Congratulations!
I have wanted an SUV, or a minivan, since they first came out, but my husband prefers big, traditional, 4 door sedans. Being an engineer, he always has a lot of facts and figures on gas mileage, horsepower, price, etc. to back up his preferences, so we always buy big, used, 4 door sedans. Even our antique Model A is a big, 4 door sedan.
I am always threatening to buy a 4 door pick up truck next time around, but I’m not sure that I could climb into one any more. We rented a Ford Escape (I think that was the model) on one of our trips to CA this summer, and I really liked that.
We always buy low mileage used cars and look for a model with the most luxury accessories. We need front wheel drive because we live on a hill too. It can be slippery when it ices up in the winter. Many of the car manufacturers have dropped front wheel drive, so that eliminates them. We evolved from 2 large Chryslers to 2 full sized Cadillacs over the past 5 years because Chrysler droppped front wheel drive on its large sedan.
Cadillac has just dropped its popular DeVille chassis and has gone to a new, smaller model with a fold down back seat — sort of incorporating the trunk into the seating compartment. I suspect that I am driving the last Caddy that I shall ever own. Even my current 2008 Luxury 3 model, has modified, or dropped, some features that my 2003 model had. They are little things in the great scheme of life, but I really liked them.
For instance, you can no longer activate the “lock” button from the rear doors. So, if you are unloading packages, you have to go back to the front doors to lock the car or use your key fob (when your hands are already full of “stuff”). My newer Caddy does not have lighted “vanity” mirrors in the back seat, even though the accessory packages that were included are top of the line. The side “map” pockets in the doors are so shallow that they are unusable, and the cupholders have reduced the spacing in the front seat so that it is difficult to place 2 cups of coffee, etc. in them side by side. The back of the front seat pickets have no gussets, so nothing fits in them.
None of these changes were noticeable until we had bought the car and driven it for a while. And the worst thing of all? It has a black leather interior. I lose everything in there. Seriously. This is not Cadillac’s fault — just my stupidity. I’ve lost the car manual, the dog’s leash, etc., ad nauseum. Things just disappear in plain sight, especially when the car is in the garage. The side windows are tinted, and you pop out to the garage and peek in the car looking for something — no, it’s not there, look some place else. 2 days later you find it right in the car where it was the whole time. Maybe if I remembered to keep the sun roof interior shade open I could see things, but I never remember.
So, when the 2003 model needs replacing, I’ve got to look for a different car. Maybe I’ll get my minivan, finally.
i thought only foreign cars like Mercedes, BMWs etc were rear wheel drive anymore? all of our SUVs are all wheel drive. i’d never own a rear wheel drive car, even living in NoVA and not getting all the snow and ice you guys do. Several years ago when we had the SNOWMAGEDDON, xshub passed plenty of Saabs, BMWs and other fancy cars abandoned on the road, and that’s what caused it to take him 7 hours to get home in what is normally a half hour trip.
Toyotas get great gas mileage, and run forever. Tell hubby that.
No, the worst thing is that whenever you open the car door, snow falls onto the driver’s seat.