One Car Two Car Red Car Blue Car

PHASE ONE: The Minivan

Before moving to Texas, I knew that Mohnie and I were going to have to give up our rare one-car family status. Buying a new car was first on our big purchase list. My heart called for a Routan, but my budget leaned towards a Dodge. Mohnie found a used Dodge Caravan offered at Enterprise and was ready to go, but--geek that I am--I demanded more research. He claimed that I had driven a Grand Caravan and a Town and Country and couldn't I remember the experience? Well, no, frankly I couldn't. I'm 35 years old and this is the first time that I've ever gone car shopping. I've never intentionally thought about cars before. I notice wedding rings, highlights, manicures and landscaping but never cars. So, with great enthusiasm, I went to a dealership and drove a basic model 2008 Toyota Sienna, then a 2008 Grand Caravan. I'm sure that I would love driving around in a $40,000 tricked-out version, don't hate me minivan lovers, but as it was, it felt like I was driving a . . . well, a van.


PHASE TWO: The Space Wagon

Wondering what options were available for families who didn't want a minivan but wanted to seat six passengers if necessary, I went to Consumer Reports, Edmunds.com, and Kelly Blue Book for help. Best Family Cars. Best Crossovers. Best Minivan Alternatives. The lists were endless. I rejected a crossover SUV for many reasons, gas mileage, my established belief that if you wanted the space you should just get the minivan, rejecting the big car phenomenon, etc. After hours of research, I found it. The Mazda5.

"For buyers who need affordable, fuel-efficient family transportation that's easy to maneuver in traffic and a snap to park, the Mazda 5 is a strong choice." - Edmunds.com

Yes, that's me! I did a test drive at a dealership and loved it. I saw an internet ad for a one-year-old Mazda5 at a great price. I called. It was available, but I couldn't make it there until later in the day. But it was going to be mine! The salesman called me back twenty-minutes later and told me that the car was being sold. Drat. He called me back an hour later and said: Game on! The folks who wanted to buy had bad credit, so if I could get there early evening then it could be mine. It was meant to be! Then God laughed.

I picked Mohnie up from work and we began the drive to the dealership with the coveted Mazda5 about 30 minutes North, wait, we were driving in rush hour traffic, make that 45 minutes North, wait, it started raining, an hour north and counting. The wind started picking up once we were out of the city and Mohnie received a tornado alert on his phone! By the time we found the dealership, an hour and fifteen minutes after we began the drive, the wind and rain was so torrential, that we couldn't even see the car, let alone drive it. We threw in the towel, headed back down the highway, looking for a place for dinner and hoping to be home soon. It was a very, very scary drive. Apparently, the universe knows that I don't take to subtlety.


PHASE THREE: The Truck

Texas is a land of extremes, so I should have a car that can handle them! Four-wheel drive, raised tires, I want a car that I know can cut through a flooded underpass, be immune to 40 mph winds and attack hills slick with mud. Uh, there aren't any hills in Houston but I want to be able to scale a mountain anyway! I want a tank in which to transport my family and will give up some favorable gas mileage in order to do it.

What SUV am I interested in, you ask? Umm, I haven't gotten there yet. More research to do.