It's Been a While

I know it's been a while since I posted anything substantial here, and I'm sorry for that - I really am. Things have been busy lately, though, so at least I have an excuse (no matter how weak).

Firstly, Kirsten totalled her Camry in early January. She hit a patch of black ice and slid across a thankfully-deserted highway into the median. Apparently motor vehicles and concrete dividers are not so much cuddlebunnies as they are mortal enemies, and Kirsten's car was really screwed up.

So we did some online car shopping after we got the check from the insurance company, and did some test drives. At first, we both strongly considered the Nissan Versa, but resale prices for those cars are ridiculous, and the new $9990 one - the second-cheapest car in America behind the Kia Rio - doesn't have a radio or an air-conditioner. I suppose that explains why it's so cheap, yeah?

So we started looking at used American cars. I liked the Ford Escape, although in the past I've sworn to myself that I would never enjoy driving an SUV. Kirsten hated the Saturn Ion. We both hated the Chevy Cobalt - it was cheap and fabric and underpowered.

Kirsten finally settled, though, and I traded in my car, on a Chevrolet Aveo. It's Chevy's little econobox, although it's actually a car designed by GM's Korean branch, Daewoo. While it's about 10 grand cheaper than the Cobalt, the interior is MUCH nicer, and the car itself handles better and has a better engine and transmission pair for the car.

As an aside: Having driven both the Aveo and Cobalt, I wonder why Chevrolet even bothers to employ designers anymore. Their cars are either hideous, like the new Monte Carlo, or terrible, like the Cobalt. They should just import Daewoos and rebadge them - it would save GM millions on salaries and design costs, and improve the Chevrolet brand immensely.

So that's where I've been lately: buying a new car. It's a little effeminate, and has a roadrunner-style horn (seriously, it doesn't honk - it meeps). I promise to be better soon.