Our bimmer was sitting in the garage soaking up lease payments, so we swapped it out for a beatiful Galaxy Grey last night.

I looked at a nav-equipped one for about five minutes and really thought it was more than I needed. We got a great trade-in on the bimmer and $1k off msrp, 4.9% for 60 months, and we don't have to pay sales tax because our trade-in was worth more than the purchase price of the car!

Needless to say we are thrilled. Both cars will get tinted next week, and I'll hold a little photo-shoot.

Pics to come.

Lastly, we really didn't see a hybrid on the horizon to wait for. A smaller Honda or more expensive Prius weren't going to cut it.

In our opinion, the HCHII with the full tax credit is really an unbeatable deal right now.

 

Whoo hooooo!! Congrats, noflash. I know you were thinking about this, and honestly I think you did the right thing. Very exciting! It sounds like quite a good deal, too.

When I was shopping for a car, I gave a lot of thought to getting a BMW or a Mercedes. I'm a lawyer, and I was starting a new job at a law firm with a conservative reputation and people to impress. The idea of using a luxury car to make a particular statement was appealing in some ways, but in the end I went with a hybrid, a different statement altogether, and I haven't regretted it at all. I doubt you'll regret this decision, either. Good for you!

 

Congratulations! My wife wishes we had a second HCHII... but alas it's just not going to happen. Her vehicle is an SUV, but I need it for hauling big, heavy baseball pitching machines (which I repair as a hobby!) Can't possibly haul those things in a Civic!

Enjoy your new car!

 

Thanks, I think we made the right one as well. The next best thing for us isn't even on the horizon. We might be in the market for a 50 mpg minivan in 5-7 years.

Also, I honestly didn't like the stigma that came with the bimmer -- even though it was the cheapest one.

I loved how it drove, but I had a case of Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde. That bimmer encouraged you to drive aggressively. The Civic is my ZenPod (and now ZenPodII).

 

Thanks!

You need the SUV. I have no problem with people that really need an SUV or truck. We don't need one, but sometimes we need friends and neighbors who have one.

That how we'll get by. And if we ever need to do some serious long haul road trip with two kids (currently one), I'll have to look at an aerodynamic roof rack.

 

wow, you sound like you were in my current scenario. i bought an audi a3 last yr because i loved the feel and performance out of a solid car with nice gas mileage. little did i know the shockwaves having such a car would send among friends, family, acquaintances - even passers-by! believe it or not, my brother threw a tantrum fit for a toddler, then ran out and bought an audi within days. then our mutual friend ran out and got a mercedes. (up to that point, we were all honda/toyota owners) i definitely don't like the stigma that comes with such a brand...

right now i am looking to get a more humble, eco-respectful utilitarian car. problem is i'm having a tough time mixing the utilitarian with the eco-friendly so far the only car we like as much as the audi is the HCHII, but that's not gonna help with giving more room for our baby, two pugs and various other needs. maybe we can get a civic, then an old beater van or something.

congrats!

 

Let me make this even more eerie -- we have an 8 month old and a pug!!

FWIW, the four of us just went on a 600 mile weekend road trip with no problems. We may have another child (human, not pug) one day and the only limitation I see would be the road trip. You can always throw a luggage compartment on the roof. May cut your mileage a bit, but not to minivan/suv standards.

Good luck!

 

holy crap - that IS eerie.... now you just need your 2nd pug

 

I sympothize with that--I've been working on hypermiling in my subie but it's too hard to resist a little boost now and then. I never get the urge to go wide open throttle in the HCH. Zen is a good way of putting it.

Congrats BTW!

 

I like the Zen idea. Driving my HCH really does calm me down. I've never been into meditating but I can see the appeal it has to some people. Compared to the frantic, tense drivers I often see on the road, tailgating and swerving to gain a few extra seconds (if that), I think maybe you're right and the hybrid is having some sort of supernatural calming effect.

Ommmmmmmmm........