what's shiny silver and heading to our house?

yep, I made the big decision and bought a new car, a Civic EX in alabaster silver with a gray interior. I traded in my champagne Grand Am which has been a wonderful car for me - it has approx 91,400 miles and has had no major issues besides when a deer decided she wanted to drive my car and didn't let me know to open the driver door for her. Well, except that the A/C doesn't work, and the first two fan settings don't work, and that it makes a lot of noises now when braking, and really, honestly, I've never liked how it braked anyway. Oh, and I can't forget the "Check Engine" light that's been on for a couple months now. And.... lol... yes, I still say that overall it's been a great car, but I'm just tired of the little issues that I haven't had fixed.

I did some serious self-debate on whether to get a gas model or a hybrid, and decided on the gas Civic for numerous reasons. First, it would take approx 7-8 years to even recoup the difference of upfront price with the fuel savings - when I estimated fuel costs from $4-$5 thru the years. Second, I didn't like the interior colors in the hybrid... and that's important to me if I'm spending lots of time in my car - to me, an hour each day is a lot, and that's been minimum for me for the past three years. And third, I wasn't sure I could get used to the little jerks in the hybrid when starting from a stop or very slow speed and during certain braking situations.

I haven't taken delivery yet, we just bought it yesterday, and as part of the bargaining, we're having the protection plan (inside and out) installed at a very low cost. Never thought I'd do that, but considering the cost we paid as compared to the damage the car could get from things like door dings, bird crap, tree sap, spills on the seats and/or flooring, etc., I figured what the heck. Plus I'm having the interior gauge trim kit installed - a chrome look around the gages, vents, etc. I think it makes the car look a little more expensive and "polished" (pun not intended, lol). :-) I was thinking about upgrading the sound system, but I'll just wait and see how this one does.

One of the big bonuses of the Civic is that it has a direct plug for mp3 players - MUCH better sound than trying to use an FM modulator to play tunes from my beloved clix mp3! And I love the size of the car - it could actually be even smaller for me - and it handles great around corners, and has spunk for the smaller engine it has. This will be my first 4-banger, so hopefully it'll be quick and responsive enuf. For a short person with stubby arms (like me), it's hard to find a car that has all controls within reach, and the Civic does this well. I don't have to bend forward every time I want to change a setting. Plus stereo and cruise settings are on the steering wheel anyway, so another bonus! woohoo!!