I got [a] fit!

Well, you all know this isn't about me getting healthy — not at this time of year! No, this is about me getting wheels!

You know how much Todd and I have considered a car, a moped, a scooter, a motorcycle: something to help us get out of the city more. We got a bee in our bonnet about it again a few weeks ago and started looking around on Craig's List. I thought we'd stumbled upon a good used car. It was old and definitely well used, but the woman selling it seemed completely legit, and the car seemed good for what it was — something just to get us from point A to point B. We took it to a garage to have it looked at, because that's what you're supposed to do with used cars. But I really believed it would check out and we'd buy it for a song. Unfortunately, the mechanic said that it wasn't worth it, there were too many things that needed fixing, and that he'd never recommend buying it. So, back to the drawing board. The same mechanic did have a VW Beetle that he was storing for a woman who was looking to sell, though. It was also several years old, but he said he'd worked on it for ages and knew it was solid. Unfortunately, by the next weekend when our schedules allowed us to go back to the mechanic, it had already sold. Back to the drawing board again.

By now, Todd and I had had a week to think about driving around in an adorable little Beetle. So cute, and so easy for parking on these mean streets! So it's back to Craig's List just for Beetles. There was one that looked REALLY promising way out east bumble Brooklyn. We made our way out there last week, which was no easy accomplishment in and of itself. The car seemed ok, but I got a terrible, awful, no good, very bad feeling from the guy selling it, and we walked away. Another trip to Craig's List, another used Beetle later, we thought we found another one we liked. We ran the Car Fax, though, and saw that it was a salvaged vehicle, which was not a game we wanted to play.

At this point, Todd and I both felt soured on the used car hunt. So many of the people we were dealing with seemed shady, and there were so many opportunities for us to be taken for a ride (no pun intended). And given the low price point we started out with, it seemed really unlikely that we'd be able to find something that wouldn't suck. It was time to reassess.

We did some online research, found some cars we liked, and visited a couple of dealers. I hated the guys at the Toyota place, and the Prius wasn't really in our price range anyway. The guys at the Nissan dealership completely ignored us, so we ditched them, too. Honda was always at the top of our list with three cars we were really interested in: the Insight (their hybrid), the Civic (I know a lot of people who have these), and the Fit. We went to their dealership out in Queens and test drove all three. We loved the Insight because it was better for the environment and in terms of gas mileage. But driving it taught me that hybrids are pretty sluggish out of the gate. Once you're going their fine, but they may not be the best for quick city maneuvers. More important, it was the most expensive of the three. They had some deals on the Civic, but the new model is much bigger than it used to be, and I kind of hated it. It really felt like something some suburban dad would drive on his way to the office every day. Its big sedan-ish-ness also made me remember my days in Chicago driving that boat of a Ford Taurus. The car was fine, but it's not something I've ever missed.

The Fit I liked, though. I've always been partial to hatchbacks, and this was somehow both small and roomy at the same time. The mileage is pretty good, it drove well, and the price was right (especially after my mad negotiation skillz kicked in. Todd was impressed!). We walked out with a lease on a brand new car!

So now I'm looking forward to many more trips. That means many of you will have me on your couches in 2010!