This post is part of a compensated opportunity with SheBuysCars.com. All opinions expressed are my own.
I never thought I would say this, but car shows are fun.
Last week, I attended my first ever Washington Auto Show as a guest of She Buys Cars. I usually only think about my car when it’s low on gas, needs an oil change, or how full of crumbs the backseat is. My 12 year old car is reliable and gets us where we need to go. My strongest opinion about cars is that I refuse to own a minivan.
All that changed after one day at my first auto show ever.
What I Learned at My First Auto Show
1. Women build cars. Seriously. The other bloggers and I met women after women who are passionate about designing and building cars. Pam Fletcher, Executive Chief Engineer of Electrified Vehicles at GM, shared how electrified vehicles are changing the world. She’s also the Chief Engineer for the Chevy Volt. I want to be her when I grow up. My daughter wants to be an engineer and she was so excited to learn that women build cars!
Pam Fletcher, Executive Chief Engineer of Electrified Vehicles at GM
2. The future of cars is now. Seriously. I remember reading Popular Science magazine in middle school when talks about an electric car was just a vision. Now regular people can afford electric cars that fit their lifestyle. We don’t have to visionaries or millionaires to own safe and state of the art vehicles. Imagine plugging in your car after getting home from work. You can now.
3. Car shows are not about sales. Yes, the companies want you to eventually buy their cars, but car shows are for consumers to learn about new technologies and see beautiful cars. If you’re in the market for a new car, attending a car show is a no-brainer. There’s so many cars under one roof. If you’re willing to walk the convention floor (wear comfy shoes), you can see hundreds of different models. The folks working the floor can tell you all about the vehicle without any pressure to purchase. (You have to go to a dealership to purchase.)
4. There’s an app for your car. You know that saying, there’s an app for everything? Well, GM has OnStar RemoteLink app that will unlock your car for you, tell you how much gas is left, your gas mileage, your oil levels and more. Perfect for me, who is too intimidated to go under the hood to check my oil. I mean, I know how to check my oil, I just don’t like doing it. Cars even have wifi now. Yes, you read that right, wifi.
5. Chevy Volt owners are passionate about their cars. During lunch, I heard from so many passionate Volt owners. Many of them are on their second Volt because they love the car so much. After learning about the Volt from Pam Fletcher, I want one too. The electric-gas hybrid 2016 Chevy Volt is sleek and doesn’t scream “electric.” I was also impressed that the backseats have seat warmers, something my daughter has been asking about for years.
6. I still don’t want a minivan. Yes, the shiny new minivans are the show floor attempted to beckon me with their fancy bluetooth technology, rearview cameras, and third row seats. They still don’t do it for me. Some of the other bloggers extolled their love for minivans, but they’re not for me. I want to upgrade from our mid-sized sedan and I’m leaning towards a crossover.
7. Car shows are family friendly. I’m definitely taking my family to the next auto show. I know my husband will enjoy all the fancy Corvettes, but the kids will love testing out the backseat. We didn’t get to see everything at the Washington Auto Show but there’s a lot to do there.
Now that I’ve seen some pretty new cars, we’re seriously thinking about replacing our reliable, but older 2003. It makes sense to upgrade to a new car with better safety features, more fuel efficiency, and new technology (hello, app for my car!).
Have you ever attended a car show?