Miss Daisy has been bandaged up and is now waiting at the dealership for me to pick her up this evening. And- hooray!- she'll finally have heat again. I should be excited about this. I should be happy to have my van back and that now I don't have to worry about losing fingers to frostbite when I drive it.
But I'm not.
First of all, while Miss Daisy was being operated on, the dealership gave us a loaner to use. It's a Dodge Grand Caravan- I'm not sure what year- but it's obviously much nicer than my van. Much. Even without any cool features. So I'm kind of bummed to give that back. It also doesn't help that before I can take Miss Daisy home, I have to pay the bill. Ick. $865 and change. That said, the total bill was almost $100 less than I expected it to be, so I thank God for that small blessing.
But still. That's a lot of cash to hand over. Less than a year ago we put almost $550 into her to fix an oil leak. If you've wondered why I hold such a grudge against this vehicle, please wonder no more.
Can't I just let the dealership keep Miss Daisy and get a new van in exchange? I only want a new Honda Odyssey. That's all. Please?
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Minivan Mom
You know, I never thought I'd own a minivan. Seriously. In high school I swore up and down that when I had kids I'd just buy an SUV and viola- there's the space for car seats! In case you didn't know this already, high schoolers are dumb.
Turns out SUVs are not only way more expensive, but dang gina... they drink gas like it's going out of style! I completely understand now why families- especially those with young kids- choose a minivan instead. Many times they are more economical, they are more accessible, and the dual automatic doors canNOT be beat. (My mom's van has those and I fall in love with them a little more each time I use her van) I love the space Miss Daisy has, too, even if that's the only thing I like about her. I have a toddler and another baby due in June and kids require more than just car seats. They have so many bags and stuff. It's wonderful having room for the stroller in the trunk, the car seat(s) in the middle row, plenty of space for whatever bags, toys, books, or blankets that are required, and then still have room for passengers in the back row! I think I'm turning into a space junkie.
And really, the minivan has come a long way since the 90s, when I was growing up. Now they're- dare I say it?- almost... cool. Well okay, maybe that's stretching it a little too far. They're not as uncool. It's hard to jump into a vehicle (and you didn't even have to open the door yourself), settle into the leather seats, and start watching a movie and not think it's at least semi-cool. Although Miss Daisy has none of that. Huh.
Cool or not, I am a minivan mom. Sure, I might pick a Honda Pilot instead if I had the choice, but at this point in my life, a Honda Odyssey is a better option. And a really, really nice one.
Turns out SUVs are not only way more expensive, but dang gina... they drink gas like it's going out of style! I completely understand now why families- especially those with young kids- choose a minivan instead. Many times they are more economical, they are more accessible, and the dual automatic doors canNOT be beat. (My mom's van has those and I fall in love with them a little more each time I use her van) I love the space Miss Daisy has, too, even if that's the only thing I like about her. I have a toddler and another baby due in June and kids require more than just car seats. They have so many bags and stuff. It's wonderful having room for the stroller in the trunk, the car seat(s) in the middle row, plenty of space for whatever bags, toys, books, or blankets that are required, and then still have room for passengers in the back row! I think I'm turning into a space junkie.
And really, the minivan has come a long way since the 90s, when I was growing up. Now they're- dare I say it?- almost... cool. Well okay, maybe that's stretching it a little too far. They're not as uncool. It's hard to jump into a vehicle (and you didn't even have to open the door yourself), settle into the leather seats, and start watching a movie and not think it's at least semi-cool. Although Miss Daisy has none of that. Huh.
Cool or not, I am a minivan mom. Sure, I might pick a Honda Pilot instead if I had the choice, but at this point in my life, a Honda Odyssey is a better option. And a really, really nice one.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Driving Miss Daisy
This is a blog about Daisy. Miss Daisy, to be exact. See, shortly after we purchased our '99 Ford Windstar in 2008, I thought it was cute and funny to name my van "Miss Daisy". So I could say I was driving Miss Daisy. Get it? Yeah, I should probably note here that I've never seen the movie.
Anyway, Miss Daisy is sick. I would properly introduce her to you, but she's currently in the shop, having her innards torn apart while we wait for donor parts to come in. Even after she is patched up and sitting back in my driveway (hopefully a little happier and much, much warmer), she's an old girl. It's a matter of time before she's back in the shop, having an even more major (and therefore more expensive) surgery done.
The problem is Miss Daisy's owner- this would be me, aka Tiffany- does not have an unlimited supply of cash to fund these little "trips" and problems that seem to be adding up. As it is, we've had to tap into our credit line and max it out just to pay for this current rendezvous. We have another vehicle that we still owe on, but at least it's a Honda. (And the heavens rejoiced...) Oh, and yeah, we still owe a bunch of money on Miss Daisy, too.
So, this blog is about Miss Daisy and her journey. Hopefully a journey to a new owner. It's about our journey, too, and how we figure out this financial puzzle. We've got to figure it out, because, well... Tiffany needs a new van.
Anyway, Miss Daisy is sick. I would properly introduce her to you, but she's currently in the shop, having her innards torn apart while we wait for donor parts to come in. Even after she is patched up and sitting back in my driveway (hopefully a little happier and much, much warmer), she's an old girl. It's a matter of time before she's back in the shop, having an even more major (and therefore more expensive) surgery done.
The problem is Miss Daisy's owner- this would be me, aka Tiffany- does not have an unlimited supply of cash to fund these little "trips" and problems that seem to be adding up. As it is, we've had to tap into our credit line and max it out just to pay for this current rendezvous. We have another vehicle that we still owe on, but at least it's a Honda. (And the heavens rejoiced...) Oh, and yeah, we still owe a bunch of money on Miss Daisy, too.
So, this blog is about Miss Daisy and her journey. Hopefully a journey to a new owner. It's about our journey, too, and how we figure out this financial puzzle. We've got to figure it out, because, well... Tiffany needs a new van.
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