Zoom Zoom

Due to being misinformed when we purchased our Mazda CX-7 a year and a half ago we would like to get a different car. Last weekend we looked at a used 2008 Toyota Rav4 and a used 2007 Nissan Murano. The Rav4 was in really good shape, but as far as features it was quite the downgrade from our current car. The upside was that we had a lot more history on the previous owner of the car. I was a little skeptical about the Nissan as we drove a Nissan Rogue when we bought the Mazda CX-7 and I didn't like how claustrophobic I felt in the car... or the poor visibility. So going into driving this Nissan I had low hopes and Jesse had high hopes. Turns out the car exceeded my expectations, but were far below Jesse's expectations. Out on both.

This Saturday we dropped Riley off at Grandma Suzie's so we could do some car power shopping. Because of the deal we are trying to secure with Morrie's Mazda we were told that we could look at cars at any Morrie's dealership. Our car guy said that we would have to find cars, tell him about them, and he would go pick them up. Something about stepping on toes... But our guy was out of town so we just went to other dealerships and explained the situation before driving any cars. They can fight it out themselves.

First stop was Morrie's Hyundai. Jesse immediately poo poo'd the Tucson so we drove the Sante Fe. After an unimpressive drive of the 4 cylinder we took a spin in the 6 cylinder. It was a pretty nice car to drive, but it was hard to get past the ugly interior. We just aren't wood panel people.

Next we went to Morrie's Kia. We drove the Sportage and would have liked to drive the Sorento, but they didn't have any more 2011 models (the 2012 models are out of our price range). We both really liked the Sportage, but the interior had some cheap features. I didn't notice it as much as Jesse did until I looked in back where there was a styrofoam storage unit. Cheap. However, this car was a pretty nice drive in a smaller, but decent sized compact utility vehicle. It turned on a dime (which was sweet!), but after having a car with turbo it seemed a little snail'ish when accelerating.The best part was the dual climate control. Jesse says this could save our marriage. Now if I could only get that installed in the bedroom...

At both dealerships we were told conflicting information and additional information that was not shared by our original sales guy. We did discover that they aren't willing to give us what we requested for trade in. However, we still need to talk to our original sales guy to confirm this. Also, both dealership lots were really bare. There weren't a lot of options to choose from. We were told that the factories couldn't keep up with the demand. This bummed us out a bit, but we still got a feel of what to expect out of a Hyundai and a Kia.

Later in the day Jesse decided to go to a non-Morrie's dealership to look at some used 2011 Kia Sorento's. I was worried that they would be a little too big so I wasn't too excited about this. While on his test drive he came home so I could take it out for a spin. I actually liked it (minus the big hood).It was a nice drive and has some decent feature (AWD being an important one for me). It still feels like a bigger car than we need especially with the third row seating (that tucks away). Seating for 7... but there are usually only 2 - 3 of us in the car at any given time. It makes me feel like a hog. And please don't suggest I should have more kids to fill it up.

Right now, I think we are leaning towards the Sorento, but this seems to change hourly. We have decided that we are going to look at Honda CRV's as well. You never know we might end up with two CRV's since I still have my 1998 CRV!

While looking at new cars is kinda fun it is also frustrating that we have to put out a chunk of money to get a different vehicle. I'm not one to get new cars often so this is killing me a little bit. In fact, I had my first car for 11 years (1991 Chevy S-10 Tahoe) before selling it and I still have my second car (going on 11 years). That makes the Mazda my third car. That's right. I am almost 40 and have only had 3 cars... soon to be 4. Hopefully, whatever we select will be a keeper and I won't have to buy another car until 2022.