Xiaoniu 小妞

Although we haven’t gotten the final word on what is going to happen with Sue’s car I was able to talk her into doing some car shopping on Saturday. Even if we don’t buy now we are now better prepared for when the time does come. We had our minds set that we wanted either a Toyota or Honda, so we hit both on Saturday. It was an eye opening experience.

Highlander – No – Far too expensive for very little car. I’m still confused how they can ask so much money for a small SUV.

RAV4 – No – From the outside it is an impressive looking small SUV. Much nicer style than previous years. Inside, it is absolutely, the smallest vehicle I’ve ever been able to squeeze into. Let me say first that Sue’s Civic has excellent leg room for a small car. She probably has more room in her car than in my truck. Well, I moved the seat all the way back and reclined it a bit and made my way into the RAV4. My left leg was okay, but my right knee was wedged between the tiny steering wheel and the dashboard. There simply is no room in the damn thing. I never would have guessed.

CRV – No – Our next choice was the CRV. That is also a no. We stopped by Honda and got a chance to sit in one. Very, very cheaply made vehicle. It may be a Honda and may be reliable, but it just would not hold up to actual use. It had a very cheap plastic feeling interior. The tailgate was light and the cargo area was poorly designed. With the amount of crap we stuff into our cars this one would not hold up to the weight and use. Sorry, it’s a no go.

Camry – Yes – This is our current top pick. On a whim after trying the RAV4 I told Sue that I wanted to see a Camry. I’m glad we did. It was a perfect fit. Large interior, cavernous trunk (really, it is seriously big) and an ample back seat. The creature features are excellent. Plenty of (potential) pep, although we have not driven one yet. I even went back with Amy, Mike, James and Emelia to see how we all fit. Two car seats and Amy in the back fit perfectly. The same amount of room as mom’s SUV has in the back seat. That was with Mike and myself in the front sitting comfortably. And best of all the price is right.

Accord – No – While at Honda I wanted to at least look at an Accord. I haven’t been in one in a while and I was hoping that they improved the design. My hopes were dashed. Although the car felt better made than the CRV it was too cramped. For $1k-2k less the Camry has much more room.

Now we wait for the insurance company. I hope today is the day we find out for sure what is going to happen with Sue’s car. Once we get the final word we can decide if we want/need to get a new car or if we end up fixing and using her old one. Either way the car shopping we did is not a loss. We’ll eventually be getting a new one.