We tested a lot of cars back in the December / January timeframe. The new Jeep Cherokee was great. We liked it a lot. But to get one equipped properly was likely to cost close to $40K. Ouch! We looked at the Hyundai Sante Fe and it was pretty nice too. It just did not hit all the right notes. Then we looked at the Ford Escape. Well we did sit in it. But that was as far as we got, Momma did not like it.
You know it was kind of funny. We went to a nearby Ford dealer and they were very busy, so we waited until a sales guy got free. I told him what I was looking for and he pulled one from the back and brought it up to the front. Momma got in it and sat there for a minute and then she got out, she was done. I turned to the sales guy and thanked him and said she did not like it, so we would not be testing it. We were in fact going to leave.
He could not believe it, he stood there with his mouth open asking if we were going to test drive it and once again I said no. He did not know what to do. So he asked us to wait a second so he could get his manager. I decided to be nice and let him do his due diligence. He grabbed his manager and spoke to him, the manager kept on looking over at me and shaking his head. He finally came over and introduced himself. He wanted to know if we were going to test the car. I said no, my wife did not like it. He said they have other cars to test, I replied that we had only come to look at that one and my wife simply did not like it. He mentioned again that they had other cars to drive.
I could see this was getting nowhere. So I had to pull out my "Car Guy" credentials. I said that I was an instructor for this particular dealers track days and that we were done with looking at the car. And if he had a problem, he could talk to the guy that puts on the track events, he would vouch for me. He seemed confused. We left that day and we decided we were finished looking for new cars too. Nothing really fit out needs. Usually when we are shopping for a new car, we act fast. We decide we will get a car, swoop in and buy something that day. This time it did not happen. It was kind of weird, against our normal grain of the way we do things. But the timing was not quite right.
Anyway, fast forward four months and we had decided to sell our house and downsize. Not in the quantity of garages mind you (we would stay at three cars), but it turns out that downsized means the size of the garage too. One of them was truly a mini garage. Did I say mini, no I mean it is tiny. So I did my home work and it turns out that a hand full of cars would fit: Smart Car (Yuck), Fiat 500 (too small and our 90lb dog would not fit), Mini Cooper (hard for said dog to get into and no roll down back windows, a must for a big slobbering dog). So that left one obvious choice. It has four doors, a hatch and fits in the very small place of our new garage. It is a...wait for it...Mini Cooper Countryman. Here is a picture, fitting tightly.
You know after all this time, it fells right. And Momma loves it. It is the perfect car for her personality. So welcome Mini. Hope you decide to stay for a while. And to be frank, as long as we need a car for this tiny third garage, it pretty much means you.
And on that exhaust note, see you all next time.
