Anyone that has been in our (old) car over the past year or so understands why we did what we did this past weekend. I mean, I loved the CRV, it certainly served its purpose, but let's be honest, that pretty little thing was on its last leg, and I'm pretty sure that said leg was broken. It's squeaked, it squealed, it shook and it was fairly busted up. There was a plug in one of the tires, a couple of cracks in the windshield, and the key would only fit in the keyhole on the drivers side door on occasion. The trunk was difficult to open, the check engine light was on, and it was due for an inspection in May. That info alone should tell you that what we did was the right thing to do. Not enough for ya, fine, I'll continue. It got about 23 miles to the gallon, and with gas prices as they are, and not getting better any time soon, we were dropping at least $100 a week. There, that ought to seal the deal. So, what did we do about it you ask. Well, we did what we have been wanting to do for a while now. We our the proud owners of a 2008 Toyota Prius.
After reading about all of the problems our old car had, what do you think the dealer told us? I fully expected them to offer me a pack of Bubblicious brand bubble gum in exchange for it, but they actually gave us $4500! I couldn't believe it. It turns out, that is exactly what we owed on it, so that was a wash, and we were more than happy with that result! The CRV wasn't worth a damn, not in the state it was in. We had gone to another dealer and they offered us $3000, and they didn't want to go that high. That and the Prius they had wasn't as good as the one we got, so I guess that all worked out. I won't mention the name of that dealer, but let's just say, I won't be recommending them any time soon. The kid that helped us told us, at one point, that it wasn't his sale, he wasn't making any money, so he didn't care and wasn't about to try too hard. Well, at least he was honest. Needless to say, we didn't call them back. I would have to say that we did a good job negotiating to get exactly what we wanted, which was more than our car was worth, and lowering the purchase price down to where we wanted it, both of which happened. Not bad for a couple that can't negotiate worth a damn!
Low mileage, same monthly payment and averaging 40+ miles per gallon are just a few of the things I love about the car. It has a backup camera, which is odd to get used to, but a nice feature. It is actually much bigger than you would think, and that's good, considering I'm fairly tall. The touch screen offers you many different options, one of which is a screen that details your consumption, which is a great tool to teach you the best way to utilize the car so that you are running on battery more than gas, which ups your overall gas mileage. Currently we are averaging 44.3 MPG, which is nearly double the CRV. Let's put it this way, we picked up the car Saturday afternoon, and since then have put over 250 miles on the car, and the gas tank is just barely below half. All this being said, the first things we heard when we mentioned it on Facebook weren't immediately positive. Don't get me wrong, the congratulations came, but at first we heard something else...
Wait, what's that I hear, jokes?! These are real jokes we have heard since Saturday morning, and in no particular order...
- Does that come in adult size?
- Think I'll keep my explorer, hahah, and maybe if you ask nice, I'll pull you out this winter!
- Did you put on your Obama 2008 sticker, or do they come automatic with one?
- I have a LePage sticker earmarked for that thing.
- Do you actually fit in it?
Alright, I'll spend a few minutes clearing some things up for everyone. Yes, it's a smaller car, but I do actually fit in it. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't fit, I probably wouldn't have made the purchase. Wouldn't really make sense, would it? As for pulling us out this winter, I appreciate the offer, but something tells me that 16 years of Maine winters have taught me how to drive, I'm all set, thanks. Oh, and for those that tried to make it a political thing, stop. It's dumb. Republicans claim to be fiscally conservative, so you would think this would be right up their alley. I mean, we just cut our gas budget in half, and we have the same car payment. Doesn't get more conservative than that, right? However, the jokes persist. Keep your gas guzzling car, spend over $65 to fill your tank, and when gas prices climb up to or over $5.00 a gallon this summer, I'll be the one laughing at you. And maybe, if you ask nice, I'll give you a ride when you can no longer afford to fill your tank. I'm just saying...
About Me
- Mark
- I've always wondered if people actually read this stuff. I never do when I'm on other pages. Well, in case, for some strange reason, you find it necessary, I'll give you a little knowledge. I was born in The County. For those of you who don't konw better, that would be Aroostook County. For those of you who do, your jokes won't work on me, they are lame. I'm the son of an investment banker that squandered his every penny on tuna fish sandwiches in the late 80's, and my mother was the lead singer for the Bangles. Neither of those is true, but again, I'm convinced nobody is reading this anyways. I met my wife at a carnival, and we were married by the bearded lady in front of the entire clown brigade. I have a daughter who is training for the 2012 Olympics where she will compete in the Triple Jump and Javelin. We live in a nice little shanty in the woods and are hoping to one day have running water. Any questions?
