SPD - Mah "new to me" Matrix

Meet my new car - "Stay Puft II"
Now, it's not brand, brand new, yet it's new for me! woo-hoo!

I refuse to buy a brand new car - been there, done that = bad deal. Why buy something that INSTANTLY depreciates by a couple $ grand once you've simply driven it off the lot?!? Tell me how it makes sense to owe more on something than it's worth the very same day it becomes yours? Unless you have a righteous cash flow, so be it, but not me!

Anyhwhoo, mah "new" Matrix is a 2003, blue book value $14,300. I bought it for $12K. I'm good, I tell ya. Good. It's not a fancy pants model - no moonroof or alloy wheels. No foglights. It has keyless entry, automatic w/ cruise control (which should save me an average of $160/year in speeding tickets), power locks and windows (although I favor manual windows) and the gas mileage is a decent 36 mpg on the highway - not great, but not bad. What do I love most about the Matrix? THE HATCHBACK! I love hatchbacks. LOVE 'EM.

Last weekend the Matrix and I introduced my honey-man to the wonderful world of "car camping."
"So, you wanna go car camping tonight?" I asked.
The look he gave me was priceless: one of those "okay, I love you, but you're officially nuts" kinds of looks. So, what's car camping? Well, duh - camping in the car - simple as that! After first enjoying a drive around Lake Mead and a lil' tour of Boulder City, we took the Matrix to Saddle Cove back at the lake and parked in a remote spot a mere 20 feet from the water lapping on the lake shore. The back end of the car was facing east, with the hatch open so we could look out over the water and watch the sunrise in the AM. The moon was full that night and we walked around the water's edge without flashlights. It was so quiet and peaceful - so relaxing. The night temperature was perfect - cool, yet not cold. We folded the back seats down, laid out a poofy comforter covered by a fitted sheet (was a perfect fit) and zipped two matching sleeping bags together and laid down to sleep - yeah, heh, heh - no really! We slept with the hatch up all night, and no, our feet weren't hanging out the back - I'm 5'6" and my honey-man's 5'10" tall. And the Sunrise? absolutely picturesque and all we had to do was lay there and look out the back. We also saw two cranes and 2 mildly simmering "boils" of fish feeding on the morning bugs. Speaking of bugs, we were fine despite being so close to the water. It was just grrrreat! We took our time waking up and once we cleaned up "camp," we went to the Las Vegas Marina to have breakfast at their lil' diner. It was so fun.

So what happened to my wonderful Toyota Echo - ?
My honey-man is now driving it ~ a WONDEFUL commuter car with 43 mpg on the highway! His previous car, although equally cute, really considered downright sexy, was unfortunately quite impractical all the same - a 2 seater Miata convertible, black. So no more Miata; he's crusin' in the Stay Puft now. Sure, it's not exactly a manly car, definitely not powerful, but it's a SMART car. Very smart. The angel boy-O loves it too.

This shot is my reflection in one of the Matrix windows. Yay!