So, I bought a truck......

One of the best parts of living in a small town is that after you have been around awhile, people start to recognize you and know who you are.  For example, when I call our repair shop for an appointment for our cars-Paul recognizes my voice with all me saying is, "Hi Paul."  

Paul and I have spent many phone calls and conversations over the past few years dealing with the repairs and upkeep of our 2 vehicles.   We have spent a countless amount of money at good ol' Campbells so Paul better recognize my name when I call there! In fact I'm pretty sure I stinkin' paid for half of the new building they just moved too a few months ago....

As all of you probably know, owning automobiles is not cheap. Once they get past a certain point in the mileage department, it feels as if they go down hill quickly. Argue if you will about the quality of American made or foreign made cars.....they all seem to need repairs much sooner than later these days.  

For the past 2 years, I will almost swear that we had a car repair bill every.single.month.  If it wasn't one car it was the other one: $300 one month, $200 the next, $500 the following, now we need new tires-$400, and on and on and on....

Two days before Kirby was to leave for Alaska, I made an appointment to have our Trailblazer checked out. I wanted to make sure both vehicles were up and running for when he was gone and I was seeking some peace of mind.  

Sure enough, Kirby drops of the Trailblazer and heads to his chiropractor appt with Dr. Joe (he's another blog post someday) and in less than 10 minutes my phone is ringing with caller ID showing Campbell's Tire and Auto.  

Long story short...the TB is done, piece it out-sell it-junk it but don't drive it anymore if you don't have to for your own safety and that of your children and dogs.

With time being of great importance, finding a replacement vehicle before Kirby left was not a top priority.  The thought of winter driving and only having my Grand Prix to battle the winter roads and our driveway left me a little un-easy.

Over dinner that same day, the woes of our vehicle situation became the topic of conversation.  My brother suggested we trade both in and purchase one vehicle now and when Kirby returns in the spring, look for another. Save some money on insurance and get a decent vehicle for me to drive while he is in Siberia... or Alaska. (I get confused still)

Fast forward a few days....I put Kirby on a plane to Alaska and he gives me the green light to shop around for a vehicle while he's gone.   This day being Thursday.

Friday morning---I am now on a shopping mission! I get my baby boy up at the crack of dawn and we head up to the local dealership to check out a few vehicles.   On a side note---I'm not a big conversationalist nor do I like small talk with people I don't know very well and I also don't like the savvy salesman approach when buying a vehicle.  

As I walk into the dealership I'm immediately greeted by a salesman.  In order to get the kind of service I'm looking for, I decide to go with the honest approach. I tell "John" that I'm looking for an honest, no BS, straight forward person who will help me find a vehicle because I just sent my husband to Alaska.  

Forward 15 seconds later and John is feeding me line after line of salesman 101.

Now, because I'm a nice person and I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, I test drove 2 cars-contiued to be told lines from salesman 101-met the service department manager-met his manager-and met the entire staff of the dealership.   After all that, I was done and when John asked me if he was going to sell me a car today, my answer was, "Thanks for your time but no."

Feeling deflated and hungry, Logan and I decided to hit up the local A&W for some lunch.

Logan and I discussed the cars we drove and talked about where else we could go and I suggested we head down to a local lot just a few blocks down.  Logan was game so off we went.

And there it was.....

Logan and I circled it a few times, peeking in the windows, kicking the tires, checking out the exterior. We decided we should take it for a test drive and walked into the building to see what was needed to take it for a spin.

As I walked in the door, a lady stood up and asked how she could help us and I asked her what she knew about that vehicle...Her response..."Well, you would look great driving it."

GREAT ANSWER! This is off to a good start.....

She took a copy of my license, filled up the tank and said take it for a spin.  Logan and I were giddy with excitement to be left on our own to go for a test drive.   We decided a drive around Cross Lake would suffice.

Logan checked out the back seat....I settled into the front seat.

We were in love.   Paperwork-Loan-Trade In and by 4:30 that afternoon, we were the proud owners of a truck.

I'm pretty sure in the past 3 years Kirby has mentioned that he wanted to buy a truck when we were ready to replace a vehicle and I'm pretty sure my answer was always no.  I didn't want a truck. They suck gas. They are big and clumsy and hard to park. They are oversized and a pain to drive. Yada, yada, yada.....

But this truck is pretty.......It's like a pretty girl truck but still tough.  I love it. Kirby might not ever get to drive it. We've bonded. It's mine.  I love the growl when I start it up. I love looking down on cars. I love the power it has when I pass people. I love my sun roof. I love the heated seats and the cool seats and the remote start. The DVD player makes the kids quiet which makes my ride quiet. I love the idea of throwing hockey bags in the back without having to smell them. I love hauling stuff.
I love that it's shiny and won't fall apart. I love that it has 4 wheel drive and a bunch of other buttons that can do cool things that I don't know anything about yet. I love this truck.