Monday, May 21, 2007

The New Baby



We've had our first experience haggling at a car dealership and one that I hope does not bear repeating in the next several years. But we've got a new car out of the deal, and one that's sporty, comfortable, and still compact. I drove one as a rental car and fell in love, so decided to take advantage of a friends/family discount and we took a test drive of a new Caliber this past weekend. Michael and I made it work for us, and here we have our new baby. The beauty of it is, we came home and applied for a different loan than the one at the dealership was offering to finance us with (in spite of our excellent credit--their words), and got a full percentage point off the loan. Yahoo!

It was so bittersweet to leave the Saturn behind. It was the first brand new car I ever had, only 21 miles on it when I bought her, and she was fun to drive, if leaving us a few aches and pains after our trips to Rhode Island and NY and Florida. We had some fun times in that car--trips to North and South Carolina, trips home, trips to the hospital and orthopedist, travels in DC on cold nights just to see the Capitol building lit up and just to revel in the one thing we'd ever owned that no one else owned before us. I'm happy that we'll have the same adventures in the new car, but it is a bit of an adjustment to say the least. So I cried and gave her a kiss, and drove away from her, quietly thanking her for her reliability, sweet temperament, and the joie de vivre we felt encased within her.

The only thing left to do is give the new car a name. Any suggestions? :-)

6 pearl(s) of wisdom:

Talmadge said...

I guess congrats are in order....

As for a name ideas, I'll have to think about it. I'm sure Seraphim will have some suggestions, too.

May you and The General log many thousands of happy, trouble-free miles.

Seraphim9 said...

Niiiiiiiice car! Tal and I are thinking of some new wheels at the end of the year, when Tiger turns 16 and we'd like to turn over the Honda Element that we have to him. The models we're looking at are the Toyota Matrix or Prius, or something comparable in a hatchback style so I can carry my cakes and teaching supplies around.

That's one thing that appeals to me about your car - the vinyl cargo area that's removable for cleaning. That's a plus with me, should the unthinkable happen and cake ends up all over the back!! LOL!

Did you get one with the drink cooler in the glove box? Tal is always teasing me about my "nursing" my drinks all day. I can't help it, I'm a sipper! At least with one of those, my drink would stay cool all day! :)

Congrats on the new ride!

-Seraphim

Kate/Susan said...

Hi Sera:

Funny you should mention that, our first disaster occurred Sunday night when the cow cake took a little ride in the cargo bay and its ear smashed into the back of the seat. Thankfully fixable, even more thankfully supremely cleanable.

We definitely got the beverage cooler in the glove compartment. For our trips to RI, NY, and SC, that's going to cut down on our # of stops! :-)

Unknown said...

Cow cake? Susan, what are you doing carrying "cow cakes" in your new car? I'm assuming that since you said it had an "ear" it was an actual edible cake, rather than the other kind of "cow cake".

Cool new car! I know you and Michael will enjoy it! :)

Mike W said...

Check out those chrome wheels! You better keep that baby clean. Congrats on the new car! Looking forward to seeing it in SC.

BJ said...

Hrm.

Nice ride. But it'll be a long time before I buy another American-made car. I hate to say that, but it's true.