Hot Wheels
In 1995, after returning to the Bay Area from a 6-year stay in New York City, it became obvious that I needed a car. Since parking in New York City is one of Dante’s levels of hell, I had managed to avoid car ownership for the first 6 years of my adult life. But now things were changing and I would need reliable transportation to navigate the freeways of Northern California. After researching price, safety, fuel economy and reliability, I settled on a red, two-door, 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier. Until Wednesday, it was the only car I have ever owned.
The writing was on the wall. Once we found out we were having twins, it was obvious that having a 10-year-old car with two doors was not going to be adequate to house the plethora of baby items needed when traversing around with two babies. We definitely needed a new car – a big new car.
So, on Wednesday evening I drove my car one final time to the Nissan Dealership where we purchased a slightly used (it was a rental vehicle) 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The drive was a nostalgic one for me. Since I am a fairly emotional guy, I have to admit I teared up a bit when I finally had to say goodbye to my little Cavalier. I thanked it for its many years of great service and I told it it was worth way more than the $250 I got from the dealership for it. I gave it one last rub and said goodbye in the parking lot.
Getting into our new Pathfinder made me forget the Cavalier pretty quick, however. It’s so awesome! For starters, it has so much power (insert Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor grunt here). It has so much power that I almost ran over the car in front of me while merging onto the freeway for the first time. It rides great too. The moon roof is nice and the tow package may come in handy some day but the best feature, in my opinion, is the Bose Stereo system. The speakers sound great and, best of all, the radio display screen tells you the name of the artist and song currently playing. Pretty nice.
So, now we have plenty of room, even after installing the two infant carrier bases (By the way, the Latch System on these new cars sucks. I ended up using the seatbelt again.). If you ever need a ride, just let me know. Of course, you’ll have to chip in for gas. Let’s just say it doesn’t get quite the gas mileage my little Cavalier got.
10 Comments
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
ooh lah lah, I like it.
We have a piece of crap, uh I mean Ford Explorer. Next month, when we start looking at new cars, we have to look at the Chrysler Town and Country. The husband almost passed out cause I swore I would never have a mini van. Two kids and about 350lbs of traveling crap and let me tell you, stow away floor storage looks awesome! We’ll prolly get a Outback though. I can live with that.
Comment by Trishfreak — December 30, 2005 @ 1:07 pm
So long little red car. I get sentimental about cars too. When I sold the “B” I felt a sense of loss. I did see her again about a year later and it was like seeing an old friend. I recognized her from a block away and as I slowly drove past her I let out a big sigh and told her she still looked hot.
Comment by Grandmother — December 30, 2005 @ 2:44 pm
When I met my husband, he was manager at a Nissan dealership and drove a Pathfinder–we loved it. Then he transferred to the Chevy dealership and we have a Trailblazer and Tahoe–plenty of room in both. Having room in your vehicle really is a must with two carseats and all the junk that goes with the babies. Because my husband runs a dealership for a living, I can’t relate to the sentimental thing, but I know your new car will help ease the sting over letting go of the other:) How do the babies like the new car?
Comment by amy — December 30, 2005 @ 5:24 pm
Congratulations. Until last year, we had a Mazda MPV – a 1993 Mazda MPV. And we lloooved it. It held almost all our children, (we’d need a minibus to hold our entire blended family), and it just ran and ran and ran, with only minimal maintenance. So, when the time came to get a new vehicle, we of course went for a Mazda, used, because that’s what we can afford. We found the PERFECT one, not a speck of rust, reasonable mileage, lovely leather interior, in great shape. It’s a 1992!!
Comment by Mary — December 31, 2005 @ 5:21 am
I’ve had a few cars, but….. I too traded in my 2-door (in my case Honda Accord) for a big-ass SUV (in my case a Honda Pilot) upon learning of our bundle of joy.
I like the size except for when I have to park it somewhere and for when I have to mortgage the house to get gas…. oh well, at least now when my parents come to visit we don’t need to take two cars to go to dinner (love the third row of seats!)
Comment by Mrs Big Dubya — December 31, 2005 @ 9:49 am
Jealous, jealous, jealous – that’s all I can say. I’ve had a car (Toyota 4Runner) ever since college but had to give it up in my move to NYC 2 years ago. Now, I wish I had wheels to go to Target or Costco in the burbs so I’m not getting ripped off by the grocery stores in the city.
Comment by daddydrama — December 31, 2005 @ 12:04 pm
Congrats on the new vehicle! An SUV definitely has a different ride than a car. Once the kids are front facing? They are going to enjoy the view out their own windows though…and no stooping over to get them in and out of the vehicle. How ya liking THAT?
Comment by Grace — December 31, 2005 @ 9:05 pm
Oy! That’s the same vehicle Shaq drives! I bet it’s great for kids.
Comment by cityslickermom — January 2, 2006 @ 1:14 pm
Nice! Just wait until that’s not big enough for everything! hehe
Comment by Katie — January 3, 2006 @ 5:24 pm
I purchased the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder about the same time as you do, and love driving it. It has nearly 45K miles on it already. But are you finding (as I am) that the surfaces in the car don’t last up to normal wear and tear? I don’t have kids as you do, and would wonder how you found it lasting… the materials they used on the inside seem kinda weak.
Comment by Brad McCall — October 11, 2006 @ 1:28 pm