Loyal Professional Football Player Restores 1991 Mazda Instead of Buying New Car

Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris made over $700,000 and established himself as one of the top running backs in the NFL last season but says he has no plans to get rid of the 1991 Mazda 626 that he drove from Florida to Virginia for his first NFL training camp last summer.

"She’s getting refurb – Mazda is going to make her like new, like she came off the floor on ‘91. They actually just took it, so we’re going to switch cars while they’re doing it. They said it would take about 6–8 weeks to do it, but they’re going to totally refurbish it, so I’m happy about that… They’re just (refurbishing) it so that it can run for about 20 more years," Morris said from a Redskins training camp on Thursday.

Morris is proud of his economical compact vehicle and parks it in a players' parking lot filled with luxury cars, trucks and SUVs.

He pledged that his kids would one day drive the car. "One day, my kids are going to drive that car. If it breaks down, I'm gettin' it fixed. That's just how I am," Morris stated through the team's official website.

As a new team member, Morris made decided not to upgrade his vehicle like many of the other professional football players did, despite his newfound wealth. His decision was partly due because he was a sixth-round pick. He received a $123,100 signing bonus and, at the time, had only earned $45,882 (before taxes) of his $390,000 non-guaranteed base salary. Further into the season Morris rushed 1,613 yards, second only to Adrian Peterson last season, and scored 13 rushing touchdowns, establishing himself as the Redskins' top running back and one of the better backs in the league entering 2013.

Morris made more than enough money to buy a new car this past season. His signing bonus ($123,100) + base salary ($390,000) + performance-based pay bonus ($211,431), add up to $724,531, which is enough to purchase almost any vehicle.  Instead, he's going to keep the Mazda 626 and one day hand it down to his kids, saving himself more than a handful of money.

Throughout the internet, many are supporting his decision because it is something that not all other players at his level do to preserve financial security beyond their days of playing for a professional football league.

2014 Chevy Impala Wows Consumer Reports

Chevrolet’s year model 2014 Impala has made a noteworthy turnaround, according to Consumer Reports it earned the top spot overall for all sedans – stealing a position held strong by Japanese and European models for at least the last 20 years.

The American sedan went from the bottom of its class in Consumer Report ratings, where it scored too low to be recommended (under 65 points) to earning an "Excellent"(95) CR Recommended worthy score. Not only did the sedan manage to test high in its own class but highest amongst the top-rated vehicles Consumer Reports has tested.

"The Impala's performance is one more indicator of an emerging domestic renaissance," said Jake Fisher, director of Consumer Reports automotive testing. "We've seen a number of redesigned American models-including the Chrysler 300, Ford Escape and Fusion, and Jeep Grand Cherokee- deliver world-class performance in our tests."

Engineers at CRs found that the Impala was comparable to a luxury sedan, with a cushy and controlled demeanor, while delivering surprisingly agile handling, capable acceleration, and excellent braking. Additionally, the Impala was found to also corner well for a large car with prompt turn-in response and controlled body lean. “Steering is nicely weighted; it's light enough for parking maneuvers and provides decent feedback. When pushed to its handling limits, the Impala proved secure, responsive, balanced, and easy to control.”

The cabin was also redone to be more spacious, have easy to use control and comes with generally high-quality materials and trim. It has a comfortable and roomy backseat area and the trunk is huge.  

Unfortunately because this Impala is too new for CR to have reliability data, it can't be CR 

Recommended. To be CR Recommended, a vehicle must perform well in CR's battery of tests, have average or better reliability in CR's Annual Auto Survey, and perform well in government and 

industry crash tests.

“Overall, Consumer Reports found the Impala is competitive with cars that cost $20,000 more, including the Audi A6 and Lexus LS460L, as well as the recently reviewed Acura RLX and Jaguar XF.”

If you are looking for a quality American sedan, this is it. Get one before someone else beats you.