Wanna take it for a test drive?

Back on July 1st my car stopped. I was driving the 100 miles to Hometown, MN, I was 10 miles from mom & dad's and my car just stopped. I was speeding back up after going through a town and it wouldn't accelerate. My car is a 2000 Ford Focus Wagon (sweet- I know), so it has a few years and miles on it. But really?! It just stopped.

So I called my parents to see what I should do. Dad: "Did you check the oil?" Well, not before I left home but I did when it stopped. Dad: "Ok, well, mom and I will come get you." While I was waiting for them I called the Mr to fill him in. He told me that he thought it felt funny when he was driving my car the night before and that maybe the transmition was going out but he didn't tell me because he didn't want me to freak out. Gee, thanks hunny. So mom and dad came to my resuce. Dad tried to drive it back to town but only made it about a mile and half. He said he couldn't even keep it running so we were going to have to tow it. Ummm... At this point I'm driving his Ford Expedition. And I've never towed a car or 'driven' car that's being towed. This should be good.

I go to pull back out into traffic to go around my dad in my car to hook up and pull him. But a car stops infront of us and offers to help. Too bad we're pretty sure they were all 3 sheets to wind... For real- there was a girl hanging out the back window trying to talk to us and the dude in the front seat got out of the car to talk to us and he was stumbling all over the place. Finally convinced them that we had it all under control and they left. Now I get to tow my car. It went fine. We made it back to town and got the car to the Ford dealer- had to go through two stoplights and an interestion of a 4 lane highway (go me!!).

Ford dealer had my car for almost two & a half weeks. Awesome. Then they couldn't even tell us what was wrong with it! They didn't find anything!!! Great. So now I'm driving this car that may or may not die. Needless to say I'm a nervous wreck when I'm driving.

After dad got my car back from the dealer he told the Mr that he wouldn't put another dime into and we should probably sell it.

That means that the Mr and I are now car shopping.

In the past week we have test driven lots of cars. I thought I really wanted a Pontiac G6. So the Mr honed in on them and looked everywhere for them, at every dealership that he drives past, online, in the paper, everywhere. The first one we found had too many miles and a wrecked title. Then there were three at a dealer about 40 miles from our northern town. Then we went to Hometown, MN last weekend (in the dying car no less) and while the Mr was cruising the interenets for cars he stumbled upon a VW Jetta. Not just any VW Jetta- a 2012 with only 18,000 miles. Say what?!

Isn't she beautiful?

But the dealer won't budge at all on their price or what they're willing to give us for the dying car. The Mr. really likes to make deals so he's frustrated with them. And this is really at the top of our price range.

Last night after work we went to a small dealer in our northern town and test drove both of these guys:

 

A 2011 Jeep Patriot and a 2009 Pontiac G6. The G6 has a bigger engine than the Patriot. Weird. Nothing really wrong with either of them but they just weren't for us. The Patriot has a small engine so it doesn't really have a get up and go feel and it's kind of loud when you're accelerating. The G6 has too many miles for us. But the dealer was willing to give us the best price for our dying car- probs because he didn't even drive it to listen to it or check it out at all...

After that we went to the dealer 40 miles away that the Mr drives past everyday to check out their G6s.

The one on the left is a 2009 and it's "Silver Green" and it smells like a hotel room that someone smoked in and then tried to cover up the smell. And it has the 'old' style radio/dash display. Those were the only things wrong with it.

The one on the right is a 2010. New style radio/dash display. Low miles. Rides well. Salesman is willing to make a deal/he'll barter with us (and by us I mean the Mr). In my head I know that this Silver G6 is the better deal, that it will cost us less in the long run because it will be easier to service. But everyone drives Silver cars, everyone drives G6s. No one drives Jettas. Basically, I like the G6 but I love the Jetta.

So, this morning the Mr called the dealer in Hometown, MN to let him know what the dealers up here were willing to give us for our dying car to see if they'd budge at all. We're waiting for a phone call back right now... Fingers crossed.

*None of hese are pictures that I took. They are all dealer photos.

Love, Mrs. K