Farewell to a Friend

I've been quiet on the subject of Sam since my last "Auto Update."  That's because she's gone.  I sold her to one of our neighbors.  He is a mechanic so I knew she'd be getting a good home.  

He's already fixed just about everything that was wrong with her (much easier to do when you can do it all for free yourself!).  The a/c is working, the windows are fixed, the gas gauge works, she got an alignment and new tires, her rotors are polished, and she's lookin' sharp.  

I am happy that she's got a good new home (with someone who loves her like I did), but I can't lie.  The night she left, I shed a few tears.  I know that I have an irrational attachment to inanimate objects (especially my car).  I can't help myself.  There are lots of good memories with that car.  Hopefully she will have many good years with her new owner as well.  :)

The Pilot Adventure...

Monday, Philip and I worked out a budget to see how much we could afford to spend on a new Pilot for him.  We knew that we'd probably have to spend more than we wanted to because Philip has terrible credit (he was really dumb with his credit when he was young -- fortunately, the stupid stuff should just be on his credit for another year or two!).  

Well, he decided that he was going to go up to Honda of Greeley to see if they could offer him any more than what Planet Honda had offered him for his trade-in ($11,000).  The best that they could do was match Planet.  But they promised to work with him to try to get him a better deal.  The problem was, Planet Honda had already given us a quote for a sale Pilot that they had (several thousand off the MSRP).  Honda of Greeley couldn't match their price.  

However, they begged Philip to work with them to try to get the financing where he wanted it.  They threw in a maintenance package and a 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty for the Pilot and then we got down to business.  

They went back and forth with American Honda Finance for a few hours.  I didn't think they were going to be able to make it happen.  However, the manager said he called in a few favors and argued for Philip (he has only ever owned Hondas and he's never been late on a payment).  Somehow, he was able to get us 1.9% financing (just to give you an idea, I've got WAY better credit than Philip and I was still only able to get 7.1% financing at Planet Honda -- because I don't have any auto loans on my credit history).  The 1.9% financing is what they give people with absolutely superb credit.  Not us!

But, Philip was ecstatic!  I drove up after work to sign all of the paperwork.  We transferred all of the stuff out of Philip's car to the new Pilot and then said goodbye to her.  She was a good car.  :)

And now, without further ado, meet Philip's new 2011 Honda Pilot EX-L (her name is Scarlet):

She is Dark Cherry Pearl with Beige leather interior.  The seats all fold down flat and lock (which the dogs love!).  There are about 57 cup holders and electrical outlets.  It's got nooks and crannies everywhere.  It has three rows of seats:

(Source)

It's absolutely fantastic.  Philip's favorite feature is the back-up camera.  What can I say?  He's easily amused!  I am really happy for Philip.  He's getting exactly what he wants.  And, Scarlet is beautiful.  :)

So Much For That Plan

So, you might remember that last week I was saying we were waiting until December to buy Philip a new Honda Pilot so that we could get more for his trade-in (the Civic).  Well, Saturday (also known as the day from hell), we went to the brand new Ikea in Centennial (South Denver).  

After a bunch of hassle, we finally got what we came for (like I said, the day from hell).  Since we were in the area, I asked Philip if he wanted to stop by a different dealership to see if they would give him more for his trade-in than Planet Honda offered (and to see if he even liked the Honda Pilots).  

Philip immediately fell in love with the Pilot.  However, since we just went to Ikea, we had my CR-V instead of Philip's Civic.  They told us that they'd have to see the Civic first, but they were sure they could probably match or beat what Planet Honda offered us.  

So, we drove the hour back home to get his car and the hour back to Kuni Honda.  When we arrived, they told us that they'd called around to the auction companies in the area (they have to wholesale Philip's Civic because he was in an accident where the airbags went off) and the most they could get for it is $5,000 (Planet Honda had offered us $11,000 for it!).  The salesman told us to scoop up the offer from Planet immediately before they changed their mind about it!

I was irritated that we had driven all the way back to Denver for nothing, but I was determined to make the best of it.  We drove to the other side of Denver to go to Planet Honda.  We arrived at about 7:30, but they close at 7pm (on a Saturday! Really?) so we couldn't do anything that day.  We were really bummed.  We were hoping to get a good end of the month deal (it was July 30th).  

However, we refocused ourselves that night.  We knew we didn't want to keep paying on a car that wasn't worth what we owed on it.  So, I emailed Planet Honda and told them that we would be in on Wednesday to discuss buying a Pilot.  

To Be Continued...

Auto Update

I am still loving my new CR-V.  It gets fantastic gas mileage (for an SUV).  I'm getting 27mpg combined city and highway.  And my drive is about half and half.  It's almost as good as what my car was getting, so I'm really happy with it!  

I have someone interested in buying Sam (my Grand Am).  I wasn't going to sell her, but I feel kind of bad just having her sit in the garage without being used.  However, the thought of selling her makes me tear up a bit.  She's been a good car to be for a lot of years.  I know.  I am irrationally attached to my car.  I can't help it.  I'm sure that with time, I will be irrationally attached to Lucius (my new CR-V) as well.  

In other auto news, exactly what I thought would happen has happened.  I knew that when I bought my new car, Philip would start wanting a new one.  You see, Philip does not get nearly as attached to vehicles as I do (like a normal person!).  He just likes having new vehicles.  ;)

Sure enough, about a week after we bought Lucius, we got a letter in the mail from Planet Honda basically begging us to sell them Philip's Honda Civic SI.  Philip was interested in trading it in on a new Honda Pilot but because his car was in an accident where the airbags went off, they cannot offer us as much as we'd like for it.  

So, we are waiting until later this year when the 2012s arrive.  Then we will have paid a little more on the Civic and we will hopefully be able to get a good deal on the 2011s.  :)  

It doesn't stop there though.  Philip is worried about losing his "race car."  He loves how sporty his car is.  A Honda Pilot is a large SUV and will not be nearly as peppy.  So, we will be buying a motorcycle next spring/summer to feed his need for sportiness.  

This way, we can have the best of both worlds.  He can have a large family vehicle (even though the kids are still several years away -- it still fits the dogs really well!) and have something sporty to drive when the urge strikes.  The motorcycle will also be nice for gas mileage in the summertime!  

So there you have it.  Lots of auto news in our household.  It's pretty exciting stuff!

The Stats

I'm still fascinated by my car, so it's probably going to fill up a few more blog posts until the newness wears off.  ;)  Bear with me here, people.  It's my first new car!

As I told you before, it's a Honda CR-V SE.  It's a 4 cylinder, 5 speed automatic.  It has 17" alloy wheels and a Drive-by-Wire Throttle System.

It's got Real Time 4wd.  That means that it will go into 4WD when it is needed, or anytime a single wheel slips, it is compensated for in "real time" by the computer delivering a signal to cause power to be delivered to the opposite wheel to insure that both wheels are delivering power to the ground. When the "power" is not needed to all of the wheels they run free.  I like that because it will kick in on its own and I don't have to do anything!

It seats five with 35.7 cubic feet of storage space in the back.  If the rear seats are folded up, there are 72.9 cubic feet of storage space.  And there is so much head room!  I tried to tap the ceiling on Friday night because I saw a headlight out and it seemed like my hand went up forever before reaching the top!  It really threw me off!  

It has rear privacy glass and folding power side mirrors (to fit in smaller spaces).  It's got a ton of different airbags (let's hope I never need them!) and safety features.  It has three power adapters (one in the front, one in the center console, and one in the rear) and an auxiliary input jack for my iPod (as well as a 6 CD changer).  It has 8 drink holders and steering wheel mounted cruise and radio controls.  

One of my favorite things in the car are the seats.  They are comfortable, but more than that, the rear seats are adjustable.  They can be adjusted forward to leave more room in the back.  But, they can also be tilted back so that people can lean backwards and relax, just like the front seats!  They also fold up in crazy ways to leave tons of room in the back.  :)

One of the best things about the Hondas is the Maintenance Minder system.  It tells me what my oil life is along with tons of other maintenance related things so I know exactly when my car needs to be taken in (and I get free oil changes for life!).  

And, I freakin' love that it tells me what my MPG is along with how many miles I have left on a tank of gas.  It is AMAZING!  

However, the things that I love most about this car: the gas gauge works, it has remote entry,  and it has working air conditioning!  Those are all things that I longed for while driving Sam.  And, now I have them!  I feel so spoiled.  ;)  I am really loving my Lucius.  

I almost forgot!

I'm sure that you must've noticed that my beautiful new Lucius is Yankee blue.  Well, he wouldn't be complete without this:

Now all he needs is my "My Golden Retriever is smarter than your honor student!" sticker, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere yet.  I'm sure I'll find it soon, though.  ;)

The Decision: We Are a Honda Family!

After a few minutes of discussion, it was decided: we would be buying this vehicle.  So, we put our game faces on and stepped inside.  I filled out the credit application and we got the show on the road.  

The salesman went back to the finance department and did his thing.  He brought back an offer.  This is where I thought that Philip would be helpful.  After all, he has been through this process several times since he's bought several cars.  I thought that he would be the master negotiator.  Not so.  He was absolutely ZERO help.  Ha!  I had to do all of the negotiating.  

I haggled some and he went back to finance.  He came back with a counteroffer.  I haggled some more.  He went back to finance.  In the end, we ended up getting a great price.  We got it down to the price we were willing to pay per month for the car, but it also included a lifetime service plan and the 8 year/120,000 mile extended warranty for the car.  I get free tire rotations, oil changes, car washes, etc., for life!  Yay!  :)  

So, here he is:

And there you have it.  My beautiful new car.  His name is Lucius.  :)  And I love him already.  Ha!

Our New Automobile: An Adventure

I talked to Philip on Thursday and we decided it was time to begin the search for a new vehicle.  So, on Friday afternoon, he met me in Denver at my office.  We had tickets for the Kenny Chesney concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater.  

Before heading to the concert, we went to Planet Honda to do a little browsing.  Almost immediately upon exiting Philip's car, a salesman approached us.  We told him what we were looking for and he was just about drooling over Philip's car (a 2007 Honda Civic SI).  He was hoping that we would be trading it in.  Apparently, they can't keep those in stock.  They sell like crazy.  We had to disappoint him.  ;)  That car will be staying with us until it won't run anymore!

We went inside and discussed options.  I told him that I either wanted the Honda CR-V or the Hundai Tucson.  They sell both at the Planet Honda/Hundai.  I asked him how the reliability was on the Tucson (we know that the Hondas are excellent cars!).  He told me that the Tucsons are really cool and cute but they've had 2 people bring back the 2011 model with transmission issues.  He said that it was, of course, covered under warranty because they were less than a year old (the Tucson warranty is actually pretty good -- better than the Honda warranty).  

I knew that he had no reason to lie to us.  He sells both the Hondas and the Hundais and the Hundai I wanted was more expensive than the Honda I wanted.  So, I decided to not even test drive the Hundai.  I knew I liked the interior and exterior of the vehicle better than the CR-V and I just didn't want to fall in love with something that would give me a bunch of mechanical problems.  

Then it was time to decide which CR-V I was interested in.  I didn't want to spend a ton since we are buying the vehicle sooner than we wanted to.  So, I started looking at the basic model: The LX.  They didn't have any in colors that I liked.  So, Philip asked him about the differences between in the LX and the SE (Special Edition).  The SE adds privacy tint to the back windows, adds alloy wheels, and adds radio controls to the steering wheel.  I think there were a few other differences, but those were the big sellers to Philip.  That and it only added $400 to the price of the car.  And, they had a navy blue CR-V SE.  

So, we took it for a spin.  I drove it for a few miles and then Philip drove it back.  It took a little getting used to.  My little car has a good bit of "get up and go."  The CR-V isn't quite as peppy.  Of course, Sam is a V6 but the CR-V is only a 4 cylinder.  Anyway, it rode smooth and it was really quiet.  And, it was very spacious.  

When we got back to the lot, the salesman asked us what we thought.  I asked for a few minutes with Philip to discuss.  The salesmen went back inside while we talked about what we wanted to do and explored the interior of the car a little more. 

Stay tuned for our decision!

My lovely window adventure

Yesterday, I was jamming out in my car.  I, of course, had my windows down because my air conditioning went out months ago.  I hate it, but I'm dealing with it.  I just can't call anyone on my way home (and lately on my way to work -- it's getting hot earlier and earlier!) because the wind from the windows is too loud.  Fortunately, there isn't much humidity in Denver, so just driving with the windows down is tolerable even in the 90 or 100 degree heat.  

Anyway, back to yesterday.  It began to rain, so I started rolling up my windows.  Then I heard a snap and my driver's side window (already almost all the way up), crashed back down into the door.  And then I heard a crack.  I think my window may have shattered.  

When I got home, I tried to look down into the door to see if I could see the glass, but I couldn't.  The passenger side rear window is broken (won't roll up), but the glass only goes to the bottom of the hole for the window and I can still pull it up.  The glass for the driver's side window is nowhere to be seen.  

Gah!  My car is falling apart!  Philip and I are going to try to take apart the door this weekend to see if the window fell shattered or not.  

No matter what, I'm screwed.  If the window shattered, I'll have to put something over the window and then I'm going to die in the heat because I can't roll down the window!  If it didn't shatter, I'm still in the same boat because I'll just have to tape/glue the window up and I still won't be able to roll it down!  Because there is no way I'm paying to have it fixed!  It will cost more than my car is worth at this point.  

Philip and I bought new phones the weekend before last.  I joked with Philip that now even my phone is worth more than my car.  I really wish I were joking.  

We were originally going to buy me a new car this fall because we thought Philip's car was paid off next spring.  Well, it turns out that the car is not paid off until spring of 2013.  So, we've been trying to not have to buy a new car for me until next fall.  I really don't think that's going to work.  The way my car is going, one of the damn doors are going to fall off by next month.  

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.  

(Source)

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:

(Source)

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?  

I love Sam. :)

No, I am not cheating on Philip. I still love him beyond belief. He is amazing and wonderful and spectacular and every other positive descriptive word. :)

Sam is my car. Sam is a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am. I have had her since high school. She was originally red, but now she's more of a dark orangish color.

Many people ask me why I continue to use Sam. They demand to know why I have not "upgraded." You see, some people choose to define Sam as a "clunker" or "Piece of Crap" car.

Not me. I love my car. She is awesome. She is paid for. She has no problems that interfere with her driving. Sure, she may have a few minor imperfections, but do those really matter? I mean, the point of having a car is to get one from point A to point B, right? Well, Sam does that perfectly. I get her regular oil changes and that's about it. She just continues to go. She will hit 200,000 miles very soon. :)

What are those imperfections, you ask? Well, here goes:

• She has some scuffs in the paint from when I was first learning to drive and backed into my uncles truck... not as bad as it sounds. It just scuffed up the paint job in a small spot on the back passenger side fender.
• She has some denting and defects around the front, driver's side fender. This is because she was hit by a school bus... while parked... at a school. A school bus driver hit and ran my poor, Sam (but I got Jack -- my oldest pup -- as a "feel better" present, so I believe it was fate).
• The gas gauge does not work. It never has. I just track the mileage every time I fill up. I know when I need gas.
• The light in the clock/radio does not work so I can't actually see what time it is or what station number is on. Eh, who really cares. I've got my cell phone to tell me what time it is... and, I already have my favorite stations programmed anyway. :)
• My back, passenger side window has come off the track. It won't roll up or down... but it does slide down. It's not a big deal. I never have anyone in the back anyway.

I think that's about it. There are some other minor imperfections regarding cosmetics, but nothing serious. So, what is wrong with my car? Is it really so bad that she has history? She's been through a lot with me. I feel a connection with my car. She is a GREAT car.

I will drive Sam until the day the wheels fall off. So, for those of you who think I should take on another expensive bill when, really, my car is just fine, mind your own business. I hope Sam lasts another 11 years. :)

Tara's Short but Craptastic Adventure...

So... tonight, when I got off work, I came home to take care of my boys. I fed them, watered them, played with them, got them set for the evening, and then I got ready to go. I was supposed to be spending the evening with Philip and Richard. We were going to go bowling. I've been looking forward to it. I've wanted to go bowling for weeks. And besides that, tonight is Richard's last night in town. He probably won't be back until this summer.

So, I head out the door. I look down at my odometer and realize that I need to fill up my tank before I drive into Charlotte. I briefly think about what a downer it would be to break down in Charlotte. I drive to the gas station I always use. It's about a mile away from our house. I fill up my tank. The gas is a little higher than it has been. I have to spend $18 to fill up. It's been around $14-15. So, I was a little disappointed. I think about how awesome it is that I am disappointed about $18 when it wasn't that long ago that I had to spend $40 or more to fill up my car. :)

Then, I get into my car. I put the key in the ignition. I turn the key. Nothing happens. I take a deep breath and try again. Nothing happens. I take another deep breath and try again. Again, nothing happens. I try to relax. I think about who I can call. Joe is on his way back from Virginia and still hours away. No help there. I call him anyway to tell him what's going on. He says he'll try to get to me, but it'll be a while. He was supposed to be meeting me at Philip's later on. I tell him to just go on to Philip's and I'll call our neighbors. They are, after all, the only people that we actually know in Shelby. I remember that Jay's van was gone when I left. So, he would be of no help to me.

So, I walk into the gas station and wait in line. The cashier was very friendly. I explained that my car wouldn't turn over and that I needed someone to give me a jump. She said that she couldn't jump me, but recommended I ask the gentleman at the diesel pump on the other side of the building. It was a tow truck driver. He was towing a truck back to the UPS facility, but he had to fill up first. I asked him if he could give me a jump. He came over to take a look at my car (on the other side of the building). He played with some wires for a few minutes and asked me to give it a try. It still didn't work. So, he told me to get into the car and put it in neutral. Then, he pushed my car all the way around to his truck.

I couldn't believe how nice he was to me. He hooked up the jumper cables to my car and told me to crank it. Still nothing. We did this for a while and still nothing. He thought that maybe it was my starter. I asked him if he could possibly give me a tow or if he could call someone from his company to give me a tow. He said that he had to drop off the truck he was currently towing and then he'd be back to get me. I asked him if he took credit cards and he said yes. Then, he pushed my car out of the way.

He left and came back a few minutes later. He hooked my car up and we were on our way. It was only a mile or two away from my house, so it took only a few minutes. He unhooked my car from his truck and told me that he wasn't going to charge me. I thanked him profusely (as I did through this whole ordeal) and told him that it wasn't necessary and that I could pay. He refused and said that he was coming that direction anyway (lies! he had to go way out of his way to come back and pick me up!). But, I accepted. I got his card and he gave me a reference for a garage in Shelby to work on my car. I told him that I would probably need a tow when I had to take it to the garage (if it still wouldn't start).

This man made my night quite a bit brighter. :) It could have been a LOT worse. I feel really bad, though, because I don't even know his name. I assumed that it would be on the business card, but it was just a general business card for the company he worked for. I'm going to find out his name and send him a thank you card.

Good news on top of it all: Joe changed the battery yesterday (it was very old... like as old as my car), and my car started right up. :) YAY!!!