New car...well, new for me :)

So, Andrew and I have finally decided that we are going to quit TALKING about moving to Austin, and actually start PLANNING on moving to Austin...YAY!!! Seriously, this is a place that we've talked about moving to since we were engaged. And seeing as how we do not have any bitties running around, it's a good time to relocate. Of course, taking into account that God will provide the opportunity.

So, with that being said, we've decided to downsize our cars to get rid of our car payments sooner. This a very hard task for Andrew AND I to consider because we are huge car people. And not from a standpoint of driving the most expensive or "showy" car, but of having a "driver's car"...i.e. something GERMAN like VW, Audi, or BMW...hence the Passat...and tear now that it's gone :(

We sold the Passat on Labor Day, and afterward, Andrew and I had a little family finance meeting to discuss the budget for the next car. Oh boy, these little meetings can get tense quick. Ultimately, we decided max $6500. Now I had no idea that $6500 would be such a difficult limit. We searched and searched on Autotrader, Craigslist, Ebay, and all the usual spots. Considering our price range, we were mainly looking for Accords or Maximas. We test drove a couple...and I just came home depressed. I mean I know I was giving up my wonderful German car for a good reason, but I had no idea how much I would have to lower my expectations. Yikes! In fact, I kind of gave up looking and decided to let Andrew do the research...too depressing for me.

After only one week, he calls me about a Maxima he found. Now this, my friends, is what is SOOO wonderful about being married to Andrew Jean...he is a ROCK STAR!!! Many of us know how his talents come in handy in the bike world, but let me tell you, he is truly amazing. I didn't even see the car other than in pictures. It's a 2000 Nissan Maxima w/ my favorite color combo (silver ext/black leather int), and for under our budget!!! While he was test driving it, he noticed a leak in the radiator, and used that to bring the price down. Yah, it's pretty darn nice having my own auto mechanic in the house. Give him anything with parts, even a car engine, and he can take it apart and put it back together. And, if he doesn't know how to do it, he'll just Google it and then go do it. I'm telling you...ROCK STAR!!!

So, I thought I'd share pics of this great find (previous car above and new car below). I think the "treasure hunt" is half the fun for Andrew. I mean, let's be honest...he's had 10 cars since I met him in 2000...maroon 4runner, white maxima, blue lexus, silver GTI, red GTI, green explorer, brown 4runner, maroon truck, silver truck, pewter truck...Geez, that's a bunch of cars. But, hey, we're "car people"!! :)