Current Mood: Happy

On Saturday Lara and I went looking for an HHR to test drive, or a Vibe.  The GM salesperson told us that they didn’t have any HHRs and we wouldn’t find a Vibe anywhere in BC since the next year’s model is coming out.

We went across the street and took a Dodge Caliber out for a drive.  Nice, but bulky.  Lots of room, and a beverage cooler just above the glove compartment! The salesperson asked if we could meet his manager otherwise he’d “get in trouble”, so we went in.  He then started to price us out on one, but I was curious to see how much it would come to since the Caliber was the least expensive on my list.  After a half-hour of him quoting too-high numbers regarding the overstock of Calibers he had on hand with too many options I stood up, pointed at the Caliber for $277/month sticker that was on his window and said, “that, plus air conditioning and automatic.”  Another 15 minutes and we had $325/month after taxes (I wanted no more than $300).  Tired and hungry, we thanked them and left.

The next day we went to another Pontiac dealer closer to Lara’s place on a lark and found that they had a couple Vibes on hand.  We took one out, liked it (sporty and easy to park), and within 2 minutes of returning he had a quote in front of me that was $50 less per month than the Caliber, which is the less expensive vehicle, especially when you consider the Caliber quote was for $2,000 down and the Vibe just $1,000! Dodge, you have been completely outclassed…for shame!

I’ll be picking up my new Vibe tomorrow after work! Vroom!

Current Mood: Confused

I went and test drove a Mazda 5. It has all the amenities of a minivan but drives like a large car. Very roomy and peppy.

The only drawbacks are that it’s the most expensive of the remaining vehicles on my list, the mileage is worst for highway and second-worst for city, and the engine is a bit loud…the latter two things part of the whole “zoom zoom” image Mazda is trying to project. It is a peppy vehicle, and I liked the rain-sensing wipers, but…not enough.

I also dropped by Saturn in Langley on Sunday and…found it closed. No sale for you! I still want to test drive the Astra so I’ll be going to the Richmond Saturn, which is open on Sundays.

Current Mood: Confused

So after a bit of investigation, here’s where we stand (sorry for the formatting problem, but Wordpress doesn’t have many HTML options for font size):

I can’t find any information on the Impreza’s gas consumption, but with the highest monthly cost there’s no point. The Matrix and PT Cruiser are the next highest. I’m surprised about the PT Cruiser’s poor mileage. All 3 go.

Style-wise, I was dithering between the PT Cruiser and HHR; I like those classic lines. Notice that the HHR is now the second-highest priced vehicle remaining on the list and the mileage also isn’t that great? I’ll reserve judgement on it until after a test drive.

Current Mood: Confused

I’m in the market for a new vehicle. Mine is Mellissa’s old one, so I think a fresh start is in order. Also, it’s dying. It can’t idle for a few minutes without blowing blue smoke out the back and it makes “pocketa pocketa” noises. Nobody can do anything for it. It’s a 1997 Toyota Tercel with over 225,000 km on it, so it’s had a good run.

I was thinking about when Puck got his new car and I wondered why he got a hatchback. When I thought about it more I realized that without a trunk it’s much easier to park. Certainly when backing up I have trouble because from the driver’s seat it’s hard to tell how far my bumper is from what’s behind me. If the rear window is at the back it’ll be much easier. That being said, I don’t want less cargo space than if I had a trunk. If it can hold 3 comic longboxes while the back seats are up then I’ll be happy. Also, I don’t want a low car, as I’ve hit my head getting in and out of the Tercel a few times.

So, a hatchback, and I’ll need the following as well:

• Airbags
• ABS (who remembers to pump the brakes when they have to stop suddenly?)
• Air conditioning
• Keyless entry

I’ve got my list down to the following:

• Chevy HHR
• Chrysler PT Cruiser
• Dodge Caliber
• Kia Spectra5
• Mazda 5
• Pontiac Vibe
• Saturn Astra
• Suburu Impreza
• Toyota Matrix

The following were rejected out of hand due to being too small:

• Chevy Aveo
• Honda Civic
• Honda FIT
• Mini Cooper
• Pontiac Wave
• Toyota Yaris
• Volkswagon Golf
• Volkwagon Rabbit

The Mazda 3 looks really nice, but there was a news story on a flaw where if you pushed hard on the locked door it would just pop open. They’ve fixed it, but I’m seeing Mazda 3’s all around town with dents on the doors because the criminals know about it too.

The Ford Focus…well, it’s a Ford. ’nuff said.

The VW Jetta wagon and Toyota Prius start at $30K, half again as much as some of the ones I’ve already priced, so they’re out.

Are there any that I’ve missed?

Current Mood: Borg-like

I was able to swap out the jack and switch without too much difficulty.  The lock switch was the hardest part, as you have to unscrew the inner switch from a tiny piece that connects to the metal switch on the outside and try to line it all up…very minute parts!

After I was done I found that the lock switch wasn’t working after I got most of it back together, so instead of unscrewing all that again I did a little jiggery-pokery and it’s all working!

It’s alive! ALIVE!

Current Mood: Alarmed

So I replaced the damaged screen on my iPod, all by myself! When I hooked it back together it worked great. Then I tried to listen to it…only one earbud worked. So, I pulled it apart again, reset the headphone ribbon back on the mainboard and tried again…no sound. I tried a half-dozen resets, but nothing. Looks like the ribbon got pinched as I closed the iPod back up.

Back to eBay I go, to find a $6 replacement part (+$16 shipping of course)…

Addendum:   And what should arrive in my e-mailbox just now?  An ad for the new 32 GB iPod Touch.  (drool)