The Mom Mobile

So, I drive a 4WD 1997 Chevy Tahoe with 155k miles on it. It has no third row seating, therefore, if we have the family with us, no one else can ride with us. The cargo space is, of course, fabulous. It's great to be able to go to Home Depot and buy an appliance, 12 bags of mulch, whatever. It's great to be able to cart around a double stroller, single stroller, and a week's worth of groceries. It's especially wonderful after a snow storm to be able to get in the car, push a button, and drive away...no shoveling required. I can tow pretty much anything, pull another car out of the mud, etc. It's big, strong, and safe.

And it gets about 11 miles per gallon.

With gas prices heading up to $3.20, and $4.00 projected by summer, that does pose a bit of a concern...even though I usually only drive a few miles per week. Additionally, it needs some work...needs a new catalytic converter (so the exhaust has that lovely rotten egg smell) and some oxygen sensors and stuff. My aftermarket remote start has stopped working, and the mp3 changer stopped working a long time ago. The transmission has shown signs of stress on some occasions, and no wonder, with that many miles on it. It probably should be rebuilt. So, the school of thought is, is it really worth it to put any more money into this vehicle? G thinks not. And, quite honestly, he doesn't want to be the one working on it, either. See, fixing cars is one of his hobbies. But not when it has to be done.

So, the other day we went to look at a Honda Odyssey in Bel Air. It was pretty nice...heated leather seats, navigation, and plenty of room for the fam. I will say that I hate the storage space in a minivan. I wish it was more like my truck. Once there is a single stroller in there, there won't be room for much else. The used car market around here is very slow lately, so prices are fairly reasonable, even before haggling. We could potentially get a good deal, and have a nice, comfy vehicle to take on our summer road trip. But man, I hate to get rid of my truck. We would likely trade it in for two reasons. First and foremost, it gives us a little bit of bargaining room, and therefore would decrease the amount we need to finance. Secondly, we wouldn't have the headache of having it inspected and selling it on our own. I just hate to get rid of it. And, to be quite honest, I hate a minivan. The features and comforts are nice, but I just don't like them.

Yesterday, I went to look at a Toyota Sienna with the two boys. That was interesting. I wasn't assertive enough with the sales person, so she yapped the whole time and came with me on the test drive. She offered to stay behind and keep my boys (NO!), and then pissed me off by asking THEM if they wanted to stay there in the kids' room. Thankfully, they're boys, so they wanted to see the car. She yapped the whole time on the test drive as well, which irritated me. I couldn't concentrate on the details of the drive and the vehicle because she was going on and on about how many people wanted to see this particular van. Give me a break. I'm immune to all their slimy tactics...G used to sell cars! I didn't let on, though. I knew I would be bringing G back to check the car out...obviously he would be able to diagnose any mechanical problems better than I would.

So, the whole lot of us drove back to the dealership last night, and G took the car for a drive himself. He liked it even better than the Odyssey, as did I. It looks like we will probably give them an offer and commence the haggling this weekend. IF it doesn't sell by then, which of course they would have us believe is inevitable. Oh, this will be fun. G thinks we should bring the children, because that gives us excuses and leverage...I'll make them all cry if you don't give us what we want and hurry up! I think, of course, that it would only add more pressure to us...and of course, it would make them pretty miserable. On the other hand, it just might work for us to say, we only have half an hour. Let's roll.

Two days until the MIL's arrival. Guess I'd better make sure I have some wine in the house.