Good Bye Old Friend

It may seem silly, but I am sad about it!  The time has come for me to say good bye to my old friend, my Jeep.  My husband I decided we needed something with fewer miles (the Jeep has 200k on it) and that would be reliable for a long time.  We are also preparing to take in foster children and so we need a car that will hold more than 3 kids.  I tried to convince him that we could get a new family car and keep the jeep, he didn't go for it; I married Mr. Practicality... Once we decided to get a new car we had to decide what to get.  I wanted to get something fun and sporty like a Mazda CX-9. 

We went and test drove them and I fell in LOVE!  They aren't that much different than my jeep, they just have that beloved third row seat and they are new!  I could go on and on about why this would be the best car for our family, and to be honest my husband could too, but the Mazda was not what we ended up with....

Now remember I married Mr. Practicality.  After much thought and a look at our finances we decided that we didn't want such a huge car payment.  We could afford it, but then things like vacations, eating out, and fun money would take a hit.  It wasn't worth it to sacrafice those things just to maintain my SUV status. 

So in our quest to remain practical we were given a great steal on the new (to us) car we eneded up with.  It's less than half the price of the Mazda and newer.  It isn't what I was hoping for but I am getting happier about it as time goes on...

 

Mr. P is excited about it, he's ready for it.

On one hand I don't know if I'm ready for a mini van, we have one kid for heavens sake.  I also have been an SUV/truck girl since I was 17 and so this will be quite the change.  I liked having all wheel drive, ground clearance, and a V8.  I also don't know if I am ready for the mini van mom label, you can't get away with the same things.  In my Jeep I can turn the music up loud and sing at the top of my lungs and no one really pays any attention.  Now in my van, I don't think I can do the same.  When is the last time you rolled up to a stop light and saw a mom in a van with something like Jay Z cranked on the radio and didn't laugh your guts out?!  Know what I mean?

However, on the other hand mini vans are great.  Here is a list of why this is the best car for our family:

• Great gas mileage
• Roomy
• Seats 7, load it up with friends, it's easy!
• Can fit all 3 of our dogs
• Easy to get the baby seat in and out of
• No more dinging doors in parking lots, those slider doors are great
• Comfortable to drive
• Affordable payment
• Cops don't pull mini vans over as much
• You can easily get from the front to the back in a flash
• When the seats are folded down it holds nearly as much as a truck
• And many many more reasons.

So if you see me on the road with my music cranked, give me honk!