Cars

Torsten and I make decisions slowly. Or rather, we make decisions and then rethink them, over and over, until we get to the decision that we know doesn't have to be rethought.

For example, we knew we wanted to move away from DC almost two years before we actually did it. At first we decided to move to New York. Then we decided to move to San Francisco. Then we realized that those cities are both very expensive and started researching more affordable options, which is how we landed on Denver. But we were serious about NYC and SF at the time.

It was the same with getting a car. Torsten wanted a sports car and had planned to buy one before we even met, but it just never happened. Then when we moved in together we decided to get a car with the savings in rent. We test drove several of them and decided on a used Acura TSX, but my dad talked us out of it by pointing out that if we ever wanted to buy a house, we'd need to save up for a down payment, and a car is the opposite of an investment because it only loses value while costing money to maintain.

He was right, and I'm not sure we'd have been able to buy our house when we did if we'd bought a car when we were originally planning to. All the thousands of dollars we would have spent on that car instead went into a high-yield savings account and turned into our down payment. So, thank god for reasonable parents who talk sense into you.

But when we realized we were moving to Denver, FOR REAL THIS TIME, we knew we had to buy a car. And we did a ton of research. We very nearly got a Subaru Impreza WRX. Subarus are beyond practical for Colorado, with their four wheel drive, and the car was relatively affordable and also very sporty. But it was a bit more than we wanted to pay, even used, and it only comes with a stick shift, which I would have had to learn to drive. And that would be OK--I want to learn how and I have a feeling that I'll enjoy it very much--but I didn't want my only car to be a stick shift, and especially when our first real experience in it would have been a cross-country road trip where I would have had to share the driving.

So then we looked at other options. The Ford Focus, a Mazda, the Toyota Corolla. And finally the Honda Civic, which we ended up getting. The car was three years old and had 23,000 miles on it. It's a fabulous car. I can't rave enough about it. No, it isn't sporty, and Torsten still grumbles a little when he hears the sound of a WRX engine revving nearby (and that happens a lot in Denver). But it gets incredible gas mileage. It is extremely reliable. It has a ton of trunk and storage space--we couldn't BELIEVE how much we were able to cram in there when we moved. Even the freaking cupholders are brilliantly designed.

And also, that thing is PRACTICAL. It's a great car, but neither of us is emotionally attached to it, so it's OK if it gets scratched, or if the dog gets wet at the dog park and has to ride home that way. It'll be OK when a baby spits up in there or a toddler spills juice in there. This car is a workhorse and it is perfect for what we need. So again, we definitely came to the right decision.

Of course, that doesn't stop Torsten from dreaming of BMWs and convertibles and luxury SUVs. Maybe someday...

What about you? Do you own a car? If so, do you like it? If not, what car would you like to have, and do you think you'll ever get it?