posted
It's been a crazy 2 months at me and Vána's place. I got a job in Hoffman Estates, requiring a 1 hour commute to and from work... and it also was 12 hour days, Monday-Wednesday. I take this as good news: I get Friday-Sunday off every week, the pay is good, the benefits are very good, and the people I work with are great.
On the other hand, Vána hasn't had a car and, very slowly, has been going insane.
So we started looking for a Prius. She really wanted one, but since I was the one going to be doing a lot of driving, we thought that would be a good choice. At least until we saw how long the waiting list is: a year. Vána would have killed someone by then.
And she turns to me and says, "Perhaps we should look into getting a car that you want, since the Prius is so far off."
I just want to make this perfectly clear - I love my wife.
I've been drooling over the Scion tC for awhile now, and not only is it cheaper than the Prius, but it's also much more available. So I do about 2 weeks worth of research and find out it's much more car than I thought it would be. Here's the standard equipment:
quote: 160 hp and 163 ft-lbs torque Z-rated Potenza tires 4 wheel disc brakes Air Conditioner Power Windows (with one-touch up/down on driver & passenger window w/ pinch protection) Power Door Locks with Remote Entry Power Outside Mirrors Panorama Moonroof with Power Slide/Tilt Front Glass Panel and Dual Manual Sunshades Rear Window Defogger Digital Clock Dual Power Points Outside Temperature Gauge Tilt-Steering Wheel Tachometer and Trip Meter Sport Front Bucket Seats with Fabric Upholstery and Driver's Seat Adjustable Height and Thigh Support Cruise Control Cargo Area Storage Driver's Seat One-Touch Walk-In w/ Track and Seat Angle Memory Reclining 60/40 Split Folding Rear Seat Rear Window Shading Driver and Passenger Sun Visor Mirror w/ Cover Hard Cargo Cover Amber Instrument Panel Illumination 17" Alloy Wheels Multi-Reflector Auto-off Halogen Headlamps Side Mirrors with Turn Indicators Variable Intermittent Front Wipers Chrome Exhaust Tip Pioneer AM/FM/CD Head Unit (MP3 and Satellite controller capable) Scion Sound Processing 6-Speakers (including 2 tweeters) Rear Fender-Mount Antenna Driver and Passenger Front Airbags* Driver Knee Airbag* Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) Driver and Passenger 3-Point Seat Belts Anti-Lock 4-Wheel Disc Brakes Three-Across Rear Head Restraints 3-Across 3-Point Rear Seat Belts Engine Immobilizer First Aid Kit
We took a test drive today - it rides beautifully. There's almost zero cabin noise at 75-80mph. The seats are more comfortable than the Corolla, and it gets 30-34 mpg at highway speeds.
We placed the order today. I'm adding side impact airbags, mudguards, floor mats, a new shifter and a door sill protector. All told, it's still 2 grand cheaper than a barebones Prius.
If you're interested, you can find pictures of a Flint Mica tC here.
posted
75-80mph is, sadly, the norm for traffic traveling on I-90 toward Chicago. I lock the cruise at 70 when traveling to work, and weave my way through as best I can.
Posts: 753 | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
What did the DMV do to you? I can't say my experiences have been stellar, but I haven't done any fist-shaking as of late.
Posts: 753 | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Congrats! New cars are always so fun. By the way, my car's name is "Old Blue" and he was really happening in the late 80s - faux wood interior and all that.
posted
Lime- The DMV sent me to about four different places and when I got back they said it was wrong, and still wouldn't give me my title. Stupid government...
posted
Scion is the "youth-oriented" badge that Toyota has put out.
The Scions are not hybrids, they're standard gasoline engines. The tA and tB are based on the Toyota Echo chassis/drivetrain (I have an Echo. Not as cute as the Scions, but still a great little economy car). The tB, I think, is that incredibly boxy thing. The tC has been called a "Baby Lexus", and it may actually have some Lexus components & design-work in it. Its intent is to round out this "Youth-Oriented" line.
Posts: 1862 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:The DMV sent me to about four different places and when I got back they said it was wrong, and still wouldn't give me my title. [Mad] Stupid government...
The government is stupid. Throw them at rocks.
Posts: 753 | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
I just went to the DMV for the first time today, and if you don't mind me ranting:
I never met a more cold and testy bunch of people all concentrated into one place. One particular clerk was terribly rude. I saw him yelling loudly and condensingly at a lady ahead of me.
When I later went to have my picture taken with him as my clerk, all I had in my mind was him yelling over and over to the lady, "Step at the box! Step behind the box!" The glass between him and me, made it very difficult for me to hear him, so when he said something to me, all I heard was, "...in the red box." Red box. So I assumed he meant the red taped box behind me, so I went to the box. Then he started yelling, snapping loudly, "Here. In the box." It was the signature thing with a small red box around it. How was I suppose to know?
Now, nervous that he will start yelling at me again, I go back to the box thinking that was it. Then he yells at me again, telling me to put my thumb on the scanner. Finally he says in an irritated voice, positively dripping with condensation and sarcasm, "Now you can go to the box." I was planning to smile in my picture, but by the time he was done with me, I was nearly scowling.
It wasn't so much his words, that I found so offensive, but his tone and attitude. I made a stupid mistake. I could understand if he was impatient, but couldn't he have treated me with even a little courtesy? I can't recall being treated so rudely in my life. I was never a confrontational person but how he treated me, bugged me so much that after I took the written test, I was ready to make a stop at his booth, and talk to him about a thing called, "common courtesty". By the time I was finished though, another lady already replaced him.
The only thing that made up for it all (the clerk wasn't my only problem) was that I passed the test. Heh. That's one less day, that I have to go again.
Posts: 181 | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Party]](graemlins/party.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Not sure we'll be able to afford one for at least a year anyways, though.
