Well, taxes came in Monday and we had long ago planned for the proceeds to buy us a newer vehicle. Our faithful Buick needed to be decommissioned, and with the new addition, we needed a bigger vehicle anyway.

Basically, there are three types of vehicles that meet our transportation needs: vans, busses, or Suburbans. A few models of minivan do as well, but most opt for the captain's chairs in the center, and thus, do not. And minivans are, frankly, not vehicles noted for their fual economy. The best average I ever got with a brand new Ford Windstar (when I managed group homes) came in a shade under 20 mpg, and that was with us trying hard to bust the mark. The slight increase in mileage for minivans, then, is not sufficient for me to take the chances and put my family into the "tin can with wheels". The Suburban, rated at 14 city/18 highway (note: we don't drive "city" here, anymore at least) gives us extra room, safety and comfort, and so was our first vehicle of choice.

But Suburbans do not come cheap, so we resigned ourselves to the possibility we may need an older model. And so after we got the tax check cashed, it was time to car hunt.

The first vehicle we drove was a '91 Suburban with 162,000 miles. Not a bad vehicle (Suburbans are generally good for a crudload of miles, so we didn't let that concern us overly much), but it just didn't scream out "take me home!" I had had my eye on a Pontiac Montana, but when I went by the dealership at 1:50, the dealer not so kindly informed me he only stays open until two. Then he told me he couldn't set up payment arrangements, something I know to be a bold faced lie. Oh well. His loss. We had $2G in cold hard cash to slap down as a downpayment, and if he didn't want to take it, we'd find someone who did.

We found ourselves after some length at a car dealership that is not heavily favored by a lot of locals. But since the trusty Buick had also been purchased from one of those individuals that wasn't overly popular (and because with recent experiences my trust in the reliability of town gossip is BELOW zilch), we decided we would give this dealer an opportunity. We walked through the lot and noted a few vehicles that might meed our needs (including a 15 passenger van...my WIFE's suggestion, not mine...lol!). The car dealer came out and we "talked turkey"...he steered us towards a '99 Suburban....me being the cynic, I wasn't ready to trust him that we would like this car. But I was there anyway, and the more vehicles I drive, the better feel I'll get for what I want.

It was a nice vehicle. Straight body, IMMACULATE engine (yes, I know...but while you can steam clean an engine it's unlikely you'd have repainted the firewall...this car was WELL kept), very nice interior (faint smell of something, I wasn't sure what...after awhile I pinpointed it as being Arm & Hammer carpet cleaner..probably trying to deodorize because last user was a smoker). Rear A/C, CD player, pretty much all the extras...including a couple of extra power outlets, well hidden in the dash.

I was about 5 miles into the test drive before I realized I was going home with this vehicle. Everything about it was perfect (the only drawback...getting used to well tuned antilock brakes after being so long without), the steering was tight, acceleration smooth, totally quiet inside...and surprisingly, it doesn't feel like such a behemoth when you drive it.

We bought it, and the payments are within our reach...after getting to work, I did a little research, and we got this truck at about 70% of it's Blue Book value...while I know why (Suburbans don't sell!), I am still very VERY happy about this.