault Fuego, 1986 Dodge
Lancer, 1991 Acura Integra, 1995 Honda Passport, 2007
The Hess Agency, 2990 Mount Joy Road, Manheim PA 17545
Spring 2014
Toyota Highlander hybrid. (I have fond memories of my
college friends removing and hiding the car seats out of
the LeCar since the car had no lock on the hatchback-a
major engineering whoops. Driving a stick shift car
while sitting on an upside down peach basket is not an
experience easily forgotten.)
As you can see from the list, if cars make a statement,
for many years my statement was: “I drive an ugly,
cheap car.”
Some of you have re-purchased cars that you drove
in your younger days as classics, so I checked online
to see what a classic LeCar or Fuego would cost. It
seems that none of these cars have survived. It felt like
I could hear the pipes of the internet snickering at me
as it searched. I have heard it said that ‘you are what
you drive’, (or maybe I’m confusing that with ‘you
are what you eat’). In any case, I’ve driven and eaten
my share of tart citrus. My wife has not fared much
better in our family car purchases, but did recently
graduate from many years of minivan driving to and
from our children’s activities, and is now tooling around
town in a small SUV.
After getting past the cars of my youth, I have most
valued reliability and affordability in my purchasing.
What I appreciate most about my current vehicle is that
it starts every morning, and keeps going until I arrive
at my destination. My current Highlander hybrid has
spoiled me in this regard, with more than six years of
use, and 120,000 miles without letting me sit. And it
gets good gas mileage to boot. I’m hoping to get another
six years out of it.
However you view your relationship with your car, rest
assured that we can insure it properly for you, whether
it’s your joy and pride, or just a ride.
Steven L. Faus, CIC, CLU
President Ph: 717-665-2770 / 800-822-2844 Fx: 717-665-4493
www.hessagency.com
Special Value Won’t Last!
Fresh from the Fields
We are very happy to announce
that Noel Caruso has joined us
in the barn as a Life Insurance
Specialist. Noel brings a wealth
of experience with life insurance
products, especially those of
Erie Family Life. He is always
available to help our customers
with their life insurance needs and questions.
Born in the Philadelphia area, Noel is a graduate of
the University of Maryland. He and his wife Carole
call Lancaster home.
Real Headlines
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County to Pay $250,000 to Advertise Lack of Funds
Register-Guard, Eugene Oregon
Utah Poison Control Center Reminds Everyone Not
to Take Poison The Daily Utah
The special value is YOU and, unfortunately,
you won’t last forever. None of us know what our
personal expiration date might be, so it’s not a
good idea to postpone doing what we know we
need to do.
Now is the best time to provide for the ones
you’ll leave behind - your spouse, children, parents,
whoever depends on you for financial support. They
will miss you and they’ll miss the financial support
you provided to them. You can ease their financial
hardship with a properly designed life insurance
policy, which is probably less expensive than you
may think.
A 35 year old male can buy $250,000 of life
insurance for 20 years for a level premium of less
than $20 per month. A new policy for a 45 year
old male could cost about $36 each month. These
premiums would not change over the 20 years.
We are here to help you through the process. It’s
just one more way we take care of our customers.
But please, don’t put it off for a tomorrow you might
not see.
We are here to serve you Monday through Saturday
Weekdays 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Thursdays 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 a.m. - noon
Other hours by appointment
Receiving multiple copies of The Old Barn Post? Want yours by email instead of on paper? Let us know your
preferences. Email [email protected] or leave a message at x239. Thank you.
2990 Mount Joy Road
Manheim, PA 17545
www.hessagency.com
Insurance for Personal and Business Needs Since 1932
717-665-2770 / 800-822-2844