***The Car saga: Preview to part 2005***

While the car shopping experience was unpleasant, I learned a lot from the experience much of which I plan to use next year when I go shopping again.

What?

While I was miffed the dealership had not told me the silver G6 was not on the lot, the delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I deliberately chosed not to buy a new car this year for the following reasons:

Economics
The remodeling of the house starts in earnest at the beginning of next year. Already we foresee an outlay of over 35k just for the new staircase and kitchen alone. I suspect the rest of the remodeling (i.e., new upstairs sinks, bathtubs, etc.) will be another 70k.

Spouse
The Spouse's own car (a Mazda 626) is fast approaching 168k miles which is similar to my own Neon and it's two years younger. Since TS commutes over 60 miles one day per day to get to work (in a car that uses premium gasoline), it behooves us to get a new, more efficient car, fast. We were considering the Lexus RX 400h (for hybrid), but the much more affordable Honda Accord Hybrid has just arrived at the dealerships. (Besides, TS is obviously uncomfortable driving an SUV.)

2005 Cars
A whole slew of new cars will be released next year. Pontiac is releasing a more powerful version of the G6. Same by Mitsubishi and its Galant. Finally, Nissan will make available to the public the hybrid version of its Altima by year's end.


So after some extensive soul-searching and discussions with the spouse (and beating off feelings of greed), I decided to forgo the G6 and any new vehicle for the rest of the year and most of 2005. Instead, I will take over the aging Mazda 626 (which still drives well) after we purchase the Accord hybrid. Then, sometime after Thanksgiving 2005, I will start looking at the new G6's, the Galants, any Altima's, and any car that strikes my fancy at the time. (Course, if the 626 starts to die, I'll be looking for a replacement much, much, earlier.)