The End of an Era (posted 8/17/2007)

I never thought I would do it... After all the talk about my reasons for driving what I drive, I have traded in my Honda Civic.  Its replacement: a 2007 Toyota RAV4.  My mom says she's jealous, that she wanted one of these years ago and I told her they were too dangerous. 

Alright, alright, I think I did say that.  But in my lame defense, that was back when they looked more like the Geo Tracker than the beautiful, redesigned, luxurious small SUV they are today.  It did surprise me that there is a warning on the visor about being a higher rollover risk, that drivers should avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns.  But that's okay, just being up higher actually helps me slow down and drive more carefully, because I can actually SEE now. 

The real reason I spent 3 hours out of my Friday night at the Toyota dealership is because of Katy Rose.  She has grown so fast that I was having serious issues trying to get her in and out of the car!  At 5 months she weighs 20lbs, and that's more like the size of a year-old baby.  She's too young to be able to climb in herself, or even to understand that things would be a lot easier if she pulled her knees up when I try getting her in or out.  Even though I always thought the Civic was roomy for a compact car, it just wasn't cutting it anymore.  I kept hitting my head, her head, and it was wreaking havoc on my body trying to contort my overweight self down and in, then out and up.

Ahh... just breathing a sigh of relief after realizing that I don't have to do that anymore.  Now I just slide right into the back seat.  There's more headroom so neither of us is in danger of concussion on a daily basis anymore.  And I am seriously comfortable with the fact that this thing has side curtain airbags and all kinds of great safety features and crash test ratings.  Plus it gets great gas mileage for an SUV.  And, oh yeah, it is exactly the right color for cheering on the Bulldogs. 

This time I mean it, I will hold onto this car for more than 4 years.  No really, I'm serious.  :)  As for Honda, they have a place in my heart and my past.  But my old dealership really left a bad taste in my mouth after the brake light bulb fiasco, and I guess I never really got over it.  It's too bad... for them.  As for me, I'm celebrating my new Toyota and the fact that I know how to negotiate on my own.  

It's been a long time, and the situation is much improved, but I'm going back to my roots--just like my very first beloved car, the Flying Tomato, again I drive a red Toyota.