Pimpmobiles // Old and New

This sweet thang was my very first car.

Apparently I started the high waist shorts trend back in 1997 and please check out those awesome wedge flip flops.

I worked hard lifeguarding, temping, bagging groceries, etc to save up for that beaut. My grandfather and parents helped out a bit, but I was proud to have worked hard all summer to pay for my own car, even if it was from 1985. Don't be jealous of those sweet rims and its awesome boxy shape. Anyone remember the CD player you had installed back in the day with the removable face? Yeah, it made that car a total pimpmobile.

Want to see my second car?

Less skanky pose but still super tan. Thanks lifeguarding!

I got this before heading to college in 1999. I was so glad to NOT have a car from the 80's and who doesn't love an awesome spoiler? Oh, and there's a subwoofer in the trunk. #gangsta.

- - - - - - Back to 2013 and 6 different cars later - - - - - - 

The original plan was to stretch out our Explorer one more winter and then car shop next year. We actually even had to pay $1800 this summer to rebuild the transmission. UGH. Over the past couple of months though, we've just noticed several more issues like the heater, starter, brakes, etc. We just decided that it was time. I didn't feel like pumping another grand into it and we have had our eyes on other cars for a while.

We were actually set on a Traverse, Acadia or Enclave and had only been shopping those three. And then, for the first time a few weeks ago, we cleared room and pulled our Explorer into our new garage. For some reason, they just must make garages tighter these days, but goodLAWD we had no room to spare. After researching dimensions online of the 3 aforementioned SUV's, we realized we were screwed. You see, we have to have a 3rd row and that really limits the SUV's available that can fit in our garage.

But one of my besties had the perfect solution. She just recently bought a brand new Toyota Highlander and loved it. I come from a Ford family so changing brands feels like cheating. On top of that, they always looked more like a van and less like an SUV to me, but once we saw that it was significantly shorter in length than the others, we decided to test one out. Surprisingly, it was very smooth, I liked how it looked, it was very spacious inside and we loved the captains chair option. Basically, it was either this SUV, or a van. Period. And guess who will never drive a van in her entire life? Yep, this one.

So here we are. After weeks researching, hours at dealerships and a lot of negotiating, we finally have a car; a new 2013 Toyota Highlander. I know I'm definitely in the minority, but I LOVE car shopping. The searching, comparing data, test driving and exploring options are fun, but the absolute best part is the negotiating. You see, I negotiate quite often in my career and am pretty damn good at it so it's only natural that I love negotiating with car salesman. On the other hand, I hate spending a lot of money on something that gets me around town, but since the 2014 model comes out in a couple of weeks, they were really pushing the 2013's.

Here she is.....

I love the black exterior with light grey leather interiors and I think the silver running board makes it look more 'SUVish'. But really, we only chose grey leather because it will hide the dirt and spilled ketchup better. You gotta do what you gotta do, right?

And just for the purposes of journaling, here's a rundown of my past cars!

1985 cream Ford LTD
1995 white Nissan Altima
1997 green Isuzu Rodeo
1999 silver Grand am
2002 black Ford Explorer
2006 blue Ford Explorer