Test drive

So, we have already talked about how JS got his driver's license. As with all things that take a long time to obtain, once obtained, one generally runs with it! Which, in this case meant, JS really, REALLY wanted to get a car.

Once he started researching, however, he found that it's a really shitty market for cars, particularly used cars. Really high resale values, high interest rates, limited selection, etc... really the worst kind of market for cars. What kind of car to buy? What year? What color? The initial idea was to get a Civic EX, like Ian (if you don't already know, that's the name of my car). JS had gotten used to driving Ian around while preparing for his test. We test drove one beautiful '03 Civic EX Coupe - in nearly perfect condition. The one problem was that it was selling for only about $1000 less than what we had paid for Ian... for a now 3 year old car. We decided we should keep looking, keep our options open.

We went to a dealership to look at an '04 Civic Coupe, mysteriously selling for the same price as the '03 we tested... and once we saw the car, it was no longer a mystery. Bad ju-ju all around from this car. A few dents, scrapes, etc... but the feeling was bad. The parking break stuck, incidental parts were missing (small panel covers, etc.). JS told the man that he didn't even want to bother with it. The dealer tried to show us another Civic. No go... not what we're looking for.

While wandering around the lot, pretty much feeling like we should leave, I pass by an '04 Mazda 3. The Mazda 3 had been the darkhorse choice, as we knew very little about it, and there seemed to be very few used ones available. And those used ones that were available were way out of the pricerange. Yet, there were two of them, twins, both silver, sitting right there, next to each other. We wanted to take one out (the one with fewer scratches), but first we asked what the dealer was willing to part with it for. The dealer told us a too-good-to-be-true price... time for a test drive.

JS started it up and we had that feeling that this car was meant for him - there were blue lights. We exit the lot onto MD355. As he's accelerating, the engine is revving very high - too high... what the hell?!?! Why aren't we shifting into gear?!?! What's wrong with the transmission?!?! We pull over into a random parking lot to switch places and figure out what's going on... Yeah, it's an automatic, so what the hell is up? Hrmmm... why is the shifter on "M" instead of "D"? What we did not realize is that Mazda's are equipped with sport manual - for those who want to feel like they're in control - the car is still electronically controlled. But that explained why we weren't shifting into gear. Well, that figured out and me in the driver's seat, we took this little puppy for a drive. And loved it. JS took over after a few minutes. Short jaunt on the highway and we were convinced - this car was definitely meant for him.

So with little hesitation, after confirming that the dealer was, indeed, serious about the price, we signed the dotted line.

So now, without further ado, I introduce MAX:




Doesn't Max have a cute butt?