Thank you very much for commiserating with me about the bum elbow. It’s a lot better now, still sore but functional for the most part.
As part of my quest to live a more American lifestyle (ahem!), last weekend was spent dealing in things transportation-related, namely, test-driving a bunch of cars. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll probably need a car to get around here, as the public transportation system is a bit limited. More importantly, the LYS is too far to walk.
There’s something slightly intimidating (to me anyway) about going to car dealerships and talking to pushy car salespeople about the merits of this and that car, fuel efficiency, trimlines, warranties and sticker price haggling and all that. I think I’ve managed to narrow my choices down to these two –
Subaru Impreza Wagon
Pros: drives nicely, feels very solid, has all wheel drive which would be helpful with all the snow here
Cons: much more expensive, fuel economy not that good, looks blah, and the salesperson was really pushy
Honda Fit
Pros: fun to drive (but doesn’t feel quite as solid as the Subie), great fuel economy, easy to park, ingenious seating configuration, cheaper, looks cute
Cons: lack of power, road noise, not sure how it’ll handle in the snow and ice, hasn’t been on the market long
Any insights?
On the knitting front, progress continues on Sesame. I’ve finished the back and two fronts, and am working on the sleeves. You’ll have to take my word for it. Pictures were taken but they looked like crap – photographing black is hard! I did manage to finish this though, just in time to catch the last bit of cold weather. Wait, who am I kidding!? Rumor has it that it sometimes still snows here in April. Sigh.
Pattern: Obnoxious Orange Scarf. CO 152 st. and knit 12 rows.
Yarn: Rune in orange, every last bit of 2 skeins, size 15 straights
The finished scarf measures about 6″ x 72″ with the fringe. I originally was not going to put fringe on it, but there was a bit of yarn leftover, and I wanted to use up every last bit of it. The fringe looks a bit skimpy, but I like it. It’s very bright. Maximum pedestrian visibility!
The Mouse thinks it’s too long.
March 26, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Haven’t tried either car but my Mom & Sis both have the Toyota Yaris & love it.
March 26, 2007 at 5:21 pm
yo no se. my dad drives a subaru forester and he likes it. and from my limited time behind its wheel, i like it too. i’ve also liked other subarus that i’ve driven, for what its worth.
March 26, 2007 at 8:01 pm
We’ve always had Hondas and they’re great–can’t vouch for the Fit though. Did you check out Consumer Reports? They always have some good info.
March 26, 2007 at 8:17 pm
I have always driven Subarus except for one small car I had which had very little power. That car got old quickly, I have never gotten tired of a Subaru.
March 27, 2007 at 4:46 am
Definitely check with consumer reports. Cars are expensive and it is well worth the cost of a year’s subscription if it helps you make a more informed decision. Plus, one of your friends probably already has a subscription they would let you use.
March 27, 2007 at 5:02 pm
I have a Subaru Forester. it’s great in snow. I hear that the Honda Fit is also a good car.
Is there a CarMax dealer around there? You get good used car at a set price–no bargaining.
Jim
March 28, 2007 at 8:18 am
The Car Talk guys really like Subarus – whenever someone calls asking what kind of car they should buy, the guys always recommend Subaru something-or-other.
You might want to look online – there’s a few websites that have car listings (like carsdirect.com) and you can find some great deals. We bought our Jetta that way, but we had to travel about an hour and a half to pick it up.
Also, you might find a good deal if you buy a newish-yet-used car – again, we did that with the Jetta (it’s a 2000 with low mileage and had a two year warantee).
March 28, 2007 at 12:58 pm
I really like driving my friend’s Lezbaru Forester. Solid, fast, powerful. I heard someplace that you get the most bang for your buck out of a mint condition ~2 year old car. It’s still almost new condition, but the price is way lower than the new one. I have to say that I’m enjoying owning a new, and basically trouble-free car for the first time though.
March 29, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Subaru. Come on! They are made by a company named Fuji Heavy Industries.
If you get the Subie, spring for the WRX model. The extra power is awesome and will keep the relative resale value higher than the normal models if you so decide to sell it for some insane reason.
March 29, 2007 at 7:36 pm
hmmm part of my post got deleted.
Yeah, Fuji Heavy Industries. If that doesn’t say “solid” I don’t know what does. Except for “Tank”. That sounds more solid but harder to park.
April 2, 2007 at 2:59 pm
[...] thanks to everyone for weighing in on the car buying. I should have news on that front soon. [...]
April 16, 2007 at 3:36 pm
[...] ended up getting the Subaru station wagon. Both cars that made it to my car buying short list were good recommended cars. What made me eventually decide to get the Subie was [...]