Since my last blog was about a new SUV, I will continue on the same theme and write about my recent car shopping experience.
My wife, Pam, and I decided some time ago that we would get a new vehicle sometime before Christmas. This decision was based on the imminent arrival of our second child: due in early January! Our ever-reliable and virtuous Toyota Corolla is just too small for two baby seats, two adults and a dog. So, we decided to get a bigger car.
From the moment we decided to get a bigger car, my wife and I agreed that a big SUV was out of the question for moral/political/social reasons. For aesthetic/psychological reasons I was also opposed to getting a mini-van. That left only one real option: a wagon.
These days wagons are cool - or at least I think they are cool. Unfortunately, not many car companies make wagons. They are too busy churning out ridiculously over-priced, and profitable, SUVs. Our wagon choices were quite limited. I was excited about the new Mazda 6 wagon (partially thanks to Tommaso's old posting about his Mazda 6 wagon). Pam liked the Subaru wagons: Forester and Legacy.
Early on, we decided we would buy a used car (2-5 years old) as cars lose ~50% of their value in the first few years. You pay a very high premium to own a new car. Our old Corolla was two years old when we bought it and it has been great for us.
My initial excitement about the Mazda 6 wagon faded when I realized how expensive they are. First, they are over $30,000 new, plus they came out only a year ago so used wagons are (a) virtually impossible to find, and (b) still expensive when you find one. We test drove a Mazda anyway - it was great to drive (sadly). Fortunately, our next choice, a Subaru, looked much more promising. The Forester in particular gets decent mileage for a larger car (10 L/100 km in the city) and it is easy to find used ones for sale.
After much shopping, we found a very good deal on a 2000 Forester with very low kilometres. It is now ours, but we haven't picked it up from the dealer yet. My wife will get to do that later in the week. I will have to wait until I am back from Sudbury to take it for a spin.
There are only two downsides to the Forester. The first is that it is not the world's most beautiful car - I thought they were really ugly before I realized that the Forester would be a good choice for us. After this realization, I managed to convince myself that they are not nearly as ugly as I originally thought - honestly - no really - honestly!
The second downside is that Subaru calls the Forester a "compact SUV". The acronym SUV makes me cringe - there's a lot of negative baggage attached to those three letters. The Forester really is a wagon though. The mileage is far better than real SUVs and it's not nearly as large or high off the ground; it's much more car-like. I'm convinced Subaru calls it an SUV just to try to sell more of them. I'm not fooled!
We should be set now. Just as long as there are no more babies... If that were to happen, maybe I could convince myself that I like mini-vans too. The mind is an amazing thing; it will do anything to minimize cognitive dissonance.
Hey, we traded in a Porsche 356 for a Mazda so as to have room for you. Much as I've enjoyed my various (3) Mazdas over the years, driving has never been the same since!
Such is a parent's life.
Your loving Mama
Posted by: H. Ingr | October 07, 2005 at 10:51 AM