new car

there are certain things about being an adult that scare the crap out of me. these things come in cycles, and i feel like once i get the hang of it everything is okay. i generally find that these things are uncomfortable because i feel like i may be taken advantage of. i am not sure where this particular sentiment comes from but i just feel it. so i get defensive in order to compensate for my lack of knowledge or vocabulary on the subject.

here is my list of adult things that are scary.

1. moving out on your own and understanding how to budget for everything.

2. filling out all your paper work for a new job.

3. doing your taxes for the first time.

4. filling out paperwork for retirement funds and investing your money responsibly.

5. anything pertaining to health insurance.

6. buying a new car and taking out your first loan.

one through five have been experiences i have already had to deal with and thanks to being able to ask a lot of questions, i feel they were all handled successfully. but now, here i am faced with adult challenge number 6. buying a new car.

ugh.

justino and i went to the subaru dealership on a whim about a month ago, just to look at the cars there. i currently own a 2000 forester and love it. we were mainly just wishing, hoping, dreaming, and planning, as we walked around the lot. we weren't all that serious. we didn't even test drive anything.

last weekend we returned to the lot, slightly more serious. we test drove an outback (which i was pretty sure i didn't want.) we talked finances on two different vehicles. and i walked out, pretending to be okay but really thinking... i have no idea what i am doing.

so i did what any young woman does in a situation like this... i called my mom. it is times like these that you really appreciate the experience your parents have. in the aforementioned items, i think i pretended i didn't need my parents' help... you know, all that independence stuff we pride ourselves on. but now, i think i have grown slightly wiser. mom and dad are on speed dial, and why not use their expertise.

so i asked a million questions. mom in turn gave me good advice and a list of questions to research. i researched for a couple of days. made a comparison chart between the two models of cars, and looked at my finances closely.

i returned today alone, armed with my lists, and ready to test drive again. today i test drove on the highway a subaru forester and an impreza outback sport. i knew immediately which one i wanted (despite the fact one had an amazing apr (see i can even use the lingo now)). i am a forester girl through and through. the new foresters are incredible, they ride smoothly, have a lot more cargo and leg room, and a higher ground clearance.

not to mention:
high strength steel bodies in a ring configuration which creates stronger b beams
has a curb weight of 3,250 lbs
a double wishbone rear suspension
DC3 Chassis
17 in. rims
8.9 in ground clearance
3 in wider body than previous models.
awd which distributes the power evenly

okay, now i am just showing off.

i bartered today. i actually bartered with the fancy dressed sales man. sure i have bartered before but a mexican beach and a car lot are completely different.

i still haven't made the plunge yet. but justino and i will go back probably tomorrow or Friday and just see what we can afford. i think we will be getting an okay deal and feel great cruising around in our new forester. we will be just like the subaru commercial where the family moves one forester out of the garage to put another one in. we will have our little rus side by side.

i think an important step in growing is knowing it is okay to ask questions. it is okay to not know what all that stuff means.

thanks mom and dad for all your expertise in car shopping and loans. i needed it.