I caved.

I bought my 2003 Saturn VUE new back in 2002 and I'll just say, it has been a fantastic car and I'm kinda sad to say goodbye! In 7 years I put on 90,000 miles and although I haven't had any problems whatsoever, it is due for thousands of dollars of "maintenance" when it hits the 100k mark, and as great of a car as it is, it wasn't built to last much past that. SO, even though I wasn't too enthusiastic about getting rid of it...or more importantly, having a car payment again, I knew it was better to start now rather than wait. I was absolutely set on purchasing another suv, but refused to buy anything that was "round and curvy". I wanted a more boxy, "macho" kinda car...that's just what I like. I had landed on a used Nissan Xterra that was a beauty. Sparkling olive green with khaki leather interior. The kicker? It was going to knock my gas mileage down from 20mpg city to 15. Humph. Oh well, I didn't care, it was rough and tough and could drive up a mountain and I wanted it.

Enter conversation with my dad.

How long do you want to own this vehicle? Oh, 5 years at least...hopefully longer. What do you think the chances are that gas will remain low in price and not begin to rise again in the midst of those 5 years or longer? I prefer to live in the moment, dad. You're pooing on my party. If you're buying a used car with already existing miles, even low mileage, when you add on your 5+ years of miles, you'll have to turn around and sell it...unless you get a car that is built to last for hundreds of thousands of miles. Ugh. I hate it when he makes me re-think my decisions...and usually for the better. Parental wisdom, it's a downer sometimes :).

SO...I caved. I caved into WAY better gas mileage (literally 45+mpg) and WAY less macho :-(. I did, however, go for red just to have a little bit-o-sass in there. I got a supurb deal and although I give up my SUV hauling capabilities, I still have a Camry's worth of interior space and suprisingly more haul space than a typical trunk. I have a touch screen and thanks to my brother, will also have an mp3 output cable/charger for my iphone...that CONNECTS to that touch screen! It's not major, but it's something, and more than anything, it was a smart choice. Not always the most FUN choices, but usually the better route to go. I think I'll really enjoy it...especially when I make my once-a-month fill-up at the gas station. :)

gotta represent my homeland :)