I'm in the Market for a Car. Want to Read About It?

-->

I find myself once again in the market for a new car. I’m currently leasing a Kia Optima. This is the first time I’ve ever gone down the lease road. I may not have considered it but at the time it seemed like the most viable option given the situation. It hasn’t been bad so far, but I may feel differently when the lease is up and it’s time to turn in the car. Speaking of the car, I have been really pleasantly surprised by the Kia. It’s well put together, sporty (for a midsize sedan), and not bad to drive. I might even consider keeping it, except that I went for a less equipped model because of the situation at the time. There are a few things it’s missing that I’d really like to have.

This puts me in an interesting situation. I like cars and driving but I wouldn’t exactly call myself an enthusiast or an expert. My wife calls me a car snob, but she has to listen to me talk about cars. I live in an area with a prolific variety of car dealers. I don’t really hold any brand loyalty. I do have a fondness for Jeeps, and admittedly, I’ve owned as many Chrysler products as other brands combined. That said, I’d like to explore all the options.

But this leaves me with a lot of choice. The auto industry is probably the best it has been in my lifetime. No matter what your requirements are there is a good car to meet them, and probably two or three. If I randomly wandered on to dealer’s lots I would probably waste a lot of salespeoples’ time getting lost in all the options.

So I’ve decided to put together a list of requirements in order to narrow things down. Oh yah, I’ve also decided to write about my experiences and the cars I look at in order to give you a layman’s view of the car buying process. Maybe we’ll all learn something. Maybe (likely) you’ll all laugh at how stupid I am. Anyway, here are my requirements:

NEW (or possibly CPO) – In the past I have purchased used cars almost exclusively. The depreciation hit a new car takes alone is worth it. I would still consider a used car if the right one came along. The problem is (1) the used car market, at least in my part of New England is really ugly. It’s almost as if cars don’t take anywhere near the depreciation hit they used to. (2) there are A LOT of used cars out there. At least for the purpose of trying to decide what I really want, it’s better to focus on the new ones. Maybe after I narrow things down to a specific model or two I’ll take a look and see If I can get a deal on a gently used example.

AFFORDABLE – I’m going to avoid talking actual numbers here because I think it’s crass. If you pay attention you’ll be able to figure out what the range is anyway. I will let you know if I come across a great deal. Something like $10K below MSRP for example. Anyway, the goal here is to keep both my payments and my insurance from making me want to drink when I get the bill every month. I should also note here that I’m open to leasing again if the terms are favorable.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION – I know; hardcore car guys shun autos. This is part of the reason I don’t claim the enthusiast title. My wife and I can both drive a stick. The problem is the area of the Midwest where we both learned to drive is MUCH flatter with much straighter roads than Southern New England. My wife doesn’t want to worry about making a mistake in bad weather or heavy traffic and causing an accident. She will occasionally drive the car. I can’t blame her. Auto it is.

AWD/4WD – I understand the arguments. I know without a doubt that a good set of snow tires will do more in winter weather than AWD. I have driven front wheel drive cars and even a rear wheel drive pickup in northern winters without major problems. Still, the weather is unpredictable here with intense rain and snow blowing up out of nowhere from time to time. It would be nice to have an extra bit of traction when things get interesting. It also limits the pool of contenders a bit.

SEATS 4+ - I honestly don’t have passengers, other than maybe my wife. Still, it’s nice to be able to cart visitors around when we have them without having to rent a bus. I may need to take the dogs somewhere at some point too. I can’t see fitting all three of them in a two seat coupe.

WIFE’S APPROVAL – She will have to drive it occasionally. She will have to be seen with me driving it. I’m spending our money. She gets a say.

Other things that would be good to have, but aren’t deal breakers if they aren’t possible:

SEAT 4 COMFORTABLY – Like I said, sometimes we haul visitors around southern New England all day. Ever ridden in the back seat of a Mustang?

25 MPG COMBINED – Gas is fairly cheap now, but I’m not holding my breath that it will stay that way. 25 MPG combined isn’t too much of a stretch given current engine technology. Also: environment and stuff.

HEATED/COOLED SEATS – the better to be comfortable with.

HEATED STEERING WHEEL – Every winter I want one more and more.

REMOTE START – I never knew I needed this until I had it. I’m not sure I can live without it anymore. I love going out to a pre-warmed car on a cold morning. I know, it’s not so environmentally friendly.

USABLE CARGO SPACE – we like to go places. It’s nice to take stuff with us, especially if we’re also bringing the dogs. I also have a decently sized garden and lots of home and yard projects. The more cargo space, the better.

FUN TO DRIVE – This should probably be required rather than nice to have. The practical side of me says this shouldn’t matter. I’m stuck in slow traffic for part of my average commute anyway. Even so, there is a great deal of value to me in having something that is enjoyable to spend time in since I spend at least of an hour of my day there. I’ll probably end up putting a great deal of weight on this quality.

So that’s it. My plan is to throw up my longlist of options in the next post with some preliminary thoughts. I would love to get suggestions and thoughts as I’m going through this process. You can even tell me I’m making mistakes. I’m open to constructive criticism. Please don’t tell me “FORDSUCKSCHEVYRULEZ!!!!” though. I already know.

A quick thought about US military structure

I'm sure someone smarter and/or more knowledgable than I has already thought of this, but it's been floating in my head the last couple days, and I thought I should at least put it out there so someone can tell me why I'm wrong and why it wouldn't work. There has been a lot of "post-war" budget wrangling for the military, and I think I have a way of streamlining things that makes sense in the current environment and plays to the strengths and needs of our nation. 

First, close all US bases on foreign soil. Admittedly, this is probably the most contentious part of the plan. Assets could be redistributed to facilities in the US, or eliminated if unnecessarily redundant.  Where treaties oblige us to keep a foreign military presence, develop infrastructure sharing plans with the host countries to minimize our footprint. 

Next, invest in the Navy and Marine Corps. The Navy is in the best position to provide power projection regardless of geopolitical boundary shifts, and can most easily globally redeploy assets based on the intensity of the conflict. Similarly, the Marine Corps has a tradition of and indeed the unique capability to be instantly deployable and effective in wide range of scenarios. The Navy/Marine Corps team is a complete combined arms package that can be utilized to intervene quickly in crisis situations or open a theatre for long term combat operations. 

This would leave the Air Force free to take up the "strategic" mission they seem to want to focus on. Let them build long-range bombers and air superiority fighters, and take the lead in "cyber" operations. 

Similarly, this frees the Army up to focus on defense of our nation and preparing for protracted combat operations. 

In my mind, this streamlining of mission focus would reduce overall operational budget, allow for more targeted and effective procurement spending, and in the long term, create jobs inside the US. 

Admittedly this is not very developed, and it's from my own very uninformed point of view, but I feel like the idea should at least be explored. Please feel free to educate me if I'm wrong. 

Ms. Mumaugh

I lost a friend this week. Shirley Mumaugh was an amazing woman. She was more than just a teacher to so many people, and she changed many, many lives. Ms. Mumaugh never had any biological children, but she always referred to her students as “her babies”. She looked after them and cared for them as if they were her own, even after they no longer attended her classes.

Ms. Mumaugh loved teaching. More than that, she loved being an educator. She believed in helping young people fulfill their potential, and encouraged them to be the best they possibly could be. She had amazing insight into hearts and minds of high school students and would often advocate for the best interests of those in need, even if she didn’t have them in her class.

Shirley was unfailingly generous. If she perceived a need, she would do what should could to fill it without question, and with the greatest humility. She loved her community, and she supported and encouraged any effort to make the world a better place to live in.

I think it’s impossible to have known Shirley and not have been changed for the better by knowing her. I learned so much from her. She taught me to appreciate art, even if it wasn’t really my taste. She taught me that it’s ok to be a little different, because everybody is anyway. She helped me to express myself in meaningful ways and to make my point clearly (though I admit I’m still working on that). She encouraged me to dream big and chase big dreams.

Goodbye SAM, you will be missed here by so many.  You will not be forgotten  by any who’ve met you, and all of us are better people for having you in our lives.