Yeah...I Got A New Car

So my Honda Element was a great car.  It was durable, it was functional, it had character.  It did have shortcomings, however.  It was kind of sluggish.  The interior wasn't really functional with the cupholders hidden under the armrest and the lack of any storage bins whatsoever were annoying.  There was also the fact that the sunroof was in the back seat....which was great for the kids, but not so much for me.  It was an AWD vehicle too, but I really only used it a few times in its almost 8-year history.  It hauled a lot of stuff too, I must admit.  But now that the kids are a little older and my tastes a little more refined, I went on a quest for a car that truly fit me.

Now my history has been a little mixed.  My first car was a 1972 Ford Pinto that perhaps once went over 65mph with a tailwind.  Then came the original "Robo-Cop" and "MU Seekie" car, the 1987 Ford Taurus.  The transmission was a piece of crap and it barely survived my college years.  My 1993 Civic coupe was a fun little car, but it was, all in all, a $12,000 car.  Functional, but not really fun.  The Element came along in 2003 and suited me well (and some friends/students have told me "I can't imagine you driving something else!") but the time came to move on.

I started looking last year at Hondas again, but nothing really was a good fit.  The Accord was too expensive and also too big IMHO.  The Fit was way to small, and the Insight was cute, but I just couldn't see myself driving a hybrid.  The new CRZ looks amazing, but it was only a two-seater.  So after 17 years as a Honda driver, I started looking at other options.

My kids just LOVE looking for VW Bugs and playing "slugbug" and that's kind of what started me looking at the brand.  I knew a Bug was too cutesy for me so I dug a little further and found the GTI.  It's a hatchback. It's small, but not too small.  It's refined, but not too deluxe.  It's got four doors so the whole family can come along.  After doing some research I found that virtually NO ONE had a bad thing to say about this car.  From the crash safety people to Car And Driver to GQ...everyone liked this car.  I just can't understand why I didn't see more of them on the road.  Perhaps it's because two out of every three cars I see around Columbus are Hondas?  I see lots of Jettas and Golfs, but a very few GTI's...perhaps that's because it only suits certain people.  It was a fit for me the moment I sat in the car.

Anyways, after Maria's triathalon on Saturday, I went to MAG for a test drive and from the moment I sat in the front seat, I knew it was the car for me.  Carbon Steel Metallic paint.  Red trim.  Red and black plaid seats (an homage to the original), 200hp, and an electronics package that satisfies a tech-geek like me.

I've been driving it whenever I can, and even got the family groceries today...the trunk was *just* big enough.  Regardless, this is going to be my car for quite a long time, so I'm glad I did the work to make sure it is a perfect fit.  Wanna go for a ride sometime?