Finally!

Yesterday afternoon we finally were able to bring our new car home, as the check came on Friday. It's been 18 years since I've financed a car, and boy, how things have changed. It took us over two hours to apply for credit, get our credit checked, fill out paperwork, and swim through a mind-boggling array of extra options related to extended warranties, maintenance plans and various anti-theft coverage. Suffering from information overload, we said we would need to take a couple of days to talk it over as far as the extra stuff. I've always heard that extended warranty coverage is a ripoff, and I want the chance to do some online research so we can decide if it's a good use of money. We already own half of the car outright. Not as good as buying it with cash, but we think it's important to leave something in the savings account.

The car is beautiful. Paul let me be the one to drive it the 4 miles home, while he followed in the old car. It's so brand-spanking new, the odometer was still in the single digits. I drove like a little old lady, gently and carefully. Originally I had planned to drive it to my restaurant gig in North Royalton, where I was subbing for someone, but I hadn't added it to the insurance policy yet, and I just felt like it was tempting fate to drive it on the freeway in the pouring rain when I'm still learning my way around it. (I did have time to add it today, so we're free and clear to drive it now.)

We sure are a couple of cautious old farts. "So what's the first thing you did with your new car?"

"Well, we drove it home and then left it in the garage for 2 days." Well, better boring than sorry.

Car Purchase in Progress

We did get a chance to test drive the Fit last Tuesday evening. The dealer had one base model in stock in Tidewater Blue (our first color choice). It has a tiny, but zippy engine, and has the feel of a high-quality entry level vehicle, comparable to a new Civic but a little less low-riding. The only thing we don't like so much is the small view through the rear window. Compared to what we're used to, it's like looking through the small end of a telescope. Because of this, the blind spots are slightly bigger. Everything else about it is so much just what we want that we are willing live with that and rely a bit more on turning our heads and using the side mirrors.

They have installed the options we've asked for, a keyless entry system and a cargo cover for the back. The car is all ready to go. We're just waiting for the check from our investment savings account to be processed, which we will use as our down payment. Since this involved selling some securities, it's not exactly instant access to our money. (I sent the authorization form last Thursday morning and the check couldn't be processed until today.) Patience, patience. We are so fortunate that our schedules allow us to share my Civic without much inconvenience in the meantime.

Baby's First Bifocals

Lately I've noticed my reading focus is stating to waver. Last year, it only happened when wearing contacts (not glasses), but now it happens with the glasses, too. Last June, I had a little bifocal added to my prescription, but I didn't buy new glasses and let it slide another year. I knew it would just keep getting worse for a while anyway.

So last week I had my annual eye exam and sprung for the bifocals this time. It's the mildest prescription available (+100, sort of a training bra for bifocals), but I still decided on the progressive lenses. I don't want a stark line in the middle of my lenses. Not only is it ugly and granny-looking, but it makes it a lot harder to see! Add in anti-glare surface, anti-scratch coating, etc. and they set me back quite a bit, even with the 30% AAA discount.

Not to mention the frames. I tried on at least 10 frames. Didn't have a clue how they looked on me since I couldn't see, so the salesperson took pictures of me wearing them so I could at least have some idea how they look. Of course, the one I liked the best was the first one I tried on and the most expensive. Oh well, still cheaper than 2 years' worth of contacts. Here's a picture of my frames:

I had to wait 8 days (not exactly glasses in an hour--I think those days, like those of filing the 1040-EZ tax form, are now behind me forever). I just got them yesterday. It is much easier to read and do homework. The computer and reading music at the piano will take a little getting used to, since that's an intermediate distance. I can see clearly at all distances now (yay!) but to do so, now I have to tilt my head up and down until I'm looking through the appropriate part of the lenses. They're not that different, but it is noticeable. There is some distortion at the outer edges, so if I want to see something clearly to the side, I must turn my head. I have a little bit of a headache and it feels like I'm looking at the world underwater through a thick scuba mask.

We Need a New Car!

Paul, hurrying to get to his Aikido teaching last Sunday, had a fender bender for the first time in his life. No one was hurt and no air bags deployed, but his hood got crunched, grill destroyed and headlights shattered. Although the hood now wouldn't open, he was able to drive home. Fortunately, he still has collision coverage. He made an appointment for Monday morning with State Farm's authorized repair facility, which happens to be in walking distance and on the way to work. The estimated repair cost--$2200--sure isn't pretty, but we both agreed, you can't buy a replacement car as dependable as his for that.

Then came the bad news on Wednesday. State Farm declared his car a total loss since it's only worth about 3 grand. So now he has two choices: 1) surrender the title to State Farm and they will take possession of the car in exchange for a check of about $2700 or 2) keep the car, whose title is now officially invalid and follow whatever legal procedures necessary to get it reapproved by the state of Ohio. Basically, it was a choice between taking the money to put toward a new car or jumping through hoops, with no guarantee of success, for an 11-year-old car with 155,000 miles on it. Hmmmm.

It wasn't too difficult to decide that I would spend my (now copious) free time yesterday researching what is out there as far as economical choices for new or gently used cars. I haven't car shopped for 8 years. Prices certainly have gone up. If you want something that will be dependable for 10 years, $10K isn't enough anymore. I am happy with my 10-year-old Civic, though I do miss the hatchback for ease of transporting the occasional 3-dimensional large object (like a bike or a full-sized keyboard). Paul and I both want the same things in a new car, which made it really easy to narrow it down.

Requirements:

• Average fuel economy not below 30mpg. Even when gas was $1.00/gal, this was a non-negotiable for both of us. We've both driven subcompact gas-sippers for our entire adult lives, whether it was trendy or not.
• Long-term reliability for the lowest price possible. Minimum 10 years. We like not having a car payment. I haven't had one for 8 years and he hasn't had one for 7. You do have to spend some money to get a car that will last, but we'd like to keep it down. I love the idea of a hybrid, but it's just too expensive, and then you have to think about battery disposal and replacement costs someday, and I bet it's thousands. If you don't drive that many miles, it's just not worth it.
  
• A hatchback with space to carry bulky items would be my dream. But still a subcompact with high MPG.

Fortunately (in a way), there are only a few models out there that meet all of my criteria. I plowed through a lot of ads, specs, reviews and message board discussions and came up with a winner--the Honda Fit. After talking with Paul and sleeping on it, I feel even more confident today that this is what we want. We've scheduled our first dealership visit for late this afternoon. I have another one in the works, through AAA, early next week.

I hate the thought of having to spend $15-16K at a time we didn't choose to replace Paul's car, but quality up front saves money and headaches later. At least we can survive as a one-car household for weeks if we need to, since I am underemployed for the summer and he only needs the car when I don't.