Mini Man
si*en*na n an earthy substance containing oxides of iron and usu. of manganese that is brownish yellow when raw and orange red or reddish brown when burnt and is used as a pigment.
It is done.
Unlike my wife, I was never against owning a mini-van; I'm all about the practical. When the time was right, the time was right. (Future present particle of "it is what it is.")
Internet car inventory/spec, bank loan pre-approval, and affordability research all week, then Dad was nice enough to babysit Ryan for a few hours Saturday morning so we could test drive some. Ainsley had already driven her sister's Honda Odyssey, so we stopped by a Toyota dealership first. Slick Willies abounded, all long leather jackets and funky ties -- one guy looked like he was dressed like a 1960s-era sofa, and he turned out to be the Dealership Owner (and a retired Army O-6, so he was Sure To Give Us A Great Deal. After we each test-drove a basic-model Sienna while the other bounced/shushed Erin in the lobby, and got the inevitable Whadda We Havta Do To Getcha In This Car Today schpiel despite the fact that we told them it was our first car of the day, it was already lunchtime and time to get back home.
After lunch and putting the kids to bed, I drove out to CarMax by myself to get more bang for the buck, i.e., more models on one lot. I was in a bad mood when I got there, having taken 1.5 hours after getting stuck behind an accident on 28 near the ridiculously named "Frying Pan Road," and then Reality and my Navigation System not agreeing on where a road existed to the dealership. Ali told me where the minivans were, but seeing one lined up after another, meant they all just started to blend and look the same. I test drove a sharp-looking Hyundai Entourage, which was fine except for the right door sliding open every time I took a left turn. The Town & Country felt tinny; the Odyssey bulky.
But I drove back to Honda Woodbridge to test drive a newer model, an 07 they said they would lose money on to get rid of, and it grew on me, with cool bells and whistles, but ultimately they wouldn't give me a trade-in quote on the Subaru, and the price was out of our comfort zone anyway.
So after going home for a quick dinner and pat on the kids' heads, it was back to Toyota.
They were desperate, of course, needing our business or their children would starve. Or words to that effect. They were willing to come down 8K on a new car, and throw in the leather interior we wanted for free. Plus, they have a lifetime warranty, the first in the industry (supposedly), provided we do all our required maintenance at Toyota. We'd started out this little project thinking about a used car, saving the money, but since Toyota's used cars were certified and Not As Discountable, we would (supposedly) get a better deal buying new. And after seeing all the used cars at CarMax, driving someone else's dorito-stained boot-rubbed rickety rustmobiles really felt less appealing. And Ainsley and I have both proven that We Hold Onto Cars (my 11-year T-bird, her 9-year Forester), so if we got a good deal, and had lifetime warranty to boot, why not get something we liked?
What we liked, however, was having automatic sliding doors for She With Hands Full, which meant we had to look at the next model up. Between White, Gold, or Grey, site unseen, I suggested Gold, since we already have a grey car, but they could only find the gold in the close lot. Nice car, but there would have been 3 different colors in the interior after the leather was put in, so I asked if we could just compare the grey. Just like our Highlander experience from 2 years ago, Ron drove me to the WayBack Lot to find that the grey car was stuck behind another, so we drove back to the dealer, got the extra key, then back to the lot to drive the grey one back inside to take a look.
Awesome friggin car! It's really a dark blue as opposed to grey, and besides the power door (just one one side, for now), the upgraded model has tinted windows, a 6-cd changer, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, rear window venting controls, a digital directionometer and outside temp. reading, and way-cooler spacey nighttime dash lights compared to the basic blue lights of the base model. It's a way cool van. I just hope Ainsley likes it...
I was there past midnight signing paperwork and haggling over financing and all the 'add-ons' they like to add on, so when it came time to schlep everything out of the Subaru into the Toyota, I asked if I could just come back tomorrow and do that, since Ainsley had to come in anyway to sign forms to transfer the title. I figured Ainsley needed one last chance to say goodbye to her Sherwood, and also point out any hidden compartments where she had $100 emergencily stashed somewhere...
Mind still reeling from all the facts and figures (and Asha purring on my head) kept me up til 2, then the dogs had to just had to get up at 7.
I'll sleep when I'm broke. Meanwhile, I'll just enjoy the prospect of driving our Manganese Pigment Mobile. I told Ryan this morning that we bought a new car! And it's blue! He looked down at his crib toys du jour...
"Like blue fish!" with wide eyes and little boy oboy cuteness.
Glad he likes it, since he'll be driving it when he turns 16.
It is done.
Unlike my wife, I was never against owning a mini-van; I'm all about the practical. When the time was right, the time was right. (Future present particle of "it is what it is.")
Internet car inventory/spec, bank loan pre-approval, and affordability research all week, then Dad was nice enough to babysit Ryan for a few hours Saturday morning so we could test drive some. Ainsley had already driven her sister's Honda Odyssey, so we stopped by a Toyota dealership first. Slick Willies abounded, all long leather jackets and funky ties -- one guy looked like he was dressed like a 1960s-era sofa, and he turned out to be the Dealership Owner (and a retired Army O-6, so he was Sure To Give Us A Great Deal. After we each test-drove a basic-model Sienna while the other bounced/shushed Erin in the lobby, and got the inevitable Whadda We Havta Do To Getcha In This Car Today schpiel despite the fact that we told them it was our first car of the day, it was already lunchtime and time to get back home.
After lunch and putting the kids to bed, I drove out to CarMax by myself to get more bang for the buck, i.e., more models on one lot. I was in a bad mood when I got there, having taken 1.5 hours after getting stuck behind an accident on 28 near the ridiculously named "Frying Pan Road," and then Reality and my Navigation System not agreeing on where a road existed to the dealership. Ali told me where the minivans were, but seeing one lined up after another, meant they all just started to blend and look the same. I test drove a sharp-looking Hyundai Entourage, which was fine except for the right door sliding open every time I took a left turn. The Town & Country felt tinny; the Odyssey bulky.
But I drove back to Honda Woodbridge to test drive a newer model, an 07 they said they would lose money on to get rid of, and it grew on me, with cool bells and whistles, but ultimately they wouldn't give me a trade-in quote on the Subaru, and the price was out of our comfort zone anyway.
So after going home for a quick dinner and pat on the kids' heads, it was back to Toyota.
They were desperate, of course, needing our business or their children would starve. Or words to that effect. They were willing to come down 8K on a new car, and throw in the leather interior we wanted for free. Plus, they have a lifetime warranty, the first in the industry (supposedly), provided we do all our required maintenance at Toyota. We'd started out this little project thinking about a used car, saving the money, but since Toyota's used cars were certified and Not As Discountable, we would (supposedly) get a better deal buying new. And after seeing all the used cars at CarMax, driving someone else's dorito-stained boot-rubbed rickety rustmobiles really felt less appealing. And Ainsley and I have both proven that We Hold Onto Cars (my 11-year T-bird, her 9-year Forester), so if we got a good deal, and had lifetime warranty to boot, why not get something we liked?
What we liked, however, was having automatic sliding doors for She With Hands Full, which meant we had to look at the next model up. Between White, Gold, or Grey, site unseen, I suggested Gold, since we already have a grey car, but they could only find the gold in the close lot. Nice car, but there would have been 3 different colors in the interior after the leather was put in, so I asked if we could just compare the grey. Just like our Highlander experience from 2 years ago, Ron drove me to the WayBack Lot to find that the grey car was stuck behind another, so we drove back to the dealer, got the extra key, then back to the lot to drive the grey one back inside to take a look.
Awesome friggin car! It's really a dark blue as opposed to grey, and besides the power door (just one one side, for now), the upgraded model has tinted windows, a 6-cd changer, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, rear window venting controls, a digital directionometer and outside temp. reading, and way-cooler spacey nighttime dash lights compared to the basic blue lights of the base model. It's a way cool van. I just hope Ainsley likes it...
I was there past midnight signing paperwork and haggling over financing and all the 'add-ons' they like to add on, so when it came time to schlep everything out of the Subaru into the Toyota, I asked if I could just come back tomorrow and do that, since Ainsley had to come in anyway to sign forms to transfer the title. I figured Ainsley needed one last chance to say goodbye to her Sherwood, and also point out any hidden compartments where she had $100 emergencily stashed somewhere...
Mind still reeling from all the facts and figures (and Asha purring on my head) kept me up til 2, then the dogs had to just had to get up at 7.
I'll sleep when I'm broke. Meanwhile, I'll just enjoy the prospect of driving our Manganese Pigment Mobile. I told Ryan this morning that we bought a new car! And it's blue! He looked down at his crib toys du jour...
"Like blue fish!" with wide eyes and little boy oboy cuteness.
Glad he likes it, since he'll be driving it when he turns 16.
posted by Dan at 7:37 AM
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