2005-08-31 - 7:55 p.m.

I bought a new car to replace my hated and despised 2001 Ford Taurus. I
bought a 2005 Subaru Forester XT (turbo). I got a great deal - $5,000 off
dealer invoice through a $2K rebate and playing 2 dealerships against each
other - and a good financing rate (for 48 months). It's silver.

Last night the salesman called me to say that while the car was being
transported to the dealership from another dealership, a brick fell off
another truck and put a gash in the bumper of the soon-to-be-mine car! These
things seem only to happen to me. So, they put the car on the lift, and the
only damage was to the bumper, which is being replaced in its entirety next
week.

So far I'm loving the car. It has plenty of power and I can see out of it
quite a bit better than my old car. For those of you who don't know what it
is, it's a tall wagon/small SUV. It has all the options except for leather
and a sunroof, but I didn't want those anyway. The stereo is great, there's
plenty of power, the gas mileage should be a smidgen better than my previous
car's, and so far Life Is Good. The all wheel drive is imperceptible, but
the car is a lot tighter than the Taurus was, and the steering is ever so
much crisper. The heated mirrors and windshield wipers (both front and back)
should be good in winter, along with the heated seats. The back seat's a
little cramped but so what...I won't be back there!

My salesman was very amused that the first thing I played on the stereo was
the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah. I drove away with it cranked
and the windows down....

For pictures, click here.

Thanks to my sister Jennifer for giving me the inspiration!