Car Shopping!

Ugh, we think it's time to get a new van.

Ours has some pretty big rust spots under our sliding doors and Matt thinks we are going to have holes in the sides of the doors by the end of winter. I don't want that. So we're thinking that it's time to look into a new van.

Our theory is that if we get rid of it now, before the holes get too big, we could still get some money for it. There are also some other things wrong with it, but we are refusing to get those fixed ( like $1500 for the traction contol to stop turning on whenever you pull out of the driveway).

So we have looked at Chrysler Town and Country, Volkswagen (exactly like a Chrysler, not kidding!), Toyotas, and tonight, we looked at Hondas. I have to admit, I like the Hondas the best, BUT I do not like the sticker price.

In the past, we have always looked for a car that was a little over a year or two old with less than 10,000 miles on it. This way, the car had depreciated in cost and it was a great deal. One problem- that doesn't work anymore! Used (3 years old/ 30,000 miles) are only about $5000 less than a brand new car!!! We are thinking that we might as well invest in a brand new car for just a couple thousand dollars more. This is especially true for the Hondas and Toyotas. They have a very high resell value, but of course, we are not interested in reselling it. We are going to drive this van until it dies, or until it rusts out like our Montana! So, we may end up with a brand new van out of the deal.

It will be a sad day when I trade in my Montana, I have driven that car since July 2003. We got it 4 months before Megan was born. We have brought all three kids home from the hospital in that car. I might shed a few tears when I leave that car behind at a dealership. But man, those brand new Hondas are nice. :)