The van died again this week, and then was resuscitated after forking over $100 to the damn mechanic. Ive come to the conclusion I need a new vehicle. Im not a mechanic, I dont want to BE a mechanic, therefore I need a car that Im not constantly fixing, and one thats not perpetually in the shop.
So Im going car shopping today! Hopefully for something German. Maybe Swedish (if I can afford it). Id love something English, but I know I cant afford it. Definitely no more American. Itll be my own personal material protest against Shrub and his war. I know Ill be coming home empty-handed, so today is a research day on the car lots.
My criteria for the new car are: good gas mileage, healthy cargo space (able to accomodate my entire stage set-up and a passenger), and it must be a sedan of some sort. Im tired of driving vans. I can fit all my gear into a largish-sedan, because Ive seen it done. And Ill get out of schlepping other people and their things.
==============UPDATE============
Test drove:
1998 Audi A6 Quattro (67k miles)
2001 VW Passat (6 cyl., 45k miles)
2002 Nissan Altima (4 cyl. 61k miles)
The Nissan was suprisingly lavish to look at AND drive. Decent trunk space, still lots of warranty left.
The Audi was the most fun with the best trunk design, but had a VERY light beige interior which caused a distracting glare on the rear-window. Still, very fun, smooth, and tight with one hell of a quiet ride. "0-60mph in who-the-fuck cares... how fast am I going again?????"
The Passat had waaay more room that I anticipated. Probably the best mileage. The least-attractive ride, however.
All three were slighty out of my price range as stickered, but I do think with a decent down payment, trade-in with the van and some clever bargaining I could get some very affordable payments. I will definitely miss the cargo space of the van though. Especially since I have my eye on a Yamaha CP-80 piano in Vermont that I plan on bringing home with me after my sister's graduation in May.
The more I think about it, I should just hold on the the van. At least for the time being. No car payment and miniscule insurance payments are SO nice.
===============================
Also today, Im calling on a canoe advertised in the classifieds! Its cheap, 12, comes with 4 paddles and 2 lifejackets. The river has been as smooth as glass the past couple of days, and Im kicking myself for not having a proper vessel. Ahhhhhh.. I cant wait to fish in the bayous this summer.
And now, Ill leave you all with a nice surprise that dear, dear Les gave to me! We shot this set in a redwood forest in southern Humboldt County in Northern California. Mind you, this was January 3 of this year, and I had forgotten all about it due to too much Doing as the Romans do there.
Les didnt like the way the pictures turned out, so she scrapped it and gave it to me. Out of the 50 or so shots, these were the best that I saw. I jacked-up the colors to the best of my debilitatingly colorblind ability and I think they turned out alright.
Have a wonderful weekend and week, and enjoy!
/\/\
So Im going car shopping today! Hopefully for something German. Maybe Swedish (if I can afford it). Id love something English, but I know I cant afford it. Definitely no more American. Itll be my own personal material protest against Shrub and his war. I know Ill be coming home empty-handed, so today is a research day on the car lots.
My criteria for the new car are: good gas mileage, healthy cargo space (able to accomodate my entire stage set-up and a passenger), and it must be a sedan of some sort. Im tired of driving vans. I can fit all my gear into a largish-sedan, because Ive seen it done. And Ill get out of schlepping other people and their things.
==============UPDATE============
Test drove:
1998 Audi A6 Quattro (67k miles)
2001 VW Passat (6 cyl., 45k miles)
2002 Nissan Altima (4 cyl. 61k miles)
The Nissan was suprisingly lavish to look at AND drive. Decent trunk space, still lots of warranty left.
The Audi was the most fun with the best trunk design, but had a VERY light beige interior which caused a distracting glare on the rear-window. Still, very fun, smooth, and tight with one hell of a quiet ride. "0-60mph in who-the-fuck cares... how fast am I going again?????"
The Passat had waaay more room that I anticipated. Probably the best mileage. The least-attractive ride, however.
All three were slighty out of my price range as stickered, but I do think with a decent down payment, trade-in with the van and some clever bargaining I could get some very affordable payments. I will definitely miss the cargo space of the van though. Especially since I have my eye on a Yamaha CP-80 piano in Vermont that I plan on bringing home with me after my sister's graduation in May.
The more I think about it, I should just hold on the the van. At least for the time being. No car payment and miniscule insurance payments are SO nice.
===============================
Also today, Im calling on a canoe advertised in the classifieds! Its cheap, 12, comes with 4 paddles and 2 lifejackets. The river has been as smooth as glass the past couple of days, and Im kicking myself for not having a proper vessel. Ahhhhhh.. I cant wait to fish in the bayous this summer.
And now, Ill leave you all with a nice surprise that dear, dear Les gave to me! We shot this set in a redwood forest in southern Humboldt County in Northern California. Mind you, this was January 3 of this year, and I had forgotten all about it due to too much Doing as the Romans do there.
Les didnt like the way the pictures turned out, so she scrapped it and gave it to me. Out of the 50 or so shots, these were the best that I saw. I jacked-up the colors to the best of my debilitatingly colorblind ability and I think they turned out alright.
Have a wonderful weekend and week, and enjoy!
/\/\
VIEW 22 of 22 COMMENTS
The reason I despise five-bangers so much is due to balancing. A four-, six-, and eight-banger (Ed.--"banger" is usually applied to inlines; V-type engines are just that--V-whatever) have companion cylinders to smooth the power pulses. Like my SBC. 18436572 is the firing order, so 1 & 6, 8 & 5, 4 & 7, and 3 & 2 are the companion pairs. Makes for a smoother running engine.
Now, let's take the five-bangers. 15432. So you have 1 & 3, 5 & 2, and 4 & _. Not kosher.
The naturally-balanced engine? I6s. I
Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my engines have an even number of cylinders. Preferably six or eight.