The time is drawing near

My car has been giving me a few problems in the past few months.  I'm starting to think that the time is drawing near for her retirement.  I'm not really ready for that, but I also do not like wondering if my car will break down on my way to work.  

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Sam (my beautiful 1999 Pontiac Grand Am) will survive until at least September.  I would like to continue to save for our wedding/honeymoon and that will be more difficult with an additional car payment.  

Despite my hopes, I am preparing for the inevitable.  Philip and I have begun our search for a new vehicle.  We know that we will be getting an SUV.  I will be buying a brand new vehicle (for the first time ever!).  I know that I will drive it until it dies, so I want a reliable vehicle.  I want a car that will last forever (I've had Sam since high school -- she is at about 210,000 miles now).  

Well, Philip and I both guessed that we would be getting a Honda CR-V.  Philip has a 2007 Honda Civic SI.  It's a great car.  He's had several other Hondas and all have been reliable.  They're good, reliable, long-lasting cars.  

So, on Saturday, we went to the local Honda dealership to get Philip's oil changed and the other maintenance stuff done.  They were running behind, so we wandered around the lot looking at the vehicles available.  

I don't like the look of the Pilots.  They are too boxy.  So, we went over to the CR-Vs.  I wasn't really very impressed.  They don't look that great.  

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This was my favorite one on the lot.  I like red cars.  Philip wants a moonroof but unfortunately, the only ones that have the moonroofs also have leather (not so great for a vegetarian).  They get about 21/27 mpg.  Not bad.  But, they're just kind of boring.  I found myself staring at the front of the vehicle and thinking, "that's ugly."  

While we were looking, a salesman approached us.  He was very friendly even though he knew we wouldn't be buying a car today.  I think he saw my apprehension at the CR-Vs.  So, he took us to the Hyundai selection.  I immediately fell in love with this car:

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It's a Hyundai Tucson GLS PZEV.  It's cheaper than a CR-V.  It gets better fuel economy (21/28) and it's much nicer looking (in my opinion).  Also, it uses leatherette.  While this might be a bad thing for some consumers, it's fantastic for me!  It has all the perks of leather but without the dead cows!  :)  The interior looked fantastic and it had tons of options.  It's even rated higher in safety than the CR-V.  The warranty is even much, much better than the Honda warranty.  And, to top all that off, it is great for the environment since it's PZEV (partial zero emission vehicle).  

But, Philip was a party pooper.  He had to bring up all the negative things about the Tucson.  First up, it has far less cargo space than the CR-V.  My response: BUT IT'S PRETTIER!  Philip says, the Hyundai doesn't have as great of a record for reliability as Honda.  My response: BUT IT'S PRETTIER!!  Philip says, I don't think it will hold 2 kids, 4 dogs, and luggage if we go on a trip.  My response: BUT IT'S PRETTIER!!!  

Obviously, my argument did not hold up very well for Philip.  And, I know it's not a good reason to choose one vehicle over another.  I still think there are a lot of good reasons for wanting the Tucson over the CR-V, but in the end, I know my reasons are mostly because of the looks.  

Philip says that it's up to me in the end, but I know he says that because he knows I will choose the CR-V.  I can't justify buying a vehicle that I think will be less reliable just because IT'S PRETTIER.  When it does come time to buy a new vehicle, I know that we will go and test drive both of them (and possibly a few other options).  I really hope that I end up liking the CR-V better than the Tucson when we test drive them.  The 2012 CR-Vs are supposed to be redesigned, have better fuel economy, and have more room.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I really like it.  ;)

Also, I really do not like that salesman for reading my mind and showing me something that I liked.  lol... how's that for ridiculous?