We did the inevitable Saturday and traded in our van. Sigh. We got it new 5 years ago and I loved that vehicle. It's one of the smallest minivans out there but seemed rather big inside with a 3 person third row. So why did we get rid of it? Cost. It was still in good condition and the inside was fine, but it was those unexpected repairs that kept creeping up on us. Of course we were never prepared for them thus putting our credit card balance higher and higher.
So Saturday we set out to do some research for new options while my niece watched the girls. (That's right, my cute little niece who is now a cute big niece!) I had also researched online and had an idea of what would be worth it. We discovered that what we really wanted just wasn't out there. A smaller SUV with a third row. Why a third row? Room for nieces, nephews and the kids' friends etc. to cart around in from time to time. What I liked was the Toyota RAV4. The problem, you have to option for the third row which is another $600. Huh. Not so much.
Low and behold, we found the 'unicorn'.
We were NOT prepared to trade in the van that very day but we found a 2006 RAV4 with the third row-folds down into back when not in use. AND it was in our price range.(We got a really good trade in for the van too)
The sad part-Rachel got rather emotional about losing the van and so did I (a bit). We had that since Rachel was 2 and it had become part of the family in a way.
And now,4 days later, I don't really miss it! The biggest thing for me right now, TINTED WINDOWS!! I had no idea how amazing those are. The van was so bright and cheery but also a virtual oven. The kids' carseats were incredibly hot in the summer with the sun baking on them. And now, it's so much cooler in there I can't even believe it. Plus it's more privacy. Tack on the fact that it's four wheel drive and we have a 4 year warranty on it. Our repair issues should be kept at bay for a while and we have better peace of mind.
Thank you Lord!
3 comments:
How exciting!!! Love the red too! What make was your van??? Too bad you had so many repairs. We'd love to ditch our van, but hate the idea of a car payment, so I still have it at 9 years old!!! Although with 4 kids a mini-van is about our only option besides a huge suv. Congrats!!! So happy for you guys! :)
wohoo!! i love tinted windows too(we never had them until the minivan). and i agree with jtaco, the red is GREAT!!
Our van was a Mazda MPV. We're thinking maybe Mazda is better at making cars and perhaps this particular brand isn't cut out for our brutal winters. I do think that the Toyota will do much better on all fronts. I never really thought about winter sturdy vehicles before but it does make a difference, I think.
And sadly, we'll continue payments for many more years, we had about a year left on the van but at least now we won't have repairs on that of top. Jtaco-that's great you've held on to your van for so long. What is your van?!
Yeah, it just happened to be red I actually didn't like it but am getting used to it. Easy to find in parking lots! (:
Wow, this a really long comment!!
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