Our New Quest

Our family of five committed last August to being a one car family for at least one year.  It has been inconvenient at times, but we’ve managed just fine.  There have been certain challenges that have been car model specific.  For instance, the limited space in the backseat of our 2010 Corolla has been very challenging with 3 kids (especially with one in a car seat).  This also results in a significant amount of time for the entry/exit of the kids.  So, we have been considering upgrading to a larger vehicle for more space and I drove by a few dealerships last Saturday to check out their van selections.  Yes, I know… vans are what every little boy dreams of driving when they grow up.  However, they do offer incredible amenities for a family that few other vehicles offer:  Sliding side doors and a walk through middle row, seats so wide apart they have their own zip code, and a cargo bin in the back that can comfortably fit any respectable mobster.  We hope that these features will produce the benefits of saved time entering and exiting the vehicle, fewer fights between the kids in the car (because they can’t reach each other), and not having to leave something behind on a trip because we don’t have enough space.  Another added feature is that someone else will be able to ride along with our entire family on our exciting adventures.

We knew that the base MSRP on most vans is knocking on $30k and that we wouldn’t trade unless it made sense.  There were several 2011 models of the Nissan Quest at a dealership that were deeply discounted, due to being last year’s model.  Let me say without going any further, that God’s hand was completely in this transaction.  How many times have you gone to an auto dealer and got what you asked for without any haggling?  Anyone???  Anyone???  Check this out…I was able to buy a brand new 2011 van for less than its clean trade-in value and received more than clean trade-in value on my 2010 Corolla!  How many times has that happened in modern automotive history?  I’m not bragging on myself, because I had nothing to do with it.  I’m bragging on God.  The monthly car payment increase and insurance increase add up to a total of $30 a month.  Not a bad deal, eh? 

We are really excited about this new chapter in our one car family adventure and believe that this new Quest will enable us to continue this adventure beyond August, if we choose to do so.  For those of you who think I wimped out, so be it.  We are still on our One Car Family Quest and are headed in the right direction.