New (Used) Car (Electric!)

A couple weeks ago, I posted a scary picture on Instagram: multiple fire trucks, wet roads, a three-car pile up, our totaled Prius in the middle of it all.

Matt and all the boys (including Hoss) got rear-ended on the way to school. It was another one of those scary reminders that everything can change in an instant (and I’m flooded with gratitude that nothing really changed for us and everyone is safe and sound).

Despite the fact that we had a lot going on (namely Valentine’s Day and a doctor’s appointment because I’m having heart palpitations), we only had a couple of days to decide on a new car and to go out and get one before the rental car ran out.

It was really quite an unfortunate time to buy a new car. Matt and I both have cars that are more than ten years old, but we were trying to stretch them as long as possible before getting a new car payment.

But we didn’t have a choice! We got to work immediately making a list of our options. In the end, we decided to trust our friend, Noah’s, judgement (he has a PhD in science, is extremely frugal, cares about the environment, and does a ton of research) and buy a used Fiat. We found one for $8,000. It has about 50,000 miles.

Here’s what I love about our new car:

• The pick-up is amazing! I literally feel like I am zipping around everywhere I go.
• It has leather seats. I’ve been dreaming about leather seats since having children. I have no idea if they will actually be easier to clean up, but I’m eager to see!
• It feels so cool to be able to plug my car into an outlet. As soon as we get solar panels on our house, this will feel even better!
• The car is really quiet to drive.

Here’s what’s just okay about our new car:

• It only has two doors, so it’s a little annoying for the boys to get in and out.
• Its cup holders aren’t big enough to hold my breakfast smoothies (luckily Matt just ordered something from Amazon that will hopefully fix this issue!)
• Its visibility (like when changing lanes) isn’t nearly as nice as my Honda Fit. My Honda Fit literally feels like I’m sitting in an atrium. So much glass! So much light! So easy to see everything!

Not such a big deal! In general, it’s a thumbs-up. I’m glad we got it. And I’m realizing I’m a terrible person to write car reviews because I only notice the most trivial things. Oops.