Rusted!

We have been holding on to our car, not wanting to buy a new one.  We bit the bullet and took it in for repairs.  We were prepared, or so we thought, for how much it was going to cost.  After it sat in the shop for a day they called back and told us they could not fix it.  Everything they needed to do required bolting something to the subframe, which really doesn't exist anymore.  I guess that is what you get for living in the snow belt for 10 years.  So we have driving the car literally into the ground, there is no hope.  They said it would take  10,000 dollars to fix everything that was wrong with it, and frankly it is not worth it.  So our car hunt continues, as we limp along with one vehicle for a few more weeks.  This, if you have read previous posts, has been going on for sometime.  We are always on the look out for the best car for our needs.  We knew this day would come.  Now for some decisions, do we go high with the Cadillac Cts  or do we stay on budget with the more affordable Hyundai Azera.  I am not sure what car is best for the sonatas replacement, do you think we need more seating, or something cute and fun like the VW Jetta.  Since we are doing ok with one car for now we will do some research, I need more info before I can make the correct decision.  

Cars, when to let it go.

We are a two car family.  I have a SUV, which I love, and M has a sedan.  Recently we took my car in to be fixed, it was worth the money to get it back into tip top condition.  The problem was as soon as we took mine in M's car started having some trouble.  The check engine light came on, so off we went to the dealer to drop it off too.  The repairs have been quoted well above it's value, so what do we do?  Is it time to dump it and get the SUV we really want, but do we really want to pay the  Chevy Traverse price?  I know, I know it is a gas guzzler, right?  But we really wanted the extra space, and it has three rows, enough room for the baby, the dog and all of our things for a road trip.  Or do we do the more eco-friendly thing and get a smaller car, perhaps we check out the volvo c30 price tag?  Of course there are other options that would not only reduce the amount of times we had to go to the gas station, but would also make us feel good about our driving around town.  We could check out the Honda Insight price and maybe we would be surprised about the roomy interior.  Maybe not, but it is worth a look.  The hybrids do appeal to me, and there are more and more coming on to the market.  Then again, now that we have our little baby maybe we should look into the swagger wagon.  I am sure the toyota sienna price tag would be sure to hurt my feelings though.  The commercials are great, and it does look really roomy.  I guess the question is do we go small and eco-friendly, or spacious.  The price tags are really second  to our needs in the vehicle.  There is no easy decision for us.  We are taking M's car to a local mechanic to see if he can do the work for less than the dealer so, we will wait to see what the local mechanic has to say about our current car before we make any final decisions, and even then I am sure it will take us months to finally pick which car is right for us.

New wheels

M's car has seen better days. The laundry list of things that are non-functional now is getting longer. Starting with the antenna that is no longer going up or down, just making noise to the air conditioning fan that has stopped working except on high. That is not really a big deal, because if you need the air on here in Florida you want it to be cold. I just hope this winter is not too chilly for his short commute.
Since we are seeing more and more things that work less than perfect, we have been looking into some new wheels. We are going to try and hold off as long as possible, but it can't hurt to look, right?
I am really partial to the Volvo with its great safety record I would love to have the XC90 with plenty of room for our dog and for the new baby the XC90 would be ideal! Of course there is the tiny item of price that will ultimately be the determining factor. It is just a vehicle to get from A to B, so we don't really need to get something that is super fancy. I am also checking out the reviews on a few of the Honda cars. They too have a great safety record, but the price on these is still a little higher than we really want to spend on a car. I do like the options for green vehicle by Honda, the Prius is oh so tempting! One brand that is a little easier on the budget is Kia. Some of their models look great, and the price tag is a little easier to handle. We will have to do some research to see how the safety record compares to Honda and Volvo. Since we are going to drive M's car until it literally falls apart, we will have some time to do the research necessary when making such a big investment in a new car!

Dreaming of a New Ride

Now that we are back in Florida, and settled in, I have been thinking maybe it is time to upgrade the car. With over 150,000 miles our little silver hyundai is starting to have some quirks that have become annoying. Car research is easy these days with the vast amount of info on the internet.
Do I want sporty? I really like the nissan 370z. I could see myself zipping around near the beach. What color? Black is the color, with leather seats. Just make sure I get a windshield shade to protect it from the Florida sun.
Perhaps I want something with a little more sophistication like the Lincoln MKS. That car looks great, and can be zippy too!
It is hard to decided on a car. I need to make a pros and cons list to narrow down the field of possible choices.
Maybe since we have an expanding family we should be a little more practical with a Toyota Venza or even the Buick Enclave. They would both provide some cargo space and a large backseat for the car seat. I need to check out some of the safety reviews, and customer satisfaction reviews to get a better idea of which is right for us.

American Cars

While I am on the subject of the environment lets talk about cars. I am very interested in the hybrid cars that are sure to flood the market within a few years. I just hope that our American Car companies will be around to compete. I have seen some ford escape reviews that say it has great fuel efficiency, but I feel that the car companies can do more to increase the efficiency or do away with the gas portion of the engine all together. While the Ford Escape Hybrid does have fairly good fuel economy for an SUV (28 MPG), I think they can do better. The consumers have to demand better, not just for themselves, but for the enviornment.
Ford says that the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid is the most fuel efficiant SUV. When gas prices soared, the whispered rumors of the hybrid/electric cars became louder, but now as we are paying less that $2 a gallon, those rumors of an influx of those eco-friendly cars have slipped back into the shadows from which they came. My next car, will no doubt be American made, and if Ford ever comes up with an electric car/SUV, I will gladly pay out some money for an American made eco-friendly alternative to the gas guzzling SUVs.