Recently Andy & I have been researching vehicles online. My '99 Toyota Rav4 has been wonderful but, you do the math, it's now 12 years old and Andy seems to think that the transmission is on it's way out (I don't know how he knows this). So that means it's time to think about a new car.
So, for the past month or so, we've been doing some research. We want something of similar size though preferably a little bigger, low miles, fairly new, with a little more power under the hood. We've been searching different articles, safetly lists, consumer reviews for vehicles within the "small SUV" category which have high marks and good resale value.
After all this we narrowed it down to 5 vehicles: Subaru Forester, Nissan Rogue, Mitsubishi Outlander, Honda CRV, and (yes) Toyota Rav4. Anywhere you look you'll find these 5 easily in the top 7 of their kind. Ironically, or perhaps not, they are all Japanese made.
Next step: go drive them! I took off Thursday and drove through Grand Juntion, Delta and Montrose visiting a few dealerships. I had the opportunity to test drive a 2011 Forester, 2009 Rogue and 2011 Rav4.....I ran out of time to find the others. It was fun....and made me feel WAY too grown up.
The first car I drove, at the first stop I made, was probably my favorite. I visited Grand Junction Subaru and spoke with a sales rep that, if you can believe it, wasn't pushy at all! He was friendly, listened to what I was looking for, and even took me on a really fun test drive on some very fun winding roads where he pointed out some of the hiking trails he and his wife frequent. Cool.
Unfortunately, I got spoiled. The next two sales reps I spoke with (at different dealerships) didn't seem too interested in selling me a car. One of them stopped just short of pushing me out the door so he could go home. Not impressed. Liked the cars, especially the new Rav4, but I'm having a hard time thinking about giving someone my money who clearly doesn't want it.
Fact is: I really liked the Forester. After a little more research the NEW 2011 Forester that I drove is the lowest price we can find....even among USED vehicles. So we're asking a few more questions and thinking really seriously about making a purchase. I filled out a finance application today. This makes me fell extra grown up.
Here's a photo of the 2010 Forester. The color is the same as the car I drove (and we are considering purchasing). The body style is slightly different from this for the 2011 Foresters, but mostly the same.
I drove a brand new, 2011, bottom of the line, bare bones model. In fact, it was SO bottom of the line that it has a manual transmission. While most people would consider this a negative, I was stoked! For me it's an upgrade! I prefer a manual over automatic (Andy thinks this is silly).
Even though it's bottom of the barrel it's a great car with features that hadn't even been dreamed of in 1999 when my current vehicle was made. Hey, I don't need anything special. I want a vehicle with clearance, power, AWD (or 4WD) and reliability. I don't need fancy gadgets or gizmos to make me happy.
This whole process has been a huge learning experience for me. Thankfully Andy has been a big help. I had never even dreamed of a new car. I don't deserve a new car. I'm not even convinced that I need a new car. I just figured my Rav4 would last forever....seems stupid, but I just never thought about it. So here I am feeling all grown up.
To keep the balance in my life, tonight it's all about the video games. Ahhhhh, yes, that's better. I can feel the adult-ness oozing away.
