New car.

So I have been thinking for the last few months (until my sudden & unexpected change of heart earlier this morning) that I would be better off with a new or newer car than the neon.  I have been scouring the cars.com, E-Bay & Autotrader websites.  I spent all day yesterday researching new vehicles online.  I joined Consumer Reports a month back so I read their opinions on new & used vehicles.  I researched safety online at IIHS (Insurance Institute of Highway Safety for those of you not in the biz) and NHTSA (National Highway Traffic & Safety  A…uh, something.)  I averaged insurance costs.  I have always been a fan of Car Talk & listen to that whenever I hear it (I have yet to remember the time they are on my local NPR station so I can tune in regularly) but I have managed to get a good idea of their general opinions over the last few years.

I narrowed down my choices & built my own vehicle online at each & every automaker’s website to get an idea of prices & options.  I made up a spreadsheet & painstakingly color-coded it.  (Attaching below for Your reading enjoyment.)

 As soon as I got home from work, I forced Tired-Peter into the shower & when he came out he was Slightly-Less-Tired-Peter (a trick I figured out one sluggish weekend)  & we looked at cars in person for a change.  Mitsubishi was closed when we got there at 6 pm.  We stopped at Smart & their cars are on order for ten to twelve months.  We couldn’t remember where Toyota was so we tried Honda.  I test drove the Fit, which I liked.  It was nice, but horribly cheap- only expensive!  Roomier than a Smart with a nice sized rear & loads of versatility (fold flat seats, stand up seats & long mode, it was never-ending.)  It had lots of headroom for Peter.  The thing that really irked me was the crapet (that was initially a typo but I feel it is very appropriate so I’m leaving it.)  Instead of having regular car-carpet, Honda lined the bottom with thick heather-gray felt.  Felt that seemed oddly familiar.  I remember!  It used to be used to line the trunks of older cars!

It looked like something Krisann & I could have constructed over a two day weekend all by ourselves.  The dash was buttoned to the felt, the seats were so “cheap fabric” I half expected the foam to disintegrate & mush right out through it, like this round orange chair from the 50′s my Grammy pawned off on my little sister.  The front was pretty quiet but Peter informed me later that is was very loud in the back. 

Krisann’s response was, “Awww…so you wouldn’t pay $15 g’s for a car made of felt & buttons? That’s too bad.  I would.  Buy the Yaris!”  She then forwarded me the following car from Craigslist.

I think the dune buggy is pretty cool but I am looking for something I can drive home for Christmas without having to wear an umbrella hat.  If you’re interested,  search Pittsburgh Craigslist for Street Legal Dune Buggy posted on 05/07/2008. 

I guess I will try out the Yaris, although it has a definite advantage due to my low expectations now.  If only I can figure out where they hide that place…

Any car suggestions?  Please email them!

Chincoteague cont…

Goes without saying…we stopped by to see the ponies.  Turns out they grow a substantial winter coat, they look like cave ponies.  Peter said I could get one, they’re only $500!!  He wants to keep it in the office.

              

We also stopped by Assateague National Wildlife Refuge.  We hiked up to the Lighthouse, watched birds and checked out the ‘Eagle Cam’.  They found out where a pair of eagles  nest and set up a camera before they laid the eggs.  Turns out the eggs hatched the day we were there!  We didn’t hang out all day to watch all three but we caught a glimpse of the first one once hatched, she was adorable.  It was difficult to see anyway, it was chilly from the weather and the mother was huddled down over the hatchling & eggs.

March 1st

I have been busy at work and it just happened that I got two claims on the eastern shore of Virginia on leap year day.  My all-time favorite seafood restaurant is on the eastern shore, Ray’s Shanty.  (http://raysshanty.com/home.html) so I thought we’d make a day of it & go up on Saturday.  Then we figured we might as well stay overnight and spend the weekend there.

What a fantastic idea! I finished the two appointments by 3 and we had lunch at Famous Pizza.  We had searched online the night before to find a hotel and accidentally clicked on a Motor Inn.  Assuming it would be a fleabag, we were shocked to find the pictures were beautiful so I called for reservations that day.  When we arrived, everyone was very nice & the room was comfortable & nicely appointed.  The best part is the deck though- we have a view of the bay that is breathtaking.  I took fifty pictures of the sunset (Peter completely ignored it but its cool- all the pictures.)

             

The piers in the water are part of what used to be the Killock Shoal Lighthouse in Chincoteague Bay. 

I found the following paragraph about Assateague, known to the Indians as “Running stream in between”, in the Island Motor Inn’s guide,

“Assateague is undeveloped- a product made of sand.  The island’s origins and continued reshaping give it a restless distant mood akin more to the sea than to the mainland….It is one of the last undeveloped beach areas off the East Coast in the United States that has existed for thousands of years, and still retains its same natural state of beauty”

 Heading off to Bill’s Seafood Restaurant for dinner & drinks.