Santa Fe Explorer--

I recently discovered the title of the blog is a bit of a misnomer.

I will explain.

On Tuesday, January 26 we had a bit of a snow and ice issue in our area. On his way home, Josh's car fishtailed off the road and ran through a street sign. After a little more sliding the episode ended when the driver side of his car hit a telephone poll. The passenger side airbag deployed.

Josh walked away with only a bruise on his hand.

The car was totalled.

We are amazed by how blessed we are.

It was an emotional few days, but then reality set in and we realized we were going to be forced to purchase a vehicle. We, of course, have not budgeted for said vehicle. In the world of Phillips Family Vehicle Purchasing it is my turn. However, the world is not always fair and just in the way of car purchases, so we are also staying open to the idea that it may be more economical for Josh to get a 4 door sedan(ish) type thing with good gas milage.

Now, judging by the title of this blog, you would probably guess that if it is me who in fact gets the "new" car, I would be chomping at the bit to finally get my minivan and become an ACTUAL minivan lover.

Weeellllll....

Not so much it would seem.

Long story short (don't worry, OF COURSE, I will tell you the long story) if it is me who end up with the new vehicle, I will likely end up with an 08 Ford Explorer or something similar.

Here is the story-
I was all ready to get a minivan until it was time to get a minivan. I went into panic mode. Like, wow this is it. I'm 28 and I'm going to be rocking out to NKOTB, Dave Matthews and Kayne West in a Dodge Caravan with automatic sliding side doors and Cheerio holders in the armrests. Prince's "Kiss" would no longer be blaring from my stereo. It would be replaced by "The Ants Go Marching" and other sing-alongs. No longer will it be appropriate to have "Damn the Man" and "I'm not speeding, I'm qualifying" bumper stickers. In their places would be "Baby on Board" and "I Brake for PTA Meetings" signs suction cupped to the inside of the windows.

I do not know why I went into such a panic over the very possible purchase of a minivan. I am not defined by what I drive. Actually, if you knew me in high school, you would probably disagree greatly with that statement. For those of you who did not know me then, I drove a '86 VW Golf- Raspberry in color. It sounded like a go kart, naturally. The driver side window was broken and it not have cup holders nor did it even have a tape player. I had a newer radio put in it, with a CD player, the 6 CD changer was located in the hatchback. Meaning I had to preload the CD's before I left, or I would have to pull over on the side of the road, risking life and limb to change out DMB CD's.
I once was at a party- I mean a gathering of law abiding high schoolers who were not at all partaking in any illegal underage drinking- and a girl came in and said, "Who drives the purple Golf?"

--Purple? please, clearly it was raspberry--

Fearing she hit it, I raised my hand and said, "Me."

She said, "I LOVE that car. I see it everywhere and I always wondered who drove it!"

I guess I do feel like my car is an extension of my identity and I am not ready to be an official Soccer Mom yet.

So here is the plan- (really, do you care? You must, you are still reading...)

We just put a lot of money into my Santa Fe (what I currently drive) and it has 100k miles on it. If I get the "new" car, Josh will take Fe and drive it for 2 (or so) more years. Then in 2 years during the year of the pig and summer solstice when the stars align and the moon is in Capricorn rising, Josh will take the Explorer and we will trade the Santa Fe in for my minivan. In other words, if all goes as planned I will be in a minivan on or around 2011 or 2012. I can handle this- mentally and physically.

The end result will be the same if Josh ends up getting the car this time around-- I will drive Fe into the ground for the next few years, Josh will get something sensible and in a couple years we will trade Fe in.

Either way, come 2012-ish, Fe is a goner.

Another reason I am not currently rolling in a MV is that the one I thought I liked, a Nissan Quest, was SO unbearably uncomfortable that during the test drive I had to pull over in a parking lot to attempt to readjust. When we got back to the dealer lot, I told the salesman that in the short test drive I think I developed several knots in my back, he replied, "Well, you can adjust the seats."

Really now?
Really?

Every time we go car shopping I come home frustrated. But then I see this face...

...and I mean really...