I Bought A Car!

I did not pick out my first or second cars. My parents bought a dependable Saturn for my first car. It was awesome not to have car payments and I adored my little boat of a car (though I was terrified of driving). When I was in college, some idiot hit me head-on at 80mph in the rain - he crossed several lanes of traffic to do it. My first car was totaled and I was really banged-up (neck, back, and wrist injuries), but I was glad to have survived it. The insurance covered medical bills and the car damages, so my second car was mostly paid for. Since I was laid up at school with injuries, my parents picked out this car as well - another Saturn. Still a great car and I have very fond memories associated with it. Seven years and 170,000+ miles later, my car was costing more than it was worth. So, I had to go car shopping.

I did lots of online research and decided to stick to 3 companies: Saturn (since I was familiar with them), Honda (b/c of reliability and high safety ratings), and Toyota (same reason as Honda). I also decided on what were the most important attributes: safety, fuel efficiency, and cost. I was bummed to determine that, even after the gas savings, hybrids were too expensive for my budget. I actually made a chart that graphed cost of vehicle vs. average fuel efficiency. I also called my insurance to find out how my rate would change for each car (click on the above picture for a bigger view of my chart). That brought me to my final four that I intended to test drive:

2008 Honda Fit - 5-door hatchback with "magic seats"
Pros: cheapest in cost & insurance; most fuel efficient (avg 30mpg); lots of extras come as standard (side air bags, A/C, power windows & doors, etc.)
Cons: smallest engine; smallest wheels (14" Fit; 15" Fit Sport); had heard it feels a little unstable to drive on highway

2008 Scion xD - 5-door hatchback that replaces xA (Scion owned by Toyota)
Pros: next in line for cost & insurance; fuel efficient (avg 29mpg); bigger engine than Fit; also lots of extras as standard
Cons: not as much cargo space as Fit; I don't like the console (speedometer & tachometer are combined and the center has like blinders on it); wider than Fit so not quite as maneuverable (though it is shorter than Fit)

2008 Toyota Carolla - 4-door sedan
Pros: 3rd for cost (after adding what is standard on Fit & xD) & insurance; fuel efficient (avg 30mpg - same as Fit)
Cons: boring car; not as maneuverable b/c wide; have to add on a lot of what comes standard on other cars

2008 Honda Civic - 4-door sedan
Pros: fuel efficient (avg 29mpg); extreme reliability (work colleague has one with over 200K that is still going strong)
Cons: most expensive for cost & insurance; boring car; not as maneuverable b/c wide

After my test drives, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Fit performed. It did not feel shaky (and we took it on the highway); it turned on a dime (quite a change from the Saturns); shifting gears was completely smooth. The dealership only had 2 Honda Fits, both Sport models. I looked at what extras came with the sport model for the extra ~$1000 (cruise control, MP3 connector, bigger alloy wheels, plus stuff I don't care about - rear spoiler, paddle shifters, option to run car in manual, etc.) and decided it was worth the cost.

Here's my new cute little Honda Fit next to my old Saturn (which has since been sold to CarMax - check them out; I got more than I thought for the car). The Sport version also has fog lights, rear spoiler, and bigger (15") alloy wheels with wheel locks (apparently people like to steal these wheels).

View of the console - I really like the placement of all the controls in the Fit. The Sport version adds cruise control, paddle shifters, and MP3 connector.

The back seats are actually fairly roomy and very comfortable - they even recline! They have headrests, but I took them off for better visibility out the back window (I'll put them back if anyone ever rides back there). They are 60-40 split, so we can ride with dogs and humans.

This hatchback has pretty good cargo space with "Magic Seats". The picture shows it in "Utility Mode". The back seats can also fold up to create a "Tall Mode" that will fit a standing bicycle. On long trips, you can fold the front passenger seat down and recline the back seat for "Refresh Mode", like business class seating.

It's a fun car to drive and has made my daily commute a lot more pleasant. Now, all I need is a name for her.

Starsky Made a Friend

Aren't they cute? Tasha is being very tolerant of Starsky, which is very good for his self-esteem and overcoming his fear issues. He is smitten with her and loves to follow her around. When I come home from work, I take him & Shelby out for a potty break. When we come back inside, the first thing he does is run upstairs to check on her in the closet.

Tasha's New Trick

Tasha has been feeling much better, but she's developed a little quirk since she took ill. She's been sleeping in our closet a lot. She's usually in there when I come home from work and sometimes goes in there at night. We've actually figured out that she eats more food if you feed her in the closet late at night. No idea why she wants to eat in the closet at 11pm, but at least she eats. The crate you see above is actually for Starsky, the foster (aka El Destructo), to prevent him from tearing up the house. Apparently, Tasha is fond of sleeping in the crate when we're all home and Starsky is out of it. Weird dog.