Obsessing over a new car

This post is dedicated to all those out there who have ever bought a new car, and know the exhilaration that comes with it.

We have been in the market for a new car, for a while now.

Our current auto

Our little 1996 Nissan Quest van is on it's last legs, and we knew it would only be a matter of time before we were stranded somewhere with a car that had heaved it's last carbon-monoxide filled breath. I really didn't want to be in it when this happened, so we started into the long process of researching what car would take its place. We looked into all minivans, SUVs, pretty much anything with 7+ seating. The problem was, that while minivans are really great for families and have all the amenities, they don't really have the capability of going anywhere off road. On the other hand, SUV's, although very well equipped for going off road, don't have all the great amenities for families. We were at an impass. Enter into this scene, Kurt (my step-dad), a virtual car guru. I put this problem to him, and he says "the perfect car for you is a crossover SUV, specifically the Buick Enclave". A BUICK?!?!?! That wasn't my idea of an exciting new brand of car. Weren't Buicks for old people? He reassures me that we will really like it, and that it has a great, reliable, engine. (Kurt builds engines for a living, so I guess he would know) Okay, I thought, we'll at least look into it, if Kurt thinks it's a good one for us. We kept trying to spot Enclaves whenever we were out and about, but could never find one. Finally, we decided a visit to a dealership would be in order. When we got to the dealership and asked to see an Enclave this is what we saw:

Wow!! This is a Buick?!?! Hmmm, maybe we will look into it a little more. We took it for a test drive. Amazing! It was SO quiet, especially after my little van that has rattling windows, loose doors, and no noise insulation (a normal conversation in our car, currently is: Levi (yelling) "mhyf slkjt slka", me yelling back "What? I can't hear you.." He tries again, and I yell "why don't you wait to tell me when we get home!"). The Enclave has a 10 speaker BOSE surround sound system that makes you feel like you are there at the concert, instead of zooming down a freeway. It really helps that you can't hear the outside noise too. This is a enormous upgrade to our current blown out 4 speaker system, with broken CD player. Well, practically anything would have been, but the Enclave also comes with a port for my ipod to be plugged in directly to the sound system. Now, that, is luxury!! Another great feature is the remote rear-door automatic open. Ahhh,...... access to the cargo space with the push of a button. Let's just say that this small feature is currently in my top two important features. Right now, the rear door, to my van, not only is not automatic, but broken! Currently, the way that I get it to stay open is by having Levi and Calder stand on the bumper on either side, and hold it up above their heads. This is usually done while I am hurriedly loading groceries in, with small boys yelling "MOM! Hurry, hurry! My arms are hurting, I can't hold it up much longer!!" It's just the simple things in life.... There are a million other little features that I love (you know: heated seats, remote start, 19" chrome finish plated aluminum wheels, leather seats, memory seats, two sunroofs, full sized third row seating-meaning 3 adults can sit back there comfortably..and on and on and on).

Ansel likes to point out that it has blue eyes just like our whole family! I think I fell in love with it on that first test drive (even after test driving a bunch of other luxury crossovers). So, we ask, "what is the price?" The answer comes back "$42k" I think I swallowed my gum, at that point. Darn. My dreams are shattered. There is no Way that I am spending that kind of money on a car. We go back to Kurt. Could he find a good deal at the auction? (he has a dealers license and can go to those things) He starts looking into it for us. Meanwhile we get on with our lives, and put it on the back burner. Months go by. Finally, the van is starting to show signs of immediate death and a new car comes back to the forefront. We do all the research into financing, pricing, etc, and come up with our limit. If he can find a Buick for $25k, or less, we will get it, otherwise it's a Toyota Sienna for us. Well, he is a miracle worker, after all. Even with having just suffered a massive heart attack 4 weeks ago, he goes to the auction every week checking out the inventory. He watches Enclaves sell, and is pretty confident he can get one for us within our limits. Yesterday, he did it, he found one, bid on it and got it! Yesterday, exactly one month before Christmas, we became the proud owners of a 2008 Gold Mist Metallic Buick Enclave CXL!
Ansel, now our car has blonde hair to go with it's blue eyes, it definitely belongs to us!
Here it is: (well one that looks exactly like it, anyway) Celebrate with me!!