2 New Cars

Over the weekend Tracy and I decided to turn in our BMW’s, they were near the end of the lease, and get two new cars that we would own this time around. We leased our BMW’s which meant we were slaves to milage and other various restrictions. Nothing like owning a car, but not really owning a car. We decided we REALLY wanted to own our cars now. The question was, what to get?

Tracy had one major demand, whatever cars we got had to be able to fit a plastic lawn chair. She bought one last year and had no easy way to get it home in her 325i. We looked around and decided to check out what Saturn had to offer.When all was said and done, we ended up both getting the same model car. Both of us purchased 2008 Saturn Vue’s. If you aren’t familiar with the Vue it is the Saturn version of the Enclave and is a crossover vehicle. That means it has an SUV body built on a car frame. The idea is that while smaller, you get the benefits of the SUV and the benefits of a car. I’ll let you know how that goes in a few months, but already I have been able to bring home a desk for Tracy and Tracy was able to bring home a headboard and frame for Kristie’s bedroom.

We haven’t taken any photos yet of the cars, but these photos I found on the web give a pretty good idea of what ours look like. The photo of the backseat is what the interior of my car looks like and the front seat photo is what Tracy’s interior looks like. For exterior, mine is Techno Grey and Tracy’s is Black Onyx (pictured below). They are great look cars and we are both very happy with our decision. They drive incredibly well too, very much like a car. The best part of all of this... I don’t have to buy another car for at least 5 years, maybe even longer.

Proud New Parents ---- of Beamers

After experiencing a fair amount of car trouble between the two of us, mine with a 2001 Olds Alero and Tracy with a 2000 BMW 328i, we decided it was time for a headache free change. Both of us have had too many problems to count and we were looking at over $5000 to get her BMW operating properly and mine had major repairs pending as well as every bit of maintenance you can think of doing. With over 74,000 miles on my Alero, he was getting a little long in the tooth. Tracy's had more than 65,000 miles on it. For us the only question became, do we spend a great deal of money on repairs, or look to replacing them.

For Tracy it was an easy decision and the make and model was already pre-determined for her, 2006 BMW 3 Series. I can't say that I was too troubled by the decision; but my only sticking point was a monthly price-point. A threshold of pain that we couldn't cross. Even then we both knew that there would be short-term sacrifices. She agreed with me and immediately began checking into what could be done with what we had to offer, which honestly, didn't seem enough to me.

I've only bought a few cars in my life, and only my Alero was a new car. When I bought that car I thought the salesman, now passed away, did a fine job of putting me into the car I wanted at a price I could afford and didn't try and sell me on a ton of extras or other things I didn't need. A good salesmen figures out your limits quickly and doesn't press harder or further than he thinks you will go. Mark was an excellent salesman and figured out quickly what we wanted. We told him where we wanted to be price wise and he made sure we stayed within the limits we set for him. He took great care of us and I can't help but recommend him to anyone looking to buy a car; well looking to buy a BMW anyway. The BMW sales experience was everything I have heard it is cracked up to be and more so. Sales is all about people, and while it really isn't a job I would want to do it's a job I can think highly of when it is done as well as was handled by Mark.

So today Tracy and I both have 325is and Tracy is just beside herself with joy. Call it a slightly early wedding gift. Tracy chose Red with beige interior, looks great. I took the Silver with black interior. Mine was a demo, so it had about 1100 miles on it (not even broken in yet), which helped bring down the price a bit. Tracy's was brand new off the lot. It still has that famed, New Car Smell. Both were given complete details and a full take of gas, but I would have expected nothing less. Making the ride out, all the better, dad was there to share in the experience.

They are very quiet, although not as quiet as a 5 series or some other luxury cars; but the drive is what the 3 series is all about and they drive great. They come with a decent list of perks, like Bluetooth phone support. They also have an auxiliary jack for an MP3 player, so our iPods are right at home and I don't have to listen to crappy radio. The windows aren't tinted, which we may see about doing and later this year the iPod gets the full BMW treatment and from all accounts the 3 Series isn't being left out. What we have is great, that would make it even better.

The Tale Of A Tire Gone Bad

I would love to embelish this story and give it more "umph," but to be honest this is a very simple story. I was on my way to work traveling out of Wylie when I came to a railroad track I have crossed hundreds of times already. Today was different for some reason. I am not fully sure what happened, but I believe I rode a little too far to the right and caught the edge of the street and slid right over the deep tracks. The whole area on both sides of the streets is jagged, very jagged. More than likely the edge caught the inside of my tire and tore two holes, as if they had been slashed, right through the tire. Instantly I lost all tire pressure in the tire and new immediately that I had a serious problem. I pulled over to check the tire finding it as flat as I thought and trying to figure out what to do next. I knew I had a spare and one of those crazy tiny jacks, but I had never attempted to use either with this car. I dug out the tire, the jack and the tire wrench and began the labrous task of changing a tire on the side of a busy highway in the middle of the afternoon on a hot June day. A particuraly messy and sweaty task. By the time I was done, I had successfully changed my tire, sweated a small river and changed the color of my hands. All in all a wonderful and exciting experience that I hope not to have to deal with again. Luckily, it is only the third time I have ever had to change a tire.