This week "He who shall not be named" wrapped the trailblazer around a tree on the Clarksburg Road. He was fine, the car was not, and even if our insurance repairs it, we do not plan to keep it - 3 accidents in one year and 3 lucky escapes with nary a scratch, we don't want to push our luck any further.
The decision is made that I should get a new car and the kids will get to use my Tribeca. I say that I would like to stick with Subaru as they make good solid cars that perform well in the snow. I have considered getting a smaller car since transporting 2 full size cellos is no longer an issue and suggest a Forester. The husband says the Outback has been revamped and we should check that out as well. He test drives some cars in his lunch break and comes up with 2 he feels I "should like".
He says the Forester drives like a car, but is underpowered so we should drive the turbo version. The Outback drives like an SUV but has a V6 engine. Hmmmm. This terminology means nothing to me. My requirements are AWD, heated leather seats and some way of plugging the ipod into the sound system.
So I find myself in Montgomery County test driving the cars with not only the husband in the passenger seat, but the salesman in the back, on the 355 during Friday night rush hour, with the pair of them saying "pull out now, the cars a turbo" and me thinking "I'll wait 10 minutes until *I* see a gap *I* am happy with", and "why the hell didn't they choose a route where you join with a traffic light?".
White knuckle rides over, here's the female perspective on the cars.
1. No way on earth was I going to buy the turbo Forester as it had a raised lump on the bonnet that looked ridiculous and the foot pedals were metal with holes in and resembled swiss cheese. If "driving like a car" meant it felt flimsy, then it drove like a car, or more to the point, a boy racer car.
2. I felt embarassed being seen in the Outback as the test model was a shit brown. If it drove like an SUV then that I guess that is what I am used to, something big and solid. On the downside it had the ridiculous "parking brake" where you pulled a switch and pressed on the regular brake pedal to put it on, rather than having a separate foot operated or hand operated brake. I mean what is the point? I had to put my glasses on to read the switch to see if I had to push or pull to get it on or off.
3. I don't know if it is a man thing but certain "features" that the salesman touted as selling points are of no interest to me. Why would I want an automatic that I can also drive as a manual? I just want to stick the car in "drive" and go. Why would I want "cruise control"? The thought of the car moving without me having my feet on the pedals, is a scary one. Finally, if I am choosing an AWD car because of the safety benefits, why on earth would I want to be able to turn off the traction control?
Long story short, we went back yesterday and got the Outback, and I drove home in the Tribeca.
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