New car

Well, it's new to me. Uncle Sam came through with the tax refund, and I made my way northward to Austin to secure the purchase of a PT Cruiser I'd been watching online for several months. Actually making it to Austin was touch-and-go, as the red Neon (vintage '95 model with 160K miles on it) kept wanting to stall out. When it wasn't trying to stall (or outright die) the engine seemed to want to shake itself to pieces. Not a fun trip to say the least. But the dealership did give me $200 in trade-in for it. I almost feel bad for ripping them off like that (heck, they should've made me pay them $200 for that clunker), but then I remember the car had half a tank of gas, so that's $20 for them right there.

The PT Cruiser, as you see in the picture, is dark blue. It's an '02 model with 33K miles on it, so it's practically new, had at less than half the price of a new one. It runs quite nicely, and the interior is clean and well-maintained. I was surprised that the retro styling extends to the instrument panel. Very cool. Reminds me of my grandfather's old '53 Chevy. The Cruiser has a 5-speed manual transmission, which is why I suspect it stayed on the market so long--people only want automatic transmission these days. But as I took it for a test drive, I suddenly remembered why I liked manual transmissions so much. I haven't driven one in years, but it all came back instantly. It just feels like driving, an active participation, rather than the passive experience automatic gives. I like it.

A PT Cruiser wasn't my first choice, mind you. I wanted a Jeep. I still desperately want a Jeep. But they're popular and pricey, and the only ones in my price range were rode hard and put up wet. I need something dependable now, that can double as a family vehicle if the minivan is in the shop (which, as coincidence would have it, is now). As far as compromises go, the PT Cruiser is a pretty good one. Plus, it has the added bonus of not really driving like a car--it feels more like the little S-10 Blazers I used to drive. Not exactly, but more that than the scrape-the-ground design of the Neon. I suspect I'm going to like this car (fingers crossed).

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