Goodbye Chevy, Goodbye Nissan...HELLLOOOO Mazda

So I have finally come to grips with the fact that I am NOT a car person. I mean, I have never owned a car prior to the Sentra and I hated EVERY minute of it. It was low to the ground, uncomfortable, small, hard to travel long distances with a 3-year old. It just was horrible.

Although I LOVE trucks and SUV's - hmm...two thing that do not mix with commuters such as myself, the gas was KILLING me when I drove the Tahoe and the Truck. PLUS, the Tahoe was up in years 115,000 miles and we had already dumped over 2K in it for needed repairs this year alone. We still needed to fix the fan clutch that was going as well, not to mention the registration and smog check that was due in a month.

With all of these things in mind, I began thinking about trading in the Tahoe and the Sentra for a commuter car that was more practical, newer (so less problems), still fuel efficient and didn't make me run for the hills at the thought of getting into it (I would dread getting into the Sentra). I called up Dave and asked him his thoughts. He promptly told me that he didn't really care as long as he didn't have to do the leg work to sell the cars, or find the new one.

That's where my stepfather comes into the picture. Between Michael Chapman, Phil (my stepfather) and myself, we researched the heck out of the potential cars as well as what I could get to trade in the Tahoe and Sentra vs. selling them privately. For those of you who know me, selling them privately was not an option for me as I can't sell ANYTHING, and my knowledge of cars is about as good as my sense of direction. *interpretation - non-existent*. Since Dave didn't want to be involved, trading seemed the better option.

I finally decided on the Mazda 5. On Saturday, I took Dave down and low and behold we bought one! We traded in the Tahoe and Sentra and came out with a crossover car...it's like a cross between a car and a minivan.

The dealership even delivered it to our house, and picked up our two vehicles that we were trading in. I have to say, I became a bit emotional when watching the guy get into the Tahoe and drive away. I didn't cry or anything, but I felt like running after the guy and telling him to get out of my Tahoe. I really did love that truck. :( It just was falling apart after having it for so long and putting so many miles on it.

The Sentra, on the other hand, could have been burned and I wouldn't have shed a tear.

So now I am the proud owner of a 2007 Mazda 5. I like it SO MUCH BETTER! It is comfortable, has lumbar support so it doesn't hurt my back (since we commute at least 4 hours a day), has more room for Caiden and storage places for his toys and such. We are going to get DVD players put in the headrest (I didn't want the one that folds down from the roof as it obstructs your view when looking in the rear view mirror), although I am not a huge proponent of kids watching TV, at least I have the option. Plus I can always put signing times on or something educational.

There are three rows of seats, and each row has bucket seats, so the kids won't be able to hit each other until they get a little older and their arms get longer. :) We even have a moonroof :) I've never had one of those before.

This is the driver's side view...ok, so it was sunny and I couldn't see what I was really taking the picture of, so it's not the best picture.
The side doors open like a minivan. This will make it VERY easy to get Kiya in and out of a car seat, and Caiden LOVES it.
Here, I am trying to show you the 3 rows of seats. I couldn't figure out the best way to do that, and it was sunny, so that prevented some angles...so this is the best I could do. The third row folds down for more storage options. Actually, they all fold down.

There are MANY cupholders, so one will not go thirsty in this car - as long as you bring your own drinks, and there are little storage areas that are unique. For instance, you know how when you ride an airplane and they get to the part of the spiel where they talk about picking up your seat cushion and using it as a flotation device if you were to crash in water? Well, if you did that in my new Mazda 5, you would have extra storage space under the seat. Also, there is another cup holder and net for toys and what not that extends out into the middle of the bucket seats.

At the best part, besides that Caiden and I are more comfortable is that we are actually SAVING money by doing this!! This morning alone I saved $500 by taking off the Tahoe and Sentra and putting the Mazda5 on my car insurance! Yeah, me!!! :)