I Made a Decision (Finally)

The husband has observed and commented on my inability to decide on a new car. He often says that the next model year will be out by the time I choose something. Part of the issue is that I am trying to make both of us happy. He will say that it’s my choice, but he has some definite opinions about vehicles. He likes to drive big trucks (Dodge Ram), he likes to work on big trucks (Dodge Ram), and he thinks I would be safer in a big truck (like a Dodge Ram). And fixing the BMW’s endless issues has tried his patience. If it were up to him, he’d buy me a diesel Jeep Gladiator, which is a truck. He campaigned pretty hard for me to consider that as my new vehicle. Nope.

When I started looking in earnest, last fall, I did not realize third-row seating was an option until I test drove the VW Atlas (in Seattle). Being able to transport seven people would be very useful, and I really did like that about the Atlas. It was roomy but still drove like a car. I tried out the Jeep Grand Cherokee with third-row seating, but that felt to me like driving a truck, and I knew it would be hard to maneuver around the city.

[If you’ve never been to Seattle, it’s not like other large metropolitan areas. I get very claustrophobic there, because the streets are narrow, there is zero off-street parking, and everything is crammed tightly together. Roads go every which way and it’s easy to get stuck in a tight spot. Also, there are lots of hills and steep inclines. It’s a city perfect for Fiats and tiny Smart Cars.]

The electronics system on the Atlas—where everything is controlled from the touchscreen—was the dealbreaker. The husband says that I am a saleperson’s worst nightmare. The gentleman helping me with the Atlas was very excited about the electronic controls and wanted to demonstrate adaptive cruise control and similar features. I listened patiently as he waxed exuberantly about them and then I asked if I could turn all of it off. I want to drive my car. I do not want my car to drive me. And if the electronic touchscreen goes out, the vehicle is no longer driveable.

Last Friday, I called the salesman at the dealer where I had test driven the Grand Cherokee and said that I was going to have to take third-row seating off my want list and did he have anything else I could try? He said he would look over their inventory and have a few things ready for me on Monday morning. I tried the Grand Cherokee with two-row seating—the wheelbase is 11" shorter than the one with seating for seven—the Compass, and the Pacifica minivan. (I was trying to be thorough.)

In the end, I settled on the smaller Grand Cherokee. This is a stock photo, but mine is similar.

The salesman and I drove it to downtown Whitefish—which isn’t Seattle, but it’s not a cow pasture, either—so I could try parallel parking it. I am confident I can get around Seattle in this vehicle. And while it has a touchscreen and electronic controls, it also still has knobs and dials to control everything. I liked driving it and it ticked all the boxes and then some. The price was right.

Ironically, the BMW officially turned over 150,000 miles on my way home.

We’re not trading in the BMW. It will stay here as my backup car. (We never get rid of our vehicles, which is why we currently have three trucks and three cars for two licensed drivers, although one of the cars belongs to DD#1.) The husband is going to take me up to the dealer this morning so I can pick up the Grand Cherokee.

Now I can move on to other things, like writing my sermon for Sunday.

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I spent all day yesterday on this car purchase and thus had no time to work on the Portsmith Tote. I probably won’t get back to it until Thursday or Friday. Tomorrow, I’m headed to Missoula. I’m going to interview the owner of The Confident Stitch, the fabric store downtown, which has distinguished itself with its inventory of apparel fabric and patterns. I’ll also stop in at the store where I teach serger classes and get some spring and summer classes on the schedule.