Not only did Jen and I go to Ikea today and fill up the van with build-it-yourself boxed Swedish furniture, but after we got back and unloaded the van, I went and bought a very swanky 2002 Volvo S80. I sent a picture to Flickr, but it hasn’t shown up yet… (so I just uploaded it.).\
Yes, I know that the S80 wasn’t on the list. I went to Don Beyer intending to get a lovely little blue S60. But, as soon as I got there, it came back into the lot with a very happy person who ended up buying it. So, as I was considering my options, I wandered through the lot, and what did I spy? A lovely grey luxury car priced well below blue book that fell right into my budget. So, I found my favorite sales person (her name is Namaste, and she’s very nice… if you go to Don Beyer Volvo in Sterling, ask for her) and asked if I could take it out. She handed me a key and a plate and off I went. Since no one’s around AOL on Saturdays, I took it and whipped around campus a couple times. Wow. It’s an incredible drive, and a lot nimbler than you’d expect a large sedan to be. It takes corners like a champ and has power to spare. I’m glad I got the bigger car. It’s roomier, faster, and handles better than the S60… and gets the same decent mileage.\
I’m sore from taking out the middle seat in the van and lugging boxes of furniture from store to car to home, but I’m happy. I can stop looking for a new car for at least another 8 years. Yay!\
The only problem? Jen says I’m a yuppie now that we own a Volvo. I tried to tell her that we were already yuppies because we own a minivan, but I don’t think she believes me.
My Big Fat Swedish Day
Owning a Volvo doesn’t have the same stigma attached to it as it might have 15 years ago, when Volvos looked suspiciously like the boxes that economical Swedish furniture comes in. But minivans? Oh, yeah. THOSE are the yuppie badge of honor.
Welcome to the club!!! (The Volvo club that is…I ain’t no mini-van drivin yuppie…)
Ohhhhhh, she is preeeeety! I like her!
Auntie M
I thought “yuppie” referred to ‘young urban professionals’, ie., double income no children materialistic icons of the 80’s. So, to me anyway, minivan would be the antithesis of yuppi-dom. But that’s just my point of view. But I totally understand the relief of finally having purchased the new car and being able to put that whole process on the shelf for a few years. Congrats on the spiffy new car!
Mileage? You drive like 34 feet to get to work. You should drive something with crappy milage that kills the earth and supports terrorism. I noticed that Carmax has 6783 used Hummers for sale. Did you look at one of those first?