New Car Smell

Yep.  I did it.

I drove Explorers  for nearly twenty years and grieved when the last one died 2.5  years ago.   I only live a mile from where I work so I could walk and, although awkward, was able to borrow my husband's Focus on days I needed a car.

What an uncomfortable thing, having to negotiate with my future ex-husband for use of HIS car because I had no money for one of my own.  I had to have new tires put on.  He did very little maintenance on it and by the time my car died (in spite of the very expensive transmission maintenance I'd kept up on, the transmission went bad) his tires were bare.  And it had developed a small but continual leak of something.  My mechanic THINKS it's oil but doesn't know where it's coming from.  Which means $$$ to go hunt it down.

Frankly, I didn't think it worth it.

I make the last payment on the Focus next month and decided this was one dream that I was going to make come true.

I've never lusted over a car before.  But two years ago I walked around the corner at Costco and saw this car smiling at me.  My heart skipped a beat.  I smiled.  I tell people that this was the first car that ever called to my soul. I didn't even know what brand it was but it said "CX5" on the back so I went home and looked it up online.  Mazda.

Two years.   I'd see them on the road and say,  "There's my car."  A few weeks ago, as I was leaving my attorney's office, I got into the Focus and realized I was parked next to a white CX5.  The next day I was getting into my car after a staff development day and next to me was a black one driven by a colleague from another campus.  I decided to listen to the message.

It took only a couple of days to get a loan from my credit union, and the payment is only $15 out of my very conservative comfort zone.

Best news?  I've raised my Fico score by 122 points since September, high enough to get a five-year for 2.99% interest.  The young man who had taken me on a tour of the car a year ago (when he was brand new to the dealership) was still there and expedited the process.  I was able to get the next highest model (Touring instead of Sport ) for still less than my approved loan.  I thought I would be picking the car up after I brought them a check, but they handed out keys and hugs and sent me off to pick up the check within a couple of days.

Totally in love with the guys at CJ Wilson Mazda in Ventura, CA.  They made the experience a party rather than a hassle.

And, yes, it's red.  Remember I said that I'd never had a car call to my soul like this one?  I looked forward to having this red car for two years.  But it wasn't until two weeks ago that I looked up the model to find out the name of the color (wanted to make it right).

Soul Red.

My last car was beige.

But the girl I intend to be will drive a red car.

Soul Red.