Out With The Old, In With the Not As Old

We finally did it. We went from this:

 To:

Actually, we haven't quite made the complete switch. We bought the Sienna last Tuesday, and pretty much we drove it home from the dealership, parked it in the garage and left it. My excuse has been the weather. And, it is true- I do not want to take my new car out in this ice and snow until I know how it handles.


But, really, it is hard to give up my Corolla. We did not trade it in. We are selling it to some friends from church who have 4 teenagers and could use another car. We have not sold it yet, so I have been enjoying my last few days with my first car.

I still remember buying this car. I went with my roommate Abby to the dealership in Provo, UT. We actually stopped at a Chevy dealership first and test drove one of their cars, but I didn't love it. I didn't think I could afford a Toyota, but Abby said we should just see what they had. We were first shown a car that I didn't like, and then he showed us the one I ended up buying. It was a certified pre-owned with about 8,000 miles. I really liked it, and the price was OK so I signed the papers (with Abby's encouragement- if she was not there, I never would have bought the car).

I have put about 96,000 miles on it and have had a lot of fun doing it. Mostly it has made lots of trips to and from UT (especially when I first moved to CO), and then been a commuter car to and from work, and then carried not one, but two kiddos all around town. There are a lot of memories there, and I will miss this little car. But, my friend who is buying the car assured me that I could come over and sit in it and even take it for a drive around the block if I needed to. She is such a great friend!

However, with a third baby coming we know we need a bigger car, and it was my decision to get the mini-van. We actually both had wanted a Mazda5- a "mini-mini van." It seats 6, but not comfortably and with no storage. Nevertheless, it gets great gas mileage, is not very expensive, and with 3 kids seemed like a perfect choice. We were very excited about the Mazda5.

Until we saw it. We went and looked at it, and we both really liked it. Except the size. It was just too small for us. If we wanted to go camping, or on a road trip, or fit our massive newborn stroller in the car- it just wouldn't work. There would not be enough room for kids and storage.

Right after we saw the Mazda5 we went and looked at the Toyota Sienna. And I fell in LOVE with it. There was SO MUCH room. It felt like luxury. I knew that was what I wanted. Based on reviews, I knew it was a great car and that I wanted it.

That was a couple of months ago. Since then I have been searching on-line and doing lots of research on price and such. We decided we wanted a 2009 with low miles and with an 8th seat. And preferably in a good color.

With a used car, though, you can't be too picky.

But then we found this car: a 2009 Sienna with an 8th seat. And, as a bonus, a DVD player. The dealer installed it and though it was not something we originally wanted, it was a nice way to sweeten the deal. It was also about $4000 less than every other Sienna on-line. So we decided to go take a look. We decided if we had a bad feeling or were feeling pressured or whatever we would just walk away. We have both had negative experiences in the past with car dealerships, and we wanted to feel great about whatever purchase we decided to make.

We went and looked and test drove and we really loved it. We both LOVE the color. It looks dark grey in the picture, which it is, but it also has this blue hue that looks gorgeous when the sun hits it. It has  more miles then we wanted, which was the one negative, but because we don't put a lot of miles on our cars we figured it would all even out. It has the 8th seat, which we discovered ended up being a deal breaker for us when we thought of looking at other vans. When my family comes to visit, that 8th seat will be really nice, but you can take it out when you don't use it for some extra space.

So last Tuesday we bought it and it has been sitting in our garage ever since.

A big part of me really likes having a small car. A small car gets great gas mileage, is easier to park, and fits nice in the garage. I feel like a mini-van is a bit of overkill for only 2 kids. When we have 3 it won't be overkill, but with two it seems a bit much. Ben's car is a stick shift and I can't drive it, so when I go somewhere like a doctors appointment or to run errands by myself, taking the mini-van seems like a ridiculous waste of resources.

Also, I am just used to my Corolla. I have been driving it for 10 years. I know exactly how it handles. Now I have to get used to something entirely new.

I realize I am being ridiculous. It's like when you save and save to buy this beautiful outfit and then you just put it in your closet because you don't want to spill on it. I know I am upgrading here- going from eating at a McDonald's to eating at The Melting Pot. This is a good thing. It is a great thing. I am an adult now, I should have an adult car- not a college car.

Like it or not, tomorrow the Corolla is leaving our house and I will be a mini-van driving mama. It will be good. I just need to get used to it.