Today we added about 6000lbs to our family. No, we did not all spend the day at Golden Coral. Linda finally got a new SUV. She has been driving a 1998 Ford Expedition for quite a while, it has been a trusty steed taking us all over the US in reliable comfort (except for that one incident on the Colorado mountain side but everyone is entitled to one bad day in 12 years). It was time to get her a vehicle from the 21st century.
We didn’t have to look far. Although we considered the GM full size SUVs, we couldn’t resist the latest Texas sized offering from Ford. Linda settled on a well equipped dark blue pearl Eddie Bauer edition. We went downtown to see our old friend and ultimate Aggie – Tommy Vaughn. Tommy was an all American Fighten Texas Aggie and part of the Texas A&M; national championship of 1939. OK, we never met Tommy and he is dead now but we did go to the dealership with his name on it. Our sales guy was a man named David and he was easy to work with – no muss no fuss.
It wasn’t until we got home that we realized just how much bigger this new big brother was than his older sibling. It barely fit in the garage, we had less than an inch to spare as the roof rack slid under the garage door. If the gas tank would have been empty instead of full we may not have made it. See Yao Ming standing next to our blue beast as a point of reference.
Yes, it scares small children from California and they cry when they look up from their Prius and see it, and I had to tell the banker that I was going to medical school so he would give me a loan big enough to appease Ford credit, but we can pull a small house behind it, call you on the integrated bluetooth speakerphone and if we ever have another hurricane, we will have a place to stay.
We came to Texas from Florida in a Honda. Not long after we got here Linda was sitting at a red light when she realized the trailer hitch on the truck in front of her was pretty much at eye level. She looked to her left and saw a running board the size of a surfboard. They called them vehicles. At that moment she knew she wanted to sit up high. She started with a minivan or two then got into the hard stuff. And that’s how we got to where we are today. Hey, the next vehicle we get will be one of those Mini Coopers, no really! I’m totally serious, we can quit any time we want.
We traded our '93 4-wheel drive Suburban (essential in the ice-storm prone Ozarks and snowy Chicago) for a Mini in '06. Pam's car. She is quite happy with it. And Trey used the Obama clunkers program to trade his Jimmy in for a Prius. Kristen has a Chevy Aveo, Tori a Pontiac Vibe. Any of these could be attached to the back of your Expedition, like a lifeboat, in case you need a vehicle that has gas mileage in the double digits.
Well Thom, that may work in the land of cotton but here in the energy capital of the world if you want to be able to reach your big macs from the McDonalds drive thru window, you better be at least 6 feet off the ground or have a sun roof in your mini.
You can never truly be a member of the green vegans as long as you own that red monster you hide in your garage.
By the way, great picture of you and Kristen
We have become true Texans, where SIZE MATTERS! We are not ashamed; we will not be intimidated by the myth of global warming. And when we are out on the road there is no one (well maybe a semi) that we can't see over!
Not only are we true Texas, but we have bred them as well. The first thing Sarah said was "put a ZTA sticker on the old Expedition before Katie claims it."
Oh, and Thom, what kind of mileage does your Viper get??????
I'm a motorcycle guy myself. If it isn't blizzard conditions out I'm on my BMW. Having said that I do have two other vehicles. One is a Toyota Yaris that I couldn't be happier with (hey for $13,300 OTD…), and a Ford E-150. I guess the moral of the story is that every vehicle has its pros and cons. When fuel is $4/gal again I'll be glad I'm on the BMW so much but what ever happened to safety? The Yaris gets around 40 mpg but isn't very safe either. My van gets around 15-22 ish and safety isn't really a concern at all because of its size.
Enjoy that monster of a truck Fargo! I don't know about where you live but here a vast majority of people who have trucks that big are real idiots on the road. In fact my Mom's Rav4 was totaled by some guy in an Excursion that decided rear view mirrors are for chumps.
The Yaris is on its way out in the next few years though. Dad needs a new car and I'm looking at a used BMW 325i
Okay, so one car I have gets less than 32 mpg. Actually two; the Jeep only gets 20 (but it can see eye to eye with your behemoth). On the highway, at speed limit and in 6th gear, the Viper gets 20 mpg. It would please you too much to tell you what it gets in city, so I will withhold that information (but it is still double digits).
"When were you going to tell me!" Maybe we can go to lunch and NOT drive in it!
Oh Stu, you spoiled the surprise, I was going to come in to work tomorrow, wait for you to come by and and then not tell you about it.
Cause you're just like that!!
Hey, BTW – I bought a MediaSmart Windows Home Server over the holidays. Neat little device.
you are the second person I know that got one this Christmas – must be one of those cool gifts