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Car Shopping
Apr. 28th, 2017 08:20 amWe need to rejigger the cars. The F-150 is simply too big for what we need, for one thing. We bought it with intent to tow Darwin's trailer, but we're selling that, and it doesn't make sense to keep the huge truck.
Although both vehicles in the household belong to both Darwin and me, it's functionally "my" truck because Darwin never drives it, and whatever car we got to replace it would be the one I drove most often. So it's my decision what kind of vehicle to drive.
I've settled on a mid-sized SUV. Darwin initially pushed for a compact hybrid like the one he drives, and the idea had appeal, but I figured we should have one vehicle with a little more room. Whenever all of us go somewhere in the compact, we're crowded and crabby, and it's always good to have a vehicle that can haul bigger stuff once in a while. A full-sized truck, as I already knew, is too big, as is an SUV, but the smaller SUVs looked pretty cool.
As it happens, Darwin's sister worked for Ford, so we can get the family discount. This really pointed us toward a Ford Edge or a Ford Escape:
Last weekend, Darwin and I did some sniffing. We prowled around a Ford lot and examined some Edges. We didn't like them. They're too big, for one thing. The front is ugly and . . . aggressive, somehow. It looks like it an elephant is bearing down on you. The interior seems to have been designed in 1974, with faux wood lined with chrome. I'm usually more concerned with the way the car drives and its reliability than anything else, but this was just ugly, and I couldn't imagine looking at it every day. Darwin agreed.
The Escape was much nice. The size was Just Right (one of the reasons it's so enormously popular), and the interior way more attractive. We test drove it, and I liked the way it handled. The Eco-Drive system which shuts off the engine when you come to a stop was a little unnevering at first, but I quickly got used to it. It has a lot of cargo space, and the mileage is good. It's not as good as a hybrid, of course, but this car wouldn't be our high-mileage car anyway--it'll be my five-miles-to-work car and our road-trip car.
So we'll be getting this one. After we close on the condo, though.
Although both vehicles in the household belong to both Darwin and me, it's functionally "my" truck because Darwin never drives it, and whatever car we got to replace it would be the one I drove most often. So it's my decision what kind of vehicle to drive.
I've settled on a mid-sized SUV. Darwin initially pushed for a compact hybrid like the one he drives, and the idea had appeal, but I figured we should have one vehicle with a little more room. Whenever all of us go somewhere in the compact, we're crowded and crabby, and it's always good to have a vehicle that can haul bigger stuff once in a while. A full-sized truck, as I already knew, is too big, as is an SUV, but the smaller SUVs looked pretty cool.
As it happens, Darwin's sister worked for Ford, so we can get the family discount. This really pointed us toward a Ford Edge or a Ford Escape:
Last weekend, Darwin and I did some sniffing. We prowled around a Ford lot and examined some Edges. We didn't like them. They're too big, for one thing. The front is ugly and . . . aggressive, somehow. It looks like it an elephant is bearing down on you. The interior seems to have been designed in 1974, with faux wood lined with chrome. I'm usually more concerned with the way the car drives and its reliability than anything else, but this was just ugly, and I couldn't imagine looking at it every day. Darwin agreed.
The Escape was much nice. The size was Just Right (one of the reasons it's so enormously popular), and the interior way more attractive. We test drove it, and I liked the way it handled. The Eco-Drive system which shuts off the engine when you come to a stop was a little unnevering at first, but I quickly got used to it. It has a lot of cargo space, and the mileage is good. It's not as good as a hybrid, of course, but this car wouldn't be our high-mileage car anyway--it'll be my five-miles-to-work car and our road-trip car.
So we'll be getting this one. After we close on the condo, though.
