Starting looking about at a new car last week and still have quite a few more I should look at so we did some more car shopping today.  Stupid song sill going through my head every time I say or think the words ‘car shopping’ I have no idea what that’s about but am seriously thinking it’s a side effect of mood/mind altering medications…

Went looking for a Honda Civic… but once I saw it thoroughly hated it.  Felt like they’d made a regular car and then sloped the whole thing backwards about 25degrees leaving the whole car feeling like it’s on a lean.  Big problem for me… can’t barely see over the dashboard and definitely no hope of seeing where the front of the car ends.   It’d be one of those trial and error things to learn just where the car finishes in car parks  :S

Spied a little Honda Jazz while we were finding fault with the Civic and found it’s not too bad for a small car – has a much larger capacity than you’d think and we took it for a spin and it actually drives pretty good… not as good as the Mazda 3 or the Mitsubishi Lancer – but that’s to be expected given that it’s about $8000 cheaper.  Only… I think it’s a little on the butt ugly side 🙁 

Also had a look at the wee little pretend Mini that they’re churning out atm – Suzuki Swift.  Surly bought one not so long ago for their pizza shop for a little run around town delivery car, and I had taken it for a spin around the block a few weeks ago.  Not bad.  Would be a helluva lot of fun if it came in a turbo diesel  😀  Main objection – way too little space in the back for even picking up the groceries, but it does have a fairly decent space if you fold down both the back seats for fitting in big stuff…

Other than that I took a couple of Holden Astras for a drive…. the CDX and the CDSTi I think (memory like sieve so that might be wrong).  Took the turbo diesel out first which no doubt a well used trick for selling more of the diesels, as getting in the 5 speed manual petrol vehicle after driving the diesel feels like suddenly jumping from something a bit sporty to something your Gran would drive.  Not bad car all round, though it does have the ugliest interior of all the cars I’ve jumped in so far.

Hmmmm… So other than that.  Still wanna have a look at some VWs and a Subaru Impreza and that should just about cover it… and maybe if I get bored might have a look at a Peugeot 207… but then again they’re a bit ugly too.
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After spending the last couple of months freaking out while driving my car – and by freaking out, I mean hypervigilance, visible shaking, chewing my lips, crying uncontrollably and having to fight the urge to cover my eyes and scream or get out and run  😐   we’ve decided we better … you know… get a different car for me to drive.  I literally haven’t driven my car for nearly three weeks and it’s starting to really push the friendships up here asking people to drive me around. 

Sounds so stupid to me that I of all people would act/react like that but I literally can’t help myself – it’s uncontrollable, so car shopping it is.

Went looking at a few different cars today and even drove a few and felt back to my old self on the road, which is a good thing I guess.    I’m looking at a Mazda 3…  they’re one of the most popular midsize cars on the road at the moment, price is pretty good, retains their value well and has lots of great safety features and comes in sexy purple. Woo-hoo!

or maybe a Mitsubishi Lancer… no sexy colours, but lovely to drive and feels really stable and zippy on the road.  Comes with a pile of funky extras like side and curtain airbags, leather steering wheel and has a nice big boot for such a little car

and just for fun I took a Mini Cooper for a spin.  What a great fun little car they are!   Six speed manual, goes like shit off a shovel and I found myself doing 80 kph in second gear more than once  🙂  Would love one of them… but probably way too small and a little on the expensive side.

Then we went to look at a  VW Beetle.  I could totally see myself driving one of these.  I didn’t get to drive one, they didn’t have a petrol manual one there, but am going to make a time to take one out some other time.  And of course I’ve seen a couple of them around town in pink…. which is a major draw card of course 🙂

Have already ruled out the dinky Ford Focus – felt like driving a toy compared to these and I still a few more options to look at … Honda Civic, Holden Astra… VW Polo.  So we’ll see where it ends up!   All up I ended up feeling a bit more confident that the disquiet I’ve been experiencing when driving is kinda like having flash back to the last accident cos I’m in the same car which I’ve never had to worry about before – they always wrote them off in the past.

* I seem to have picked up a strange habit
of thinking in song lyrics of late… weird.
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