I am currently shopping for a new vehicle. I have been driving my Dad's 1991 Jeep Comanche since April of last year. I gave the last little pick-up truck to my daughter to drive and she, being the smart, sharp business mind I raised her to be, promptly sold it to her boyfriend for $2000.00.
The Comanche is barely stock, no radio, CD player, or Bluetooth. Manual transmission, bench vinyl seat, and plain white. It had 31,000 original km on it when I started driving it, it's been quite mechanically sound until recently. During one of our last snowstorms, I had to jump a snow bank out of my driveway to get to an assignment and I think I lost a chunk of the already thin exhaust pipes right up under the driver's side. This can't be good for the truck. It loses power going up hills, and is making the trip to my friend's shop on 16th a little tedious in the early morning hours.
I started looking in the last few weeks. I briefly thought about resurrecting my dream of a little black zippy sports car. My girlfriends all talk wistfully about the perfect little black dress and I am daydreaming of ripping up the mountain passes at ungodly speeds in my little black sports car. (while wearing my little black dress and stilettos. Lol!) I shopped around for something sporty for only a short time. I checked out a few older Porsche Boxters that were well cared for, a Pontiac Solstice, a few other convertible rocket ships, and then the practicality of the situation became evident. I needed a vehicle I could carry my gear in. The little zippy black sports car faded away into the mist waving it's windshield wipers goodbye as it zoomed away into the fog. (insert big mellow dramatic sigh here)
Hmmm, the practical vehicle. What should I choose? I had the big shiny SUV and loved it until it started falling apart after 4 solid years of hockey tournaments and ski races. Many friends suggested the Range Rover Sport as a suitable candidate, I smiled and politely reminded them of the current budget, then we quickly moved on to the next category. I toyed with the Ford Escape, the Nissan Pathfinder or Rogue, a VW Beetle, Golf, or Jetta. Then we touched on the Smart Car, the inevitable Toyotas, and even looked into older BMWs and Mercedes. What does one do when one is faced with so many choices? I called my insurance broker and asked what vehicle has the best insurance rates for a skilled driver, no accidents or speeding tickets, or demerits in 26 years of driving. I was schooled on the process by my agent. Did you know that the resale price of replacement parts is the first thing that is considered in the price of your insurance? Some car manufacturers prices are so outrageous that the insurance broker said quite plainly "don't even think about that one."
I now consider myself educated about these choices and am on the hunt for my slightly older new car. It isn't likely that it will be zippy or sporty, but hopefully, it will fit all my studio gear when I need to take it on assignment, both my kids when we need to go make the obligatory visit North to the family, and maybe a few friends for a day trip to hike in Kananaskis or Banff. I'd like to have one that will fit the kayak and gear when I feel the need to be on the river too, but maybe I'll settle for a decent roof rack. (umm I'm sure the Porsche Boxter is out of the running with that task anyway. Lol!)
I'll let you know what the final choice is, but don't wait up! This could take a while. Lol!
Don't forget to check your Compass!
Cole
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