The Altima! But there's more to it.
By the way, this is the 6th post for March, so I kept my promise to post more than 5 times. Whee.
We decided we liked the Altima best, however, by Saturday we figured we would keep the Outback because we didn't get the deal we wanted locally.
On Sunday, Tim checked out some competing dealers (Albany, Utica, Binghamton) and noticed a couple of interesting specials on Serafini's (Binghamton) site.
On Monday morning Tim called them and decided it was worth a drive down that evening. Sam and I stayed home - since I'd test driven one and knew the specs, I was fine with letting Tim deal with all the blah blah. I knew he wouldn't be talked into anything out of his pre-determined math.
Initially they offered a better deal on the 2009 Altima than our local dealer's "best", however, it still wasn't what Tim wanted to pay...and regardless, the real reason for the trip was this one car in particular - a certified pre-owned program 2007 Altima with 8100 miles. Hybrid! We did the homework on the Altima hybrids, and they are top notch. No worries. Even the base model Hybrid brand new is out of our range, so with a healthy trade and a workable deal on the pre-owned, it would have been a major bonus to negotiate it...and after some haggling, they came in at slightly better than what Tim had hoped for!
We essentially have the same payment, but a nearly new car with a 5 year/100K/bumper to bumper warranty (under the certified program with the additional "wrap" warranty available on certified program cars) which was added in to close the deal. The hybrid engine (and battery) is also covered under a 10 year guarantee! We had no warranty left on the Outback whatsoever.
So this thing has some very fun features, nicely loaded, but I won't bore you with all that. You'll just have to ride with me. The basics are that it gets about 35mpg city, and has the capacity to go 700 miles on one tank. It's navy blue. And alloy wheels. Of course.
We pick it up tomorrow afternoon. Here's more info if you're bored or geeky about cars.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
TBD by Tuesday
We might replace the Outback. Today we spent most of the morning checking out alternatives, and have narrowed it down to 3 choices - which we would only buy based on getting exactly the deal we want - but before I let you vote, I should give you a little back story.
I consider myself a sedan girl, of the practical variety, but I like a little sprinkling of refinement, for good measure. I grew up among the triple-threat set of long-term reliability brands: Toyota, Nissan, and later, Honda, and so naturally, I've always felt biased toward them - and clearly, for anyone that knows anything about cars, my bias is completely justified. Luckily, for the most part, Tim feels the same way, except he's a little less fuel-economy obsessed than I am, but just a little.
I had a lapse in good sense during 2003, when lured by a good deal, made the mistake of buying a domestic piece of junk. At about 40K, said piece of junk began to showcase its undeniable and complete junky-ass no good self, and we pretty much kicked ourselves. We traded it in real fast, and got a hot little Special Edition Civic, the 2005 body, before they got all "space pod" ish. I loved it, loved getting 38 mpg regularly, and it was fantastic for 2 years until I totaled it in a freaky snow accident in March of 2007.
While Sam and I were completely unharmed, I got all upstate-snow-worried and fretful (drama), and I only considered the Outback and the CR-V as replacements because of their beefier builds and all-wheel drive, and now here I am becoming one of THOSE moms. Dammit. We still had Tobey at the time, and he was a part of the consideration too, as having a Rottie in the back with a carseat wasn't ideal, and the hatchback helped. I wasn't crazy about the Outback, but Subaru was willing to give us an exceptional price on an '06 Outback with a few thousand miles, so we ignored the things we didn't like about it, and bought it.
It's two years later. The fuel economy has been slowly decreasing and no one, including professionals, is quite sure why. I'm getting a rockin 22 or so average MPG. Why don't I just drive a Hummer around? I never liked the light tan interior and wood grain (fuddy duddy) but, as it was a deal off the lot, that was out of my control. Two years later, the tan interior is constantly in need of cleaning from Sam's shoes that rub allover, and I am not inclined to keep up with it. It feels really cramped, and remember, I drove smaller cars...there is little passenger room upfront, and the backseat is surprsingly crowded, considering it's a full size car. My civic felt roomier inside. Really.
It's all trunk, this thing: it has a big ass. Maybe the Outback has nothing to do with branding it as an adventure type utility car or appealing to those of us in the young parent set who don't want to admit that it's indeed a station wagon, but more like all the room is out-the-back. Outback. Ha. Me make funny. There's a few more minor complaints, but you get the idea. Sedan girl rears her head again. In your face, winter.
You know we do the homework, and as expected, the top contenders in the price range we are willing to play in are the Civic, the Corolla, and a surprising new consideration for us, the Altima. It's roomy and drives really smoothly, is more refined than we thought, and has an excellent reputation. The Altima is more comparable to a full size Toyota Camry than a Toyota Corolla, but it's much sexier than a Camry, sportier, and gets better fuel economy and overall ratings. Here's a picture of the Altima:
The Civic holds a place in my heart because of my excellent experience with my 2005 baby, but, the body has changed significantly since then. It test drove well, but it's a little stiff. That being said, however, it has Honda quality and ratings, and gets great fuel economy, of course. It's less roomy than the Altima, but still just as roomy (if not roomier) than the Outback. Believe it. The only downside, for me, is its ultra-spacey look which would take some getting used to. Not so much on the sexy, it's more about the personality here:
And finally, we have the Corolla. The Corolla is like that kid in high school that was really great - friendly, funny, smart, dependable, and even popular, but with a tragic flaw that made him undatable: a horrific case of acne, or a frightening wardrobe, or he secretly plays Dungeons & Dragons.
I've had 2 Corollas, and both have been driven literally into the ground, so I don't have to be sold on quality or reliability. What Corolla has never been able to do just right is the look. It's constantly in crisis, and typically ends up going the granny-fabulous route. It's dorky and a little frumpy, most notably on the inside. It test drove well (no surprise) and gets great fuel economy too. It's fairly roomy (comparable to the civic), but again, the interior leaves a lot to be desired as far as convenience features, looks, and overall feel. The outside is ok, minus the hideous grill, but it tries to hard to echo the Camry instead of taking off and being its own cool thing. I wish the Corolla would just get itself together and be cool already. Enough grannies own Corollas, it's time to stop the madness. I'm rooting for you, Corolla! Of course, my practical side won't let it fall off the top contender list, so here's a picture of it.
At this time all these vehicles have good pricing and incentives, which all end March 31st. That's why we need to do the math and do our best to haggle the price we want by Tuesday. But, it's by no means a desperate situation - they either give us what we're looking for, or we drive the Outback for another year and re-enter the market down the road. No biggie. But if feels damn nice to give yourself options!
So, which of the three would you choose if you were in my shoes? Please vote. And if you have any other comments, please let me know.
I consider myself a sedan girl, of the practical variety, but I like a little sprinkling of refinement, for good measure. I grew up among the triple-threat set of long-term reliability brands: Toyota, Nissan, and later, Honda, and so naturally, I've always felt biased toward them - and clearly, for anyone that knows anything about cars, my bias is completely justified. Luckily, for the most part, Tim feels the same way, except he's a little less fuel-economy obsessed than I am, but just a little.
I had a lapse in good sense during 2003, when lured by a good deal, made the mistake of buying a domestic piece of junk. At about 40K, said piece of junk began to showcase its undeniable and complete junky-ass no good self, and we pretty much kicked ourselves. We traded it in real fast, and got a hot little Special Edition Civic, the 2005 body, before they got all "space pod" ish. I loved it, loved getting 38 mpg regularly, and it was fantastic for 2 years until I totaled it in a freaky snow accident in March of 2007.
While Sam and I were completely unharmed, I got all upstate-snow-worried and fretful (drama), and I only considered the Outback and the CR-V as replacements because of their beefier builds and all-wheel drive, and now here I am becoming one of THOSE moms. Dammit. We still had Tobey at the time, and he was a part of the consideration too, as having a Rottie in the back with a carseat wasn't ideal, and the hatchback helped. I wasn't crazy about the Outback, but Subaru was willing to give us an exceptional price on an '06 Outback with a few thousand miles, so we ignored the things we didn't like about it, and bought it.
It's two years later. The fuel economy has been slowly decreasing and no one, including professionals, is quite sure why. I'm getting a rockin 22 or so average MPG. Why don't I just drive a Hummer around? I never liked the light tan interior and wood grain (fuddy duddy) but, as it was a deal off the lot, that was out of my control. Two years later, the tan interior is constantly in need of cleaning from Sam's shoes that rub allover, and I am not inclined to keep up with it. It feels really cramped, and remember, I drove smaller cars...there is little passenger room upfront, and the backseat is surprsingly crowded, considering it's a full size car. My civic felt roomier inside. Really.
It's all trunk, this thing: it has a big ass. Maybe the Outback has nothing to do with branding it as an adventure type utility car or appealing to those of us in the young parent set who don't want to admit that it's indeed a station wagon, but more like all the room is out-the-back. Outback. Ha. Me make funny. There's a few more minor complaints, but you get the idea. Sedan girl rears her head again. In your face, winter.
You know we do the homework, and as expected, the top contenders in the price range we are willing to play in are the Civic, the Corolla, and a surprising new consideration for us, the Altima. It's roomy and drives really smoothly, is more refined than we thought, and has an excellent reputation. The Altima is more comparable to a full size Toyota Camry than a Toyota Corolla, but it's much sexier than a Camry, sportier, and gets better fuel economy and overall ratings. Here's a picture of the Altima:
The Civic holds a place in my heart because of my excellent experience with my 2005 baby, but, the body has changed significantly since then. It test drove well, but it's a little stiff. That being said, however, it has Honda quality and ratings, and gets great fuel economy, of course. It's less roomy than the Altima, but still just as roomy (if not roomier) than the Outback. Believe it. The only downside, for me, is its ultra-spacey look which would take some getting used to. Not so much on the sexy, it's more about the personality here:
And finally, we have the Corolla. The Corolla is like that kid in high school that was really great - friendly, funny, smart, dependable, and even popular, but with a tragic flaw that made him undatable: a horrific case of acne, or a frightening wardrobe, or he secretly plays Dungeons & Dragons.
I've had 2 Corollas, and both have been driven literally into the ground, so I don't have to be sold on quality or reliability. What Corolla has never been able to do just right is the look. It's constantly in crisis, and typically ends up going the granny-fabulous route. It's dorky and a little frumpy, most notably on the inside. It test drove well (no surprise) and gets great fuel economy too. It's fairly roomy (comparable to the civic), but again, the interior leaves a lot to be desired as far as convenience features, looks, and overall feel. The outside is ok, minus the hideous grill, but it tries to hard to echo the Camry instead of taking off and being its own cool thing. I wish the Corolla would just get itself together and be cool already. Enough grannies own Corollas, it's time to stop the madness. I'm rooting for you, Corolla! Of course, my practical side won't let it fall off the top contender list, so here's a picture of it.
At this time all these vehicles have good pricing and incentives, which all end March 31st. That's why we need to do the math and do our best to haggle the price we want by Tuesday. But, it's by no means a desperate situation - they either give us what we're looking for, or we drive the Outback for another year and re-enter the market down the road. No biggie. But if feels damn nice to give yourself options!
So, which of the three would you choose if you were in my shoes? Please vote. And if you have any other comments, please let me know.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Braking news
I'm working my way out of a nasty episode of insomnia. After two nights of restlessness, last night I fell asleep reasonably early (with help from a wee bit of Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride - I foresee us becoming closer friends), and only woke up once during the subsequent 9 hours. I was groggy and dragging this morning, but I felt better than I did Thursday and Friday. As it turns out, however, it was to be a kind of morning that made me wish I could crawl right back under the covers for another day or two.
After wrestling my unwilling, whining, and crabby child out the door and into the car, I realized that I left my bag inside. No big deal. Ran back up the driveway, keyed back in, and we're off again. We had an appointment at 9am to get an oil change and inspection. Halfway there, I realize I left the coffeemaker on, and never poured my precious, precious juice of life into my to-go mug. Let's do the math: running late +lingering exhaustion + cranky toddler - coffee = I'm buying a one way ticket to Somewhere when I get home.
The shop is on a main drag (Chestnut St. for those who know the area), and as I pulled in, I was happy to be reminded that it's right next to McDonald's, so I would be able to get coffee after all. Maybe I won't buy that ticket just yet.
Sam, who insisted on wearing his Superman pajamas over his clothes again, happily checked out the display tires while I talked to the service manager. He told me it would take about an hour. Since I planned to take Sam for a walk, the manager offered to call when it was done...as I'm about to give him my cell number, I realized that my cell phone is at home, charging. Next to the coffeemaker. Rats! I also haven't worn a wristwatch in years.
We walk over to McDonald's. I think we learned to tell time from the angle of the sun in Earth Science. But maybe I need paper and string and other stuff to do that. Sigh.
I'm very proud that Sam does not know what McDonald's is called - he's had its fries before, but I'm careful to never speak its name, or mention Happy Meal, or Ronald and so on, because I don't want it idolized. It's inevitable he'll figure it out one day, but for now, I still win. Of course Sam noticed the play center thing and wanted to go in. I've blogged of my hatred of this play center before, and trust me I looked it over with much contempt - however, on this crisp morning, without my caffeine fix, or a timepiece of any kind, or even a modicum of patience, I said, "Sure - as soon as I get my coffee, we'll go in and you can play!" I hear Greece is lovely.
Sam is not tall enough to negotiate most of this play center, and he got bored pretty fast. He asked me if he could touch the tall, resin Ronald, grinning and guarding the play center.
"Who's he, mom? Can I touch him?"
"He's a creepy weird clown. You can touch him, he's not real."
"I don't want to touch him. Can you touch him?"
"Sure... see? He's plastic. He sure is creepy, isn't he?"
"Yea. I don't like him!"
I win again.
Now Sam wanted to climb up these little platforms to the next level. Without giving an inordinately complicated explanation of what this involved, I'll just tell you that I wasn't thinking very clearly yet, and put my coffee down momentarily on the corner of this little blue platform (yep, Mom didn't read the posted RULES. No food or drink in the play center. Yep, I'm that mom, the inconsiderate bitch that can't figure out how to negotiate the play gym and didn't even take off her shoes and told her child that a clown was creepy) so I could help Sam by giving him a boost. His foot swung out and knocked over the coffee. The nearly full coffee. Most of it poured out, steaming, down the corner and onto the rubberized floor. No other children were on the thing, but one child was at a nearby table, eating, with his mom. She looked disapprovingly at us. I looked disapprovingly at her scrunchie. We got our jackets back on, and I went up to the counter and admitted, apologetically, that we'd had a spill. I didn't replace the coffee. It was time for the walk, and I thought that maybe Australia sounded pretty good.
We walked for what I figured to be about 20 minutes, then we turned around. We were about a block from the shop, and the caffeine withdrawal headache moved from the background to front and center. That's also when I heard a dog bark across the road, down a side street. I looked up and realized that a big golden retriever was barking and trotting his way toward us - he seemed friendly, it wasn't a charging bark, but the problem was that he was running right into the main road - the main BUSY road.
His owner called for him to stop, and I yelled too, as I realized that a car was heading right in his path. I put my hand out in a futile attempt to signal the driver, but it was too late, and the car hit the dog pretty squarely. I was horrified and picked up Sam, but thankfully, it wasn't gruesome. The dog jumped up and ran back to his owner, although clearly frightened, and likely with internal injuries. The car stopped, and luckily, a police cruiser had been coming the opposite way, and pulled right into the side street to talk to the owner. I hope she was ticketed for not having that poor dog leashed, and if they can justify more citations, she deserves them as well. What a moron.
My car didn't pass inspection and I needed a part replaced, and I have to bring it back next week - that is, if I'm not living in Montreal and going by the name Dominique by then. My brakes are nearing the end of their life too. That's my braking news. And you thought I was a bad speller, didn't you?
After wrestling my unwilling, whining, and crabby child out the door and into the car, I realized that I left my bag inside. No big deal. Ran back up the driveway, keyed back in, and we're off again. We had an appointment at 9am to get an oil change and inspection. Halfway there, I realize I left the coffeemaker on, and never poured my precious, precious juice of life into my to-go mug. Let's do the math: running late +lingering exhaustion + cranky toddler - coffee = I'm buying a one way ticket to Somewhere when I get home.
The shop is on a main drag (Chestnut St. for those who know the area), and as I pulled in, I was happy to be reminded that it's right next to McDonald's, so I would be able to get coffee after all. Maybe I won't buy that ticket just yet.
Sam, who insisted on wearing his Superman pajamas over his clothes again, happily checked out the display tires while I talked to the service manager. He told me it would take about an hour. Since I planned to take Sam for a walk, the manager offered to call when it was done...as I'm about to give him my cell number, I realized that my cell phone is at home, charging. Next to the coffeemaker. Rats! I also haven't worn a wristwatch in years.
We walk over to McDonald's. I think we learned to tell time from the angle of the sun in Earth Science. But maybe I need paper and string and other stuff to do that. Sigh.
I'm very proud that Sam does not know what McDonald's is called - he's had its fries before, but I'm careful to never speak its name, or mention Happy Meal, or Ronald and so on, because I don't want it idolized. It's inevitable he'll figure it out one day, but for now, I still win. Of course Sam noticed the play center thing and wanted to go in. I've blogged of my hatred of this play center before, and trust me I looked it over with much contempt - however, on this crisp morning, without my caffeine fix, or a timepiece of any kind, or even a modicum of patience, I said, "Sure - as soon as I get my coffee, we'll go in and you can play!" I hear Greece is lovely.
Sam is not tall enough to negotiate most of this play center, and he got bored pretty fast. He asked me if he could touch the tall, resin Ronald, grinning and guarding the play center.
"Who's he, mom? Can I touch him?"
"He's a creepy weird clown. You can touch him, he's not real."
"I don't want to touch him. Can you touch him?"
"Sure... see? He's plastic. He sure is creepy, isn't he?"
"Yea. I don't like him!"
I win again.
Now Sam wanted to climb up these little platforms to the next level. Without giving an inordinately complicated explanation of what this involved, I'll just tell you that I wasn't thinking very clearly yet, and put my coffee down momentarily on the corner of this little blue platform (yep, Mom didn't read the posted RULES. No food or drink in the play center. Yep, I'm that mom, the inconsiderate bitch that can't figure out how to negotiate the play gym and didn't even take off her shoes and told her child that a clown was creepy) so I could help Sam by giving him a boost. His foot swung out and knocked over the coffee. The nearly full coffee. Most of it poured out, steaming, down the corner and onto the rubberized floor. No other children were on the thing, but one child was at a nearby table, eating, with his mom. She looked disapprovingly at us. I looked disapprovingly at her scrunchie. We got our jackets back on, and I went up to the counter and admitted, apologetically, that we'd had a spill. I didn't replace the coffee. It was time for the walk, and I thought that maybe Australia sounded pretty good.
We walked for what I figured to be about 20 minutes, then we turned around. We were about a block from the shop, and the caffeine withdrawal headache moved from the background to front and center. That's also when I heard a dog bark across the road, down a side street. I looked up and realized that a big golden retriever was barking and trotting his way toward us - he seemed friendly, it wasn't a charging bark, but the problem was that he was running right into the main road - the main BUSY road.
His owner called for him to stop, and I yelled too, as I realized that a car was heading right in his path. I put my hand out in a futile attempt to signal the driver, but it was too late, and the car hit the dog pretty squarely. I was horrified and picked up Sam, but thankfully, it wasn't gruesome. The dog jumped up and ran back to his owner, although clearly frightened, and likely with internal injuries. The car stopped, and luckily, a police cruiser had been coming the opposite way, and pulled right into the side street to talk to the owner. I hope she was ticketed for not having that poor dog leashed, and if they can justify more citations, she deserves them as well. What a moron.
My car didn't pass inspection and I needed a part replaced, and I have to bring it back next week - that is, if I'm not living in Montreal and going by the name Dominique by then. My brakes are nearing the end of their life too. That's my braking news. And you thought I was a bad speller, didn't you?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Two birds for the 99th post
- Shower
- Pack overnight bag(s)
- Finish laundry
- Call Tim, remind him to stack 5 or so bags of pellets in my car
- Print out the confirmation for mom
- Put the confirmation and the check in my bag
- Along with Sam's water bottle
- Call in prescription refill
- Bank
- Pick up prescription
- Head to Peekskill
Friday, March 6, 2009
57
That was today's temperature! It was sunny as well. I wore a cute black & white print dress and even painted my nails red. A fine day two weeks before the Equinox. Well, mostly fine: Work was pretty annoying, due in most part to a couple of students wanting to be rescued from their self-made crap piles. Today was the last day of the first session and everything was a damn crisis. I had to make some sticky calls and pen some harsh e-mails, and the follow-up kept me totally side-tracked and unable to even touch other priority projects. To top it off, I had to listen to a faculty member talk literally nonstop for 36 minutes. I think I said 5 words, while she repeated herself 5 times over....anyway, that brings us to tonight - I was thinking about working on some of those projects from home, but...naaaah. I only posted 5 times in February, and we're nearly into the second week of March. My fans have been waiting too long. See how much I love you?
Sam is loving this Diego character lately. I've watched it, and basically, this total tool of a kid lives with his computer geek sister, Alisia, alone in an animal rescue center in some jungle. Are they orphans? We don't know. How do they know everything about every animal? We don't know. So, just to recap, they are whiz kid orphans that rescue animals. They are bilingual too. Do they live off the fruits of the forest or do they get deliveries from Dean & DeLuca? Again, they really leave us wondering.
Speaking of catchy packs, I picked up this bag for Spring/Summer. It's from Sherpani, and I have to give them a shout out because this is my second bag from them and I'm really enjoying their line - they are well designed, practical, and a nice balance of trendy/earthy, which, in my opinion, is not easy to pull off.
This bag is reversible! The other side is bright red with brown trim. The outside is black (clearly) but what you may not be able to see is that the handles are dark brown, along with the trim accent. It's so versatile - 2 bags in one and goes with a lot. You can scope out better deals then their website, of course. I found this one for $20.97 or something through Amazon marketplace.
This was my first bag from Sherpani. The Trevina. It's a little more crunchy, sure, but it's a great mid-size and I get lots of compliments on it. I've thrown it in the wash twice, and it still looks brand new. It has a water bottle compartment, mesh compartments, and a cute, light color print lining which makes ANY bag superior. Nothing worse than black hole interiors where you can't find anything. This is pretty much my Rescue Pack. Activate, Trevina!
That's all the fun for tonight. I will try to post more than 5 times this month!
The premise of each episode is that some cute, naive animal gets itself in a dangerous predicament and Diego, of course, knows exactly what to do. Alisia helps out with logistics from her computer (with a creepy keyboard consisting of bizarre symbols instead of letters) and he gets crucial visuals from his camera, Click (whose voice is provided by Rosie Perez. Yes. I checked on this, it's really her). Finally, when all else fails, he tells his backpack to activate, and Rescue Pack opens his eyes and comes to life via a catchy Latin beat and takes the form of WHATEVER PIECE OF EQUIPMENT DIEGO NEEDS - toboggan, motorboat, chainsaw, you name it. Lame, Diego, lame. I do like the Rescue Pack song though. I really can't get it out of my head. Rescue Pack has got your back. It's very Ricky Martin.
This bag is reversible! The other side is bright red with brown trim. The outside is black (clearly) but what you may not be able to see is that the handles are dark brown, along with the trim accent. It's so versatile - 2 bags in one and goes with a lot. You can scope out better deals then their website, of course. I found this one for $20.97 or something through Amazon marketplace.
This was my first bag from Sherpani. The Trevina. It's a little more crunchy, sure, but it's a great mid-size and I get lots of compliments on it. I've thrown it in the wash twice, and it still looks brand new. It has a water bottle compartment, mesh compartments, and a cute, light color print lining which makes ANY bag superior. Nothing worse than black hole interiors where you can't find anything. This is pretty much my Rescue Pack. Activate, Trevina!
That's all the fun for tonight. I will try to post more than 5 times this month!
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