At long last

I finally got my new car! Like I said before, it is a dark gray 2010 Subaru Forester. I had to go to Mobile to get it, which actually worked out well because I had a nice long drive to get used to it. I really like it!! It is smaller than my Explorer but honestly feels just as roomy inside. It also feels really smooth and stable on the road, and the seats are incredibly comfortable- all in all I am very happy so far. :)
It still feels kind of surreal. I had my Explorer for ten and a half years and I was very attached to it. But it wasn't going to last forever, or even much longer, so I am glad I was able to take advantage of Cash for Clunkers. I wouldn't have purchased a new car without that incentive, but I am certainly happy that I was able to get a new one. (Love the new car smell!)
I am really proud of myself for buying my first car as an adult because I was really nervous about car shopping and dealing with salespeople. But I did it and it is finally over!
Of course, I took before and after pictures!


With my now dearly departed Explorer (not gonna lie- I apologized to it before I left the dealership)


My new car!!!!! (P.S. Aren't the crepe myrtles at my parent's house pretty?)

Now that I am done driving for the day, I am celebrating with a glass of champagne. Cheers!

Early Birthday

Okay I am going to Mobile tomorrow morning to buy my Forester!!! I am really happy that this process will be over soon and I will have a new car. I'm actually going to get a dark grey 2010 (the point higher interest rate is offset by the fact that this one is a bit less than the 2009 I could get and the fact that I'm getting $4500 from Cash for Clunkers.) Hopefully by this time tomorrow I will have my new car!!

10 Days

I am turning 28 next Saturday. My birthday plans include an afternoon of sushi and shopping with my girlfriends then dinner at Gautreau's with my dear boyfriend. Now all I have to do is decide what dress I want to wear to dinner! (That may be decided while shopping, actually. Hehe!)

In car news, I'm waiting for my title to arrive in the mail. After that, because I now plan to buy my Forester through a dealer in Alabama, I have to wait until my registration has been issued for a year (that would be on August 11), despite the fact that my registration says I've owned my car since 2003. I can't blame the dealer though, for wanting to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed before submitting to Cash to Clunkers to make sure they'll get their money back from the government. So since it looks like CtC will be funded again this week (go, Senate, go!) I am planning/hoping/praying to get a new vehicle sometime next week. I'll keep you all posted.

Not Today

So I talked to my Subaru dealer and he is still going through the cars.gov registration process so I won't be able to buy my Forester today. He'll know more Monday, so hopefully I'll be getting my car next week. I hate having to wait, but I guess I can be patient for a few more days.

Frankencar

My parents came over Sunday afternoon so my Dad could take apart my car. Since I decided to do Cash to Clunkers, my car is going to be crushed once I turn it in. (And I do have mixed feelings about this, because it's been such a great car- but apparently I am not $3500 sentimental.) When my dad realized this, the wheels in his mind started turning and he told me to ask the car dealer if it was okay if the car showed up missing the radio and a few other parts. We got the green light from the dealer and Dad gleefully started deciding what parts he could cannibalize from my car and use on his boat and motor home. I told Dad that as long as I could comfortably drive it this week, he could have whatever parts he wanted.
Let me tell you that the gaping hole where my radio used to be really drives home the fact that I'm not going to have my car much longer (he's planning to put the radio in the boat). He also took the roof rack, running boards (I think he actually wants to put on my mom's Jeep- which amuses me b/c they say "Explorer") and the rear window windsheild water sprayer (for his motor home). At the end of the week, he's also getting the spare tire (for his boat trailer) and the jack.
Dad, of course, had a great time taking my car apart. Afterwards I showed him some videos of Foresters going off road (because I knew he'd love them) and I think he's really excited about my new car now as well. (Dad's a huge fan of AWD vehicles.) I am planning to take my new car to Gulfport next weekend (provided that I get it on Friday, which is the current plan) and I think I'm going to have to hide the keys to prevent dad from taking it mud riding. Haha!
Anyway, here's a slideshow from Motortrends that has a bunch of pictures of the Forester (two actually, the turbo and regular) in red. It's paired with an article about it being Motortrends SUV of the year in 2009.

Little Red Corvette

I don't have a new car as of yet, but I know the exact car I'm getting. I went by the Subaru dealership yesterday because I want a new 2009 Forester (because they are doing a 3.9% interest special on their remaining 2009's to get rid of them, and yes, I qualified for the low interest because my credit score is a beautiful thing to behold) and we had to order one from another lot. It was kind of funny because I had to decided what color I wanted, which is actually something I hadn't considered at all. There were three different colors on the lot in Alabama that we decided to order from- white (which I didn't want), dark gray, and red. Since my current vehicle is black, I decided that dark gray would be too similar and went with the red!!! This isn't a picture of the exact car I'm getting but it's pretty much what it will look like. Doesn't it look pretty?
After that, I went home, quickly wolfed down a bbq chicken breast and some brocolli that my dear boyfriend was kind enough to cook, then we went to see Harry Potter with Steph, Sarah, and Jon at the Prytania Theater. It wasn't my favorite of the series, but I definitely enjoyed myself. All in all, it was a lovely night.

Driving Myself Crazy

I tend to become obsessed with whatever new goal I set for myself to the point that it consumes my every waking though. Healthy, I know. The current task at hand, shopping for a new vehicle, has started creeping into my dreams for the past two nights as well. This is getting old fast. The worst part is that I really am not enjoying car shopping at all. I don't like researching cars, I don't like dealing with car dealers, I don't like walking around in the hot sun looking at and test driving cars, and I just plain old don't like most vehicles! I am not a car girl!
I am rather fond of my beloved '97 Ford Explorer Sport. If only it would stay in good condition forever, I wouldn't think of parting with it. However, it's currently only in fair condition, and it is just a matter of time before it becomes unreliable. It is time for a new car.
Given that I must get a new car, I do want to address a few issues I have with my car. I'd like more fuel efficiency, better ease in parking (i.e. a smaller vehicle), a lower center of gravity (so I don't have to white knuckle it on the turns on the I-10) and I'd like to be able to seat 3 rather than 2 people in the backseat. I also want my new car to be safe, reliable, cute, fun to drive, and not too pricey.
I've been test driving cars for the past 2 weekends and researching for a few weeks longer than that and I'm really stressing myself out about it. I think after a test drive I have today, I may take a break from it for a few weeks. The cash for clunkers program kicks in in a couple weeks, which makes getting a new, rather than a used, car a real option for me, and even if I don't take advantage of it, more time spent waiting translates into more money saved for my down payment.
So far, I am really liking the Subaru Forester, but I haven't decided if I want a 2008 or 2009. (They underwent a significant redesign in 2009.) I drove the new one this weekend and will be driving the 2008 today.
On another subject I had the most delicious cocktail this weekend at The Swizzle Stick Bar. It was a combination of gin, lime juice and ginger beer called a Gin Gin Mule. I feel like I could drink a few of those right now. :)