Movin' On Up

I am sad to report this, but the car JP and I have been driving since I moved to Las Vegas over four years ago is seeing its last days. It is a two-door 1999 Chevy Cavalier that JP actually bought new two years before he came out West. We discovered over a month ago that the transmission is dying.

Ok, the truth is that I am not really sad at all to see this car go. There is nothing salvageable in it. The paint is flaking off. The spare tire in the trunk had to be cut out when the lug nuts holding it in place rusted. When it rains, the trunk leaks so water pools down in the spare tire area. The passenger's side seat won't slide up anymore (it is two-door). The padded part on the back of the steering wheel is worn down from gripping. The visors are frayed and broken. The AC only runs very cool when I have my foot on the gas, making stoplights particularly painful in the summer. The radio doesn't work. Even the seat belts don't work right. We actually came up with a list of 32 things wrong with the car.

From what I have learned, buying a car and then running it into the ground is the most financially wise move to make (rather than trading it in, leasing, getting new wheels, etc.). We have run it into the ground so hard that there is nothing left of it. It truly is the most ghetto of cars. The funny thing is that I am sure people assume we are poor, which goes to show you should never judge people by their cover. The only thing I might miss a little bit is not having the most ghetto car in the lot and not worrying about what happens to it.

In the hopes of heading off a complete meltdown of the other car, on Saturday we test drove a 2008 Mazda MAZDA3 sedan and a 2008 Honda Civic sedan (we are done with two-door cars FOREVER). The MAZDA3 has an awesome hatchback that, with the back seats down, would put small SUVs to shame. Overall, though, the Civic drove nicer and was roomier. Good on the environment, cute, easy to get around in, good engine... It seems like a solid car that will fair far better than the Cavalier has.

We went with the EX model, which is about the top of the line. It even has a moonroof and a six speaker stereo system that sounds fantastic. It is a bit of a splurge, but we decided that we might as well get something we really like since we intend to drive it until it dies. I am hoping that we get a good fifteen years out of it!

Meet Ruby, the newest member of our family, so named because the beautifully sparkly red color reminds me of Dorothy's ruby red slippers. I never thought I was a red car person till I saw this shade.