One Trick Pony

 I'll probably post an 'update' later, but right now there's something on my mind.  Yes, once again, I'm car shopping.  

So, I did my Texas trip.  Drove down on the 14th and 15th and back up on the 20th and 21st.  This is a trip I've taken many times before, including in Nina back in 2019.  That was just a few months after I got her and that will become important later.  It looks like my first drive down to Dallas was in 2015 in Ginger.  I drove the same trip several times in either Ginger or Isabella, both Ford Fusions.  The drives were always about 10 hours on the first day and 6 on the second day.  I'd be tired on the first day, but fine on the 2nd.  That's just not true of Nina.  

The drive is the same.  10 hours then 6.  But on the first day I wasn't just tired or fatigued... I ached.   And the same feeling followed on the second day after only 6 hours.  While driving Ginger or Isabella I'd have to remind myself to stop every hour or so to make sure I got out and moved.  Or I'd run out of my tasty beverage or run out of gas or need to use the bathroom and those needs would force me to stop.  With Nina, I stopped almost every hour JUST to get out and move.  I didn't have to remind myself to get out, my body was yelling at me to get out.  I had this same experience on that first trip in 2019, but I chalked that up to it being a new car and me not being used to driving a sports car for that long.  Well, I've now had Nina for 2 years and I can get a comfortable driving position... but I couldn't on this trip.  I had 'happy feet' where I'd be constantly moving my right foot from over the pedals, to the right of the pedals, to in front of the pedals.  My left foot would sit on the dead pedal, in front of the pedals, and just all over the place.  At one point I had my feet both pulled up next to the seat putting me in an almost cross legged position.  

My legs and feet were probably the most comfortable part by the end of the trip.  My thighs, hips, and back, shoulders, arms, and even my hands, just ACHED.  I got home around 5 PM on the 21st and I didn't feel 'right' until the evening of the 22nd.  A full day after driving that trip.  I'm fairly sure I wouldn't want to do that again.  I'd rather rent a car or even fly down... and I've waxed poetically here how I love a good road trip.  

If that were the first thing about Nina that didn't live up to what I want out of a car, I'd hesitate.   But there's the 'winter beater' idea.  I'm still worried that we'll have a bad winter and that even with the winter tires, I'm gonna get Nina stuck or be unable to get to work on more than one day this coming snowy season.  

That's two very good reasons to not keep this car.  So on the last day driving and over the last couple days I've given serious thought to why I'd want to get rid of Nina.  Lemme list the pros and cons:

Cons

• Not comfortable for long drives
• I even thought about it, and she's not comfortable for my drive to and from work.  With just an hour it's not as obvious as a long trip, but yeah... she's not comfortable for my commute.  
• Not acceptable for winter
• Ground clearance alone would be bad, but she puts down to much power.  In snow mode she limits her power, but then she can't make it through deep or dense snow.  This just isn't something that should surprise anybody... a Mustang isn't good in the winter.  
• Two seater
• When I go to pick up my nephews, one of them has to cram himself into the ridiculously small back seat.  He basically lays across the entire area as there is just no leg room.
• For normal sized adults, it's a two seater.  During the trip to Dallas we drove around quite a bit and it would have been sweet to take Nina... but there's three of us so instead we drove a Toyota Prius or a Toyota Tundra.  
• No room
• Beyond the lack of room for people, there's no storage.  The trunk is small, the backseats are useless and difficult to access, the glove box is small, the center console is small... there's just no room.  
• She's overt
• This is good and bad.  The bad is that I don't "just show up".  Nina presents herself with her beautiful blue exterior and her rumbling engine.  Sometimes... a lot of the time... I want to just be another joe shmoe driving around and not "that guy" in a Mustang.  
• And with the engine noise, every mistake I make is on a loud speaker.  When I hit a bump and my foot presses forward, the engine suges loudly.  Then I try to pull back and she quiets down, then I hit another bump and surge forward.... on and on.  In a normal car this happens and no one is the wiser.  The car isn't even visibly doing this dance, but in Nina it's like she's shouting "HE CAN'T DRIVE!"
• I get un-needed attention on the road
• Some attention is good.  People slowing down to take a look, pacing me to look over the car... that's nice.  That makes me feel good.  But when there's some guy in a Camaro or Challenger that paces me, revs the engine, and then takes off like a bat in hell..... well, I don't want to race.  I'm happy going 70, 75, or 80 miles per hour.  The worst ones will slow down and repeat the process as if they're going to goat me into racing them.  Fuck off moron! 

Pros

• She is BEAUTIFUL!
• No doubt, she's the most beautiful car I've ever had.  From the front, from the side, from the rear.  Front quarter, rear quarter.  Top looking down, or crouching next to her.  She's gorgeous from every angle.  
• She sounds AMAZING! 
• That rumble is just so satisfying.  She's quiet enough while humming along between 1000 and 2000 RPM, but over that she starts to burble and over 3000 she starts to really sing.  And the few opportunities I have to take her up into the 4000, 5000, or 6000 RPM range she absolutely SCREAMS! 
• She's overt
• Again, good and bad.  The good is that I get complimented on her.  I had one person say that Fiona (the 2013 yellow Ford Focus) looked good.  People that knew me would compliment Ginger and Isabella because they knew I had a nice version of those cars, but no one stopped at a traffic light to scream out of their open window "Nice Car!" or ask in a parking lot if she was a Cobra, or tell me the story of their Mustang.  One person really complimented me for my past three cars, and I've had dozens of people compliment Nina.  
• She's fun to drive
• Nina isn't just about straight line speed.  She corners, especially on these new tires, like she's on rails.  She accelerates fast from 0 to 60, from 30 to 50, from 40 to 70, and even from 80 to 100.  Through the entire range she accelerates quickly.  You sit low in her and feel the road go under you through your bottom, your feet, and your hands.  She's just an absolute blast!

Those are all cons that have to be dealt with and that I DO deal with often.  The pros though, outside of her beauty, are all passing fancy.  Consider what I use her for.  I commute an hour to work every morning and an hour to work every evening.  I take her to doctors visits and dentists visits.  I take her shopping.  I drive her down to visit J and take her on short trips around the state.  I take her on long trips like the one down to Dallas.  

While I'm cruising at 60 mph on my work commute  does it matter that she sounds amazing?  That she gets attention?  That she's fun to drive?  No.  There are two points on my commute that if I hit the red light and no one turns in front of me I can stomp on the gas and hear her roar... for about 5 seconds and then I'm speeding and being "That Guy".  With doctors and dentists its neutral at best as those are all in town and I don't get much out of her goodness.  Shopping is practically all bad as I can't store much in her and when someone does "wanna race" I can't... I'm not spilling all the ice cream across my trunk!  The trips around the state or to visit with J are fine, but again the majority of those drives are cruising at the speed limit.  No fun to drive and the suspension is a complete liability as she's just not comfortable.  And that 'low to the road' feeling is bad even after a couple hours as you have to lower yourself gently into her or drag yourself up and out of her.  

And we started this on how the long trips are.  Bad.  So... let's say the experience with Nina is 20% good.  The best I've ever had with any car.  Its also 30% terrible and makes it almost useless for its intended purpose (getting from point A to point B).  The other 50%?  Lets charitably call it "less than ideal".  So where does this leave me?  

Car Shopping.  

The problem is what I previously wrote of Nina still holds true... I don't picture myself in another care.  There aren't other cars on the road that I want.  In that way, I'm going to be stepping down.  But for now, lets at least walk down this road and see where it leads.  I mean, you never know.  I might stumble across the car of my dreams.  

First is what do I want out of a car.  Let's start with the winter problem.  So long as I have a commute, I have to be able to get to work.  And honestly, there aren't many non SUV options out there any longer.  So an SUV.  Or CUV.  Or cross-over.  Or... whateveryougetwhatImean.  Before I get into specific vehicles, let's go over brands.  

• Ford
• I've had nothing but great luck with the last four cars and I don't see a reason to throw them out just because Nina was the wrong car for me.  
• Chevy
• If I'm including Ford, I might as well look at what Chevy has. 
• Kia and Hyundai
• I've always liked how these companies are doing their best to stuff everything into their cars, keep them inexpensive, and still offer a long warranty. 
• Luxury Brands
• Lincoln, Cadillac, Audi, Buick, BMW, Mercedes.  Let's dream a bit, shall we?
• Other unlikely brands
• These are ones I don't particularly like, but worth it to at least peak.  VW, Nissan, Honda, Toyota.  

Some things I'll always look at.  I might sacrifice some of these ideals, but they're going to be in my vision.  I want it to look new.  I guess I should have said that I'm exploring used cars.  After Ginger, Isabella, and Nina, I'm tired of losing so much value just after driving her off the lot.  But just because it's a couple years old doesn't mean I want it to LOOK old.  Take for example the Jeep Grand Cherokee.  It's a great vehicle with a lot of great features and can most definitely handle the snow... but its current body came out in 2012 and is being replaced next year.  I could get a brand new 2021 and it will look dated next year.  So, I'd like it to at least look new for a few years.  

I don't want cheap.  I don't mean I want to throw good money after bad just to have an expensive vehicle, but I want the materials to be nice, the technology to be current gen (or next gen!), the fit and finish to be good.  

I'd still like it to have some get up and go.  I don't want to drive a dog of a vehicle that can go anywhere but takes forever just to get up to highway speeds.  That being said, I also want it to be comfortable.  Big cushy seats are an advantage right now after the rock seats that Nina has.  

There are certain technologies that are must haves.  Adaptive Cruise, a Digital Guage Cluster, Apple Carplay and Android Auto, Heated/Cooled Seats, and all wheel drive or preferably a true 4x4 with a locking differential.  Some technologies are dream haves like Ford's new lane centering or Tesla's auto pilot.  

With that in mind, those first three bullet points have been taken down to the Ford Explorer.  In Ford's stable the Escape is cheap (Mom's is the nicest one and it still feels cheap compared to my cars), the Edge is an older design and about to be discontinued and has the same interior as Ginger/Isabella.  The interior isn't bad per say, but after driving that interior for 4 years, I want something new.  The Expedition is just too big.  The Bronco and Bronco sport are new for this year and aren't available used.  Chevy's are... bleh.  I don't like the design except for the Blazer and it's just bad.  Bad engine, bad all wheel drive system, bad technology.  Kia and Hyundai are both mired in either cheap or total family haulers.  I don't want the SUV equivalent of a minivan.  

Honda and Toyota are both the best reliability wise, but both are also older technology wise.  I just don't like them.  That actually goes for their luxury brands as well, so Acura and Lexus are also out.  VW I have mixed feelings on because of their "Diesel Gate", but I still looked.  Bland, Dull, Bah.  Nissan and Mazda fit between VW and Toyota... older tech and Blah (although Mazda's are beautiful!).

Luxury.  This is a toughie as I still have nightmares of my Lincoln Town car.  It was SO expensive to maintain.  Sure, it was decades old when I got it, but I'll probably drive these cars out of their warranty.  I know damned well most BMWs and Mercedes are incredibly expensive to fix once broken, so I'm going to toss both of those out.  Besides, they're overpriced as far as I'm concerned.   IF I had all the money in the world, I'd look at some of their offerings, but I don't so I won't.  

The American Brands are a mixed bag.  I like the newest Lincolns, but their tech improved quite a bit in just the last year.  A 2021 Nautilus is way better than a 2020 Nautilus.  The Caddys that would fall into my price range, the XT4 and the XT5 don't have full digital gauge clusters and that makes them look cheap to me.  The Buicks are the same.  

Audi kind of surprised me.  Their digital guage cluster has been one of the best for years and years and it's available in both their Q3 and Q5.  Getting their Prestige trim gets most of the options I want and having one a couple years old with about 20,000 miles still comes into the $35k to $45k.  

Just to round it out, a Ford Explorer Platinum comes in around the same price similarly packaged and miled.  

I don't know.  I know that I'm done thinking about this for now.  I think the next step is to see what hit I'd take on Nina (knowing full well that's a very fluid situation), and what I could afford to keep my payment at $800 and no more.  Then see if I can find a specific vehicle I want, speced how I want.  

I might add more to this later or just make a new post.  I also want to put up an update so I'll definitely write more this weekend.  

Ta Ta!

A quick look at those first three and I'm already down to the Ford Explorer.