What We Did This Weekend
Boy-oh-boy, this weekend was fun (that's only partly sarcastic). Friday night we actually had a real date. We usually just eat out and then do some serious window shopping. But this Friday we had dinner at Panera Bread (I feel bad for all of you that have no Panera Bread... and you can feel equally bad for us not having a Cafe Rio). Good stuff. Brookie had a chicken salad sandwich and her second favorite salad ever, the Summer Chicken Salad, with strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, and poppy seed dressing. I had a good ham and swiss on rye and some of the best New England Clam Chowder around.
After dinner we went to Paradise Park, a family "Fun Center" in Lee's Summit. We made good use of a 2-for-1 coupon for a round of miniature golf. Their course is outside and the weather was beautiful. We both played really well, and, as is usually the case, we had to skip one hole to pass a large group-date more interested in flirting than putting.
The big event for us this weekend came Saturday afternoon. We've begun the car buying process. Our '97 Accord has been a great car, but it's starting to show its age. We want to get into something that gets better gas mileage while our current car still has some street value we can squeeze out of it. I think we can get at least $3,200-3,500 by listing it on Craigslist, which will help to pay for the newer car.
We have been looking at cars in the 2004-06 range, and at three different models: the Honda Civic, the Mazda3, and the Scion xB. I sold 04-05 Civics, so I know how they drive, but neither of us had driven the other two models. So we found a few and took some test drives. I was a little worried about this because I didn't want to do the whole song and dance at any of the dealerships we were going to visit. After we were done though, I came to the conclusion that the Honda dealership I worked at was probably more aggressive than most.
First we went to see a 2006 Mazda3. It had low miles and I think they're cool, but I had no idea how they drove. We took it out for a spin and, well, now we're not looking at Mazda3s anymore. The interior was nice, but it was a low-end model. No power locks or windows, and, most importantly, no air conditioning. Brooke didn't especially enjoy the ride either, too bumpy.
Next we went across town, of course, to see an xB.* We called ahead and they said it was still there, but when we got there it had a SOLD tag on the rear-view mirror. I would have been pretty mad if it weren't available and they made us go all the way over there for nothing. Turns out that they had sold it, but couldn't get a hold of the buyers, so it was back on the market.
*I have to say that the first time I ever saw a Scion xB, I had never heard of Scion, and I thought it was easily the most hideous thing on four wheels. They've grown on me, and now their funky hideousness is cool.
I could tell from the look in Brooke's eyes that she liked it. It was super roomy inside, but it looked like a small compact car from the outside. It drove really well, not a lot of horsepower, but we're not exactly grease monkeys, so it didn't matter too much. Its pick-up was fine for anyone not street racing. We ended the test drive, parked the xB back in its spot, and turned the dealer plate and key back in at the front desk. I still think Brooke was slightly disappointed that we didn't make an offer. But, like I said, I didn't want the song and dance. I hate the song and dance.
We tried to see a Civic in the area, but we were told that the Civics we'd seen online were currently being reconditioned in the shop and would be available later this week. But, like I said, we're already really familiar with Hondas. So familiar that both cars I've owned, I purchased before I ever drove them.
So, that's what we did this weekend. What did you do?
After dinner we went to Paradise Park, a family "Fun Center" in Lee's Summit. We made good use of a 2-for-1 coupon for a round of miniature golf. Their course is outside and the weather was beautiful. We both played really well, and, as is usually the case, we had to skip one hole to pass a large group-date more interested in flirting than putting.
The big event for us this weekend came Saturday afternoon. We've begun the car buying process. Our '97 Accord has been a great car, but it's starting to show its age. We want to get into something that gets better gas mileage while our current car still has some street value we can squeeze out of it. I think we can get at least $3,200-3,500 by listing it on Craigslist, which will help to pay for the newer car.
We have been looking at cars in the 2004-06 range, and at three different models: the Honda Civic, the Mazda3, and the Scion xB. I sold 04-05 Civics, so I know how they drive, but neither of us had driven the other two models. So we found a few and took some test drives. I was a little worried about this because I didn't want to do the whole song and dance at any of the dealerships we were going to visit. After we were done though, I came to the conclusion that the Honda dealership I worked at was probably more aggressive than most.
First we went to see a 2006 Mazda3. It had low miles and I think they're cool, but I had no idea how they drove. We took it out for a spin and, well, now we're not looking at Mazda3s anymore. The interior was nice, but it was a low-end model. No power locks or windows, and, most importantly, no air conditioning. Brooke didn't especially enjoy the ride either, too bumpy.
Next we went across town, of course, to see an xB.* We called ahead and they said it was still there, but when we got there it had a SOLD tag on the rear-view mirror. I would have been pretty mad if it weren't available and they made us go all the way over there for nothing. Turns out that they had sold it, but couldn't get a hold of the buyers, so it was back on the market.
*I have to say that the first time I ever saw a Scion xB, I had never heard of Scion, and I thought it was easily the most hideous thing on four wheels. They've grown on me, and now their funky hideousness is cool.
I could tell from the look in Brooke's eyes that she liked it. It was super roomy inside, but it looked like a small compact car from the outside. It drove really well, not a lot of horsepower, but we're not exactly grease monkeys, so it didn't matter too much. Its pick-up was fine for anyone not street racing. We ended the test drive, parked the xB back in its spot, and turned the dealer plate and key back in at the front desk. I still think Brooke was slightly disappointed that we didn't make an offer. But, like I said, I didn't want the song and dance. I hate the song and dance.
We tried to see a Civic in the area, but we were told that the Civics we'd seen online were currently being reconditioned in the shop and would be available later this week. But, like I said, we're already really familiar with Hondas. So familiar that both cars I've owned, I purchased before I ever drove them.
So, that's what we did this weekend. What did you do?
there seems to be a broken link on your "what will Todd and Brooke buy" poll. I'll let you know what I think when I can cast my ballot.
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