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| 2005.09.25 - Downsizing my Wheels | ||||||||
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I pulled into a gas station, because my "Low Fuel" light came on...
I had traveled a measly 261 miles, and since the light was on, I was
about to add 22.5 gallons or so into my truck... I had just gotten fuel on
the 23rd. As the ticker went over $30, and I wasn't even half way there, I stopped pumping, took a deep breath, and decided that it was time. (the picture of the pump was from a few weeks ago... but the price when I was getting gas this time was 3.23 for REGULAR) I had been thinking about picking up a "SAV" - A "Sports Activity Vehicle"... I've been checking out a Ford Escape, a Subaru Outback (Drove rental one in Maine on our vacation there to check it out), an Honda CRV/Acura MDX, The Lexus RL-whatever, the RAV-4... even the BMW X5 (it would have had to have been a used one...). In August, Ford/Mercury came out with the 2006 line, and they "restickered" the Escape with Mercury markings, put fancier headlights and brakelights, and put the mercury-style touches on the interior, and called it a "Mariner". I test drove one, along with the X5, and did some online comparisons of the different interiors, features, ground clearances, sizes, weight-to-horsepower, safety features, and of course prices... and the Mariner came out with very favorable results... Prodded on by the prospect of fuel going up over $4... I stopped the pump at just over $30, and headed for the Bellevue Lincoln Mercury Dealer... It was decided. My truck, with its 95,656 miles, and 15 MPG average on the Highway, was going to be retired. |
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After a few VERY enjoyable haggling rounds, I got a price I could live
with, and a decent trade-in amount on my truck, and made the deal. For the first time since I pitched my Jeep CJ7 (Jeep sold out to Chrysler - I had to go!) and got a Ford Ranger, I don't own a truck. I picked up the shadow lady, who loves it... |
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.... and we drove up to Summit, a town right at the Snoqualmie Pass,
and went to my favorite restaurant, the "Family Pancake House" (its more
the location than anything else... the drive up there is awesome) for an
end of the day breakfast. Its great! Leather and suede seats that are heated, power everything, small, zippy, a 6-CD changer that you load right at the radio (no box somewhere else), a 7 year, 100,000 mile warranty, free oil changes and scheduled maintenance for 5 years, large cargo area with back seats that flip down for oodles of room (all covered), V6, 4WD, heated headlamps and mirrors... its awesome! A bit yuppie, but awesome! I got up this morning, I briefly couldn't find my truck, but I had no guilt -- especially when I know I have about 10 gallons left, and it says "217 miles until empty" -- it calculates the MPG (18.4 right now - mostly in the city), and miles to empty for me. |
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Parking at work this morning displayed the other reason I needed to
"downsize"... I easily fit into a GREAT spot in the parking garage... with
TONS of room left over! The wheels, by the way, went from 17", to 14", and they'll be cheaper to replace, too. Yet ANOTHER reason... J |
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