Real life, with a dash of Doctor Who

The short version: This is the most perfect vehicle in existence.

I wrote that short version so that those of you who don't care about the details can move on with your life. Also, I'm gonna start gushing now and if gushing makes you sick, skip the rest of this post.

I had actually hoped to hate this car. I had hoped that the back seat would be impossible to get into, that there would be no cargo room, that the seats would be horribly uncomfortable, and that it would be no fun to drive. Because if I hated this car I could get a new car much sooner. But I love this car. And I mean, really, love. When I finished my test drive my heart was racing, I was out of breath and my hands wouldn't stop shaking. It was like falling in love.

It took me longer to get to the dealership than I expected, but I didn't mind. This is the one time of year that I love Ohio. It is truly beautiful in October. The weather is cool, but not cold and the fall color is in full display. Today couldn't have been more beautiful. By the time I got to the dealership the sun was out and the temperature was in the high 50s and rising.

There was a C30 in the showroom and while someone tried to track down Steve Paduan (heheheh) I checked out the car I had only seen before in pictures. This car looks so pretty in pictures, but pictures did it no justice. This car is *smooth*. I couldn't help but run my hand along its curves and stare in admiration. It is gorgeous.

Steve P. was unavailable to show me the car, so he assigned another sales associate to help me: Rob. Rob did something no other salesman I've met has done before. He told me all about the car. I stood there next to him as he told me all about it's origins, it's concept, the materials it's made out of, the safety features, the engine, the engine's orientation under the hood, the crumple zones, the air tunnels to cool the battery. Rob knew his stuff inside and out. So let's get started, shall we?

The C30 started off as an S40. They chopped about 8 inches off the back and added a hatch. It has all the safety features one expects in a Volvo. Sturdy roll cage, thick support columns, side curtain airbags, front airbags, even airbags that pop out of the sides of the seat to protect your ribs in the event of a side collision. The engine is mounted sideways under the hood. This not only allows for a smaller vehicle, but it also leaves plenty of space for the engine to drop below the cabin instead of through the cabin in the event of a head-on collision. They've built little cooling tunnels in the hood to keep the battery at the right temperature for optimum performance. The C30 is made from a special kind of steel that's 3 times stronger than the steel typically used to build cars. That also makes the car heavier, which explains it's unimpressive gas mileage.

The C30 comes with a 227 horsepower five-cylinder turbo-charged engine capable of going from 0 - 60 in 6.2 seconds.

The interior of the R-design in the showroom was beyond words. It was equipped with two-tone leather and T-tech upholstery in quartz and black. The center console "waterfall" display was textured in a way that's hard to explain. I had to run my finger through the swirls to be sure it was actually there. There is a large storage area behind the center console, perfectly sized for a medium-sized purse like the one I carry. The center console itself was somewhat difficult to understand. But that's because you have an entire onboard computer in it that allows you to control everything from your music balance to how long you want your headlights to stay on when you get home. Rob dared me to reach the back of the glove box. It's so deep that it's impossible to reach the back of it from the driver's seat. It may actually go all the way back to the engine.

One of my concerns was getting Dominic in and out of the back seat. No worries there, either. There are handles on the sides of each of the front seats. Just pull up and push forward and the seat folds and slides to the front of the car leaving you ample room to get in and out of the back seat. Pull up on the handle again and push back and the seat unfolds and slides back to it's original position. The back seats themselves are comprised of two bucket seats (the C30 is an unapologetic 4-seater). Because they're bucket seats, they sit closer to the middle of the car which leaves more room between my passengers and any cars that might hit the side of mine. Rob had me sit in the back and while the front seat was a little too close to my legs for my liking, I must admit that they are the most comfortable back seats I have ever sat in, which will be good for those long drives to Nashville. There was also ample headroom.

The cargo area wasn't huge, but there was enough space for my weekly groceries and a suitcase or two for travel, which is all I need. The all-glass rear hatch was just as sexy in person as it is in the ads.

Now that I knew all about the car, Rob went to get one for me to test drive. I met him as he backed the car into a parking space. He got out of the car and asked me, "Hey, you wanna grab one of your CDs?" And I thought, "You are the best salesman ever." I grabbed "Absolution" by MUSE since it has some really big sound on it and I wanted to really test the sound system. We sat in the parking space listening to "Apocalypse Please" while we adjusted the balance on the car's computer. We got it perfect at the end and the huge sound coming from the car's 8 speakers literally made me gasp. The song ended and Rob said, "I liked that song... You could play it again if you want." Feeling like he was humoring me (since he didn't ask the name of the band) I instead turned on "Hysteria" (I've never met anyone who didn't like that song) turning it up as loud as I could stand and off we went. He first took me through one of Cleveland's MetroParks. I was going about 40 mph when I came to a curve that warned me to slow down to 20. Rob shouted over the music, "Don't touch the brake!" I didn't. I wish I was more eloquent. Then I could describe how this car grabbed onto the road and executed the most beautiful turn on this sharp corner. The handling on the C30 made me feel like a professional driver. And this is the moment I fell in love. Driving too fast down a winding road with the sun shining down on leaves changing a rainbow of colors while listening to my favorite music. Excuse me for a moment while I try to burn that memory into my brain forever.

Ah, ok. I'm back.

We left the MetroPark and got onto the freeway. This is when he encouraged me to stomp on it. So I did. I was surprised at first because when I hit the gas the car just kind of went. But when I got the gas pedal past a certain point the car *went*. Remember 0-60 in 6.2 seconds? Oh, yeah. It's a surprisingly heavy car so it takes a little bit of coersion to really make it perk up. But when it does, hold onto your hats! I've never been one to do the weaving through traffic bit, but I had to in this case and it was totally worth it. (Under normal driving conditions I wouldn't do this, but I had to test it out.) There was no one on that stretch of I-480 who could even touch me.

It was the longest test drive I've been on and it was over too quickly. I could see myself in the reflection of the windows of the dealership as I pulled up to it and I liked what I saw.

I've known it from the beginning and now, having driven all of these different vehicles, it's been confirmed:

The C30 is the one for me.

I haven't gone shopping for a couple of weeks because my sitter needed the past two Thursdays and Fridays off for personal reasons. So instead of car shopping I spent quantity time with my son, which was awesome.

But I'm back to having Friday afternoons to my own self, so off to the dealerships I went. I'm nearly done with my list of cars. I'm down to the ones I should check out, but can't really muster much excitement for.

I decided to check out Hyundai since it was closest to my house. I walked around the showroom for a bit looking for a model that interested me. I promised Ulrich I would check out the Sonata. I hear only good things about it. When the salesman introduced himself I told him I was there to look at the Sonata, but I was really more interested in a hatchback. He showed me the one hatchback their dealership carried and it was only two doors. Now, the Volvo is also only two doors, but it has some room to it as well. This Hyundai didn't, so it was out. I kept coming back to the Sonata saying, "I said I'd look into it." But the Sonata just doesn't make my skirt fly up, no matter how highly people speak of it. The salesman caught on and said, "Well, how about the Lancer. It's not a hatchback, but it's pretty sporty." He's right; the Lancer is a sharp-looking car. But does it have the substance I'm looking for? Mitsubishi is one of the best car manufacturers in the world (I heard someone say that on Top Gear last night). I was willing to check it out.

The car was certainly roomy enough and it was sporty-looking despite being a sedan. The salesman, Pete, left to grab one to test drive (an orange one since I mentioned I was happy to see they actually had some interesting colors) and I fiddled with the controls of the one in the showroom. Can I just say, I love the interior of this car. It was roomy and comfortable. The center console was extremely clean showing only a navigation system and 3 climate control knobs. I couldn't even find the CD player! I knew it had one. Pete said that you just put your CDs in the player, it scans it and saves everything to a hard drive in the car and you never need to carry CDs around again. I started fiddling with the navigation system and noticed an "open" button. I hit it and the whole thing slowly slid out of the dash then laid down flat and exposed a CD player. I guess it doesn't have to be easily accessible if you only use it to load your music into the car. This car was an automatic transmission with a clutchless manual option (that's not quite the word I'm looking for. It comes with the automatic, but you can use it or not, whatever). I like the clutchless manual. It could come in very handy during our harsh winters. It also had paddle gearshifters. I've only seen those on TV!

The car was somewhat disappointing when it comes to power. It had a moderate amount of torque and it was able to accelerate going uphill. But it didn't have the power of the Cooper S or the Rabbit, which is now my baseline. Still, it was a smooth and comfortable ride and it shouldn't have any problems holding it's own on the freeway.

I enjoyed my experience with this particular dealership. Pete was friendly and steered me towards a car I originally had no intention of considering, but ended up quite liking.

I drove over to a Kia dealership next. The dealership I went to today was the same dealership I bought my Kia from in '99. They stopped selling them about a month after I bought my car, but they picked up the line again about 2 years ago. I was looking forward to checking out Kia. I currently own two and am very pleased with both of them. My original experience with this particular dealership was pleasant so I felt comfortable going there again. I kind of wish I hadn't.

I pulled into the lot and before I'd even parked my car, a toothless salesman named Bob was shouting and waving to me. "Ready to buy a new one?!" I gave him the benefit of the doubt (seriously, the Mazda guy was much funnier looking, but he turned out to be awesome) and joked back, "Yeah! Let's do it!" I wanted to check out 3 cars: The Rio (because I like how it looks), the Spectra (because it's roomier than the Rio), and the Rondo (because both Lisa and my brother Aaron speak so highly of theirs). Bob walked me around the lot and pointed each car out. And that was it. I asked him what the difference was between the Rio and the Rio5 and he said, "equipment." I asked him what equipment and he didn't respond. Finally I said, "Can I get inside them?" He asked me to wait while he went inside to get keys. I heard his name called on the speaker so I wasn't surprised when another man (I can't remember his name; let's call him "Dave") came to me and introduced himself. He let me inside the cars and stood there until I'd fiddled with everything inside them. I said I preferred the Spectra simply for the extra space, but that I also wanted to see the Rondo. He went back inside for another key while I waited by the car I wanted to see. He pulled the car out of it's space so I could get in (they're packed in that lot like sardines). I was impressed with the layout of the vehile and the amount of space in it. I kept expecting the Kias to feel familiar, but they're completely different from either one I currently own. The dash controls were well laid out and easy to understand. The gear shift was in an unusual place, but I liked it. It also had the clutchless manual that many of the other cars I've tested have had. The sound system was decent. The drive was incredibly smooth. The road he took me on was one of those cement highways where the car goes "thump! thump! thump!" every half second, but I didn't feel or hear anything. The ride was pleasant. The power decent. It's only a 4-cylinder, but felt more powerful. I wasn't pleased with the huge blind spot over my left shoulder, but the mirrors were large enough to cut the blind spot out almost completely.

The Rondo comes loaded with options you don't generally see on a car under $20K. Because this particular model was an '08 and I'm a current Kia owner, they would knock $3K off the price of the vehicle bringing the total cost to just over $15K. That's hard to say no to.

But I'm gonna. Let me tell you why. The salesman didn't want to sell it to me. Did he say that? No. But he might as well have. I've been completely upfront and honest with every person I've dealt with while car shopping. I've told them what I'm looking for, what I've looked at, and my timeline to buy. I didn't say anything different to Dave, but the instant I said, "Volvo" the test drive was over. He wouldn't tell me about the car. He wouldn't tell me about incentives. He wouldn't even give me directions back to the dealership. I ended up babbling about the things I liked about the vehicle (which were numerous) until we got back. We walked into the dealership and he handed me some literature. He wouldn't shake my hand when I left.

The difference between the dealerships I went to today were shocking. The first one was so pleasant. I didn't look at what I thought I was going to look at, but I left happy and with a coca-cola in my hand (as well as literature on the Lancer and even finance and lease information). I went to Kia to look at cars I actually wanted to see and the salesmen couldn't even be assed to let me compare them. This experience also stands in sharp contrast to my original dealings with this particular dealership. I bought my Sephia with a cracked taillight which they promised to fix for me. The owner himself called me to let me know the part had come in and to apologize for the wait. Dave left me with this statement, "I hope your experience here was better than some of the others you've had." WTF?

I was talking to co-worker Mark who has a friend who had always driven Volvos. His friend, apparently, had test driven the Nissan Versa and fell in love with it so hard that she gave up on Volvos and switched. I looked up the Versa and it shot straight up my list to the #2 spot right under the C30. My only problem was finding a dealership that had the Versa with the CVT (continuously variable transmission). I eventually found a dealership down in Massillon with one in stock. I called and was told that they didn't have one to test drive, but they offered to let me drive a regular Versa, then drive a Sentra in order to get a feel for the CVT. This was not a viable solution for me, so I gave them my name and number and instructions to call me when they got the one I wanted in. They called me on Wednesday and said they had gotten one in (surprise! it was the one listed on their website I was staring at the first time I called). He said, "It's black. Is that ok?" This is the second dealership that has acted as though color would be the deciding factor on whether or not I'd buy a car. I actually get fairly insulted when they ask me what color I want to test drive. Am I being oversensitive? In any case, I thanked him and told him I'd be down Friday afternoon to test drive it.

Friday afternoon rolled around and I drove down to Massillon. I pulled into the dealership, parked my car, and was immediately greeted by a salesman. Which I liked. I hate wandering around looking for someone to help me. I said I was there to test drive the Versa with the CVT. He said, "Are you Annissa?" I said I was and he said, "Oh, I have to go find that car." He continues mumbling, "It could take a while... I'm not sure where it is." The good impression he'd made by meeting me at the door vaporized. When a potential customer calls days ahead of time to give you a headsup that they're going to come test drive a vehicle, it's a small thing to actually find the car and make sure it's in top condition and easily accessible. 10 minutes later, he pulled the car to the front. It was filthy. But only on the outside. The inside was incredibly clean. In fact, it was still entirely wrapped in plastic. I have no idea what the interior fabric feels like.

I want to be fair to this vehicle, though. There are several Nissan dealerships I could order it from, since this dealership doesn't seem to have their act together.

This car has the best price point of any vehicle I've tested so far. The hatchback Versa with the CVT comes fully loaded, including sunroof, remote keyless entry and ignition, 6 disc cd-changer, auxiliary input for Mp3 player, power everything, bluetooth capabilities, and ABS (which is inexpliably optional on the other trims). Every conceivable option is loaded into this car for around $18K.

I actually remembered to bring a CD with me this time. The sound system was mediocre, like most of the other cars I've tested. Not bad, but not great. There was a neat storage space just above the CD player in the dash that was the perfect size for 4 jewel cases. The CVT was just as cool as it sounds. I watched the needle dancing around the tachometer, but felt no shifting whatsoever.

The salesman took me on a fairly long test drive and at first the CVT was fun, but the longer I drove, the less impressed I became with the car. It didn't actually feel any different from my Sephia.

When the test drive was over, I checked out the back seat and the trunk area. The literature says that the Versa is slightly larger than the Saturn Astra, but it doesn't feel any larger and due to one fairly serious flaw in the design, it's usable space is decidedly smaller. The back seats don't fold flat. And I'm not talking they have a slight slope when they're folded. There is a 4" verticle ridge between the trunk area and the back seats.

Then came the worst part. The salesman and his boss decided to give me the hard sell. Up until this point, I've been impressed with the salesmen I've dealt with. I've explained my situation to all of them using almost exactly the same words. I'm not looking to buy until November. I'm test driving a lot of cars. I tell each of them which models I'm looking at and my opinions on the ones I've tested. So I don't appreciate the "You need to buy now or you won't get the $500 rebate. If it's a matter of financing, don't worry. You don't have to pay for 3 months" crap. But I don't have problems telling people "no" like I used to and they laid off after a while. I asked for some literature to take with me (it keeps everything fresh in my head until I can write it down, usually a couple days later). They didn't have anything. So I left only with a business card (with the original name scribbled out and a new name written in pen).



As I made the 15 minute drive back to the interstate, I became more and more discontent with my experience with Nissan. Yes, the dealership was crap, but I wasn't all that impressed with the car, either. If it had been the first car I'd driven, I would have been really excited about it. But it just doesn't have the "oomph" I'm looking for. I waited behind a Volkswagen GTI for the traffic to clear so we could turn left onto the freeway onramp. When the traffic cleared, the GTI took off like a rocket up the ramp and disappeared from view. I followed more slowly behind it and thought, "That's what I want. I want to just *go*."

So I drove up to Stow to test drive Volkswagens.

On August 29, I headed toward the local Mazda/Subaru/Audi/Porsche dealership to test drive the Mazda 3, Mazda CX-7 (not in my original line-up, but I thought I'd give it a shot), and the Subaru Impreza.

First off was the Mazda 3. This dealership insisted on driving the car a short way and then letting me take over. When it was my turn to drive, I got into the drivers seat, adjusted the seat and mirrors, then touched the gas pedal. The car shot forward and I let out a little yelp, scaring the salesman. Then, I started laughing. The Mazda 3 had just as much pick-up as the Cooper S, but with more comfortable interior styling and also more cargo space. I wouldn't say the 3 was as fun to drive as the S, but it was very close. The car is comfortable and roomy. The sound system was OK (on par with the MINI). Amanda had warned me that the ride in the Mazda 3 was kind of rough. I think this comes from the 3's sport suspension. However, my test drive didn't seem very rough and we went on some tough roads.



Next up was the CX-7. I only test drove this vehicle because I thought it looked awesome. It's an SUV and it's gas efficiency reflects that. I was half-way through the test drive when I announced I didn't like it. There was nothing special about it and at the price point it sits at, I couldn't justify the cost of fueling it up.



Last was the Subaru Impreza. Co-worker Greg has one of these and raves about it. My first impression of the Impreza was "soft." Everything about the car was soft. The seats were cushy and comfortable and the steering wheel's leather cover was buttery smooth (I just couldn't stop petting it). The center console was... convoluted. Which buttons control the stereo? Which control the climate system? It took a couple tries to figure it out. The back seat seemed cramped. It had enough room for a car-seat, but an infant seat seemed like it would be a tight squeeze (on par with our Rio) and that a full-sized adult would feel claustrophobic. For such a large car, I was surprised at how cramped the back looked. The drive was comfortable; smoother than the 3, but not as fun. It didn't seem to have the power that the 3 had under the hood.


(I did not test drive the WRX STI, but I can't find a picture of anything else. The looks is almost exactly the same, though)

Lastly, the salesman told me about some great leases on the Porsche Cayenne. I can lease a Cayenne for the same price as buying the Volvo C30. So I did. Here's my new car.



Isn't she pretty?

Haha, I'm just kidding. A Porsche in my neighborhood? What would the neighbors think?

Current top pick: Mazda3

Thanks to our nifty alternative work week I am free on Friday afternoons. No hubby, no baby. Usually I spend that time leveling up my character in FFXI (it's really the only block of time I have to devote to video games), but last Friday I drove up to Classic MINI in Mentor to take the MINI Cooper for a test drive. I was told it was a 40 minute drive. It's actually a little over an hour. If I got a MINI I would have to drive up to Mentor to get it serviced.

The sales woman, Tiffany, asked me if I was interested in the Cooper or the Cooper S. After getting a thorough description of each, I decided that the S model wasn't necessary. We took off on the freeway with the Cooper. After a while she asked how I felt about the "pick-up." I said in all honesty, "Actually, I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting a lot more." She asked if I wanted to try the S. I had several hours before Dominic and Justin were expected home, so I decided to try it. As soon as I hit the gas on the S, I started giggling and I didn't stop giggling until the test drive was over. That car *goes*. I got on the freeway and got mad at the other drivers. They were in my way! The Cooper S is so much fun to drive!

Other notes:
5-star crash rating. MINI is, at it's core, a BMW. The engine breaks away and you're left with one big roll cage. It's tiny, but still feels solid and safe.

I was right that the dinner plate-sized, center-mounted speedometer was useless. Thankfully there is a digital speed display mounted in the dash just above the steering column (Thanks Chris!). The dash and stereo components looked and felt flimsy, plasticky, and cheap. The sound was mediocre. I'd definitely pay the extra $500 for the upgraded sound system.
I liked the car, but I can't say I'm a fan of the interior styling.

I hated the turn signal clicking sound, though I can honestly say I wouldn't forget to turn it off. I asked if that could be disabled. It can't.

A MINI may not be a very practical car for me. Granted, I'm not really going for practical this time around. This car gets great gas mileage (even the S is good). There's plenty of room for a car seat. The back seat splits 50/50 and if I fold down the back seat that won't be holding a car seat, there's plenty of room for groceries. However, if another baby comes along, I might have space issues. There seems to be plenty of room for a rear-facing infant seat, but there is definitely not enough room for a travel system.

MINI also has an extended version called the Clubman. With the Clubman you get an extra 8 inches of cargo space and an extra 3 inches of space in the back seat. The MINI is already an unusual looking car and the Clubman just looks weird. Plus, the 8 inches of extra cargo room doesn't justify the substantially higher pricetag. The barn doors on the back are kind of cool, though.

Classic MINI is not a car lot. They have 3 MINIs in their show room and a Cooper and a Cooper S for test driving. They are completely sold out of MINIs. If I ordered one today, I might be able to collect it at the end of October. Here's a major plus. Any MINI I bought would be built specifically for me. If I wanted to lease a MINI, it would still be built specifically for me. That's pretty darn cool.

I'm gathering a list of vehicles I'd like to look into further. I'm actually getting a little disheartened by the search. I know I'm looking at pretty much the same car for all manufacturers, but my enthusiasm wanes as the price drops.

Volvo C30

This car excites me. I love the incredibly sexy back end and the interior sings to me. I can see myself in this car. I already want to hang a in the rearview mirror to balance out the Volvo insignia on the grille.

MINI Cooper

I find this one moderately exciting. Love the exterior, not sold on the interior. It's very circular and I'm not sure I'll like the giant center-mounted speedometer.

Subaru Impreza

I'm less enthusiastic about this one than the MINI, but I still think it's interesting. Co-worker Greg has one and he loves it. Subarus are solid vehicles. This car could be a good fit for me.

Mazda3

Yawn.

Saturn Astra

Mega yawn.

Kia Spectra5

Oh, Kia... I'm torn. I currently own 2 Kias. I have a '98 Sephia and an '03 Rio. Both have been very good cars. The Spectra is what my Sephia has become. Unfortunately I couldn't find a more flattering picture of the Spectra. They're not actually this ugly, but they're close. I just don't feel the love for Kia I once had. The sportier cars look cheap and a little clunky. The nicer cars look like my parents or grandparents should be driving them. Kia does have some nice loyalty incentives. Nice enough that I'll take a look at their current lineup. Back when I bought my Sephia, they only had two models: the Sephia and the Sportage. They've come a long way, baby. But I'm not sure I'm interested anymore.

Hyundai Sonata

I think I hate this car. Ulrich suggested I look into it and I promised I would. I'm kind of kicking myself.

Throughout my search, I realized that what I'm looking for in a car is personality. I've done responsible. I want excitement. Excitement at $350/month or less. Hmph.