Cognitive Dissonance

Yes, I know there are lots of important issues to blog about, but since I've been busy at work everyone else has already blogged about them. Corrupt Illinois governor. Joe the Plumber dissing McCain. Etc.

So instead, I'll talk about my feelings about our new vehicle.

As Baxter told you, DH and I went out and bought a new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon on Saturday, which we picked up from the dealer on Monday evening.

As you know, we had decided to buy a Jeep in order to be able to get up the hill to our property in the Adirondacks. While our cars are able to get up there with no problem in nice weather, even a little snow makes it impossible, since the road is not paved and the gravel isn't even maintained by the town. And I imagine the Mud Season (April, when the snows start melting) would be equally difficult.

So we have every reason to own this Jeep. But I have a certain amount of mixed emotions about owning it.

First of all, it is not subtle. It is red. Very red. We are not Red Car People. We are both attracted to light metallic blues and silvers, navy, or black when it comes to car colors. But the only standard shift Jeep that the dealership had was Flame Red. And it had everything we wanted and more, for going off road in the Adirondacks. Plus they offered us $6000 off the price. (By the way, part of that was an AARP discount. If you're 50 or above and are holding out on joining AARP, put aside your false pride and take advantage of everything they offer!).

Secondly, it is BIG. It bears a certain resemblance to a Hummer. We are not Hummer/SUV Type People either. We have been Saab people for 23 years and would be Prius people too if we didn't insist on driving a standard shift. I am feeling liberal-environmental guilt about the gas mileage. It only gets 19 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA estimate. I'll have to see what it gets in reality.

I feel as if I should have a bumper sticker on the back saying, "Yes, I really DO use this to drive off road!" and/or "My Other Car gets 32 miles per gallon."

Third, it is very high off the ground. In order for me to clamber into it, I have to hold on to the steering wheel and pull myself up with all my strength. (I assume if we buy the running board, which is an add-on, it might help).

Fourth, it rides like, well, a Jeep. Or a truck. I'm not used to that either. It's not that it's that bumpy, particularly, but I feel as if I'm so high up that it will tip over any minute so I tend to drive it very cautiously. It definitely doesn't handle like our other cars. I'm sure that feeling of instability will change as I get used to it.

On the plus side, it will DEFINITELY get up that hill, and we can't wait to go try it out. We'll probably go up on the weekend after New Year's and test it out. I think it will be a lot of fun to drive around up there in general, as there are jeep trails all around the area. We'll be able to see parts of the Adirondacks that aren't accessible to regular cars - including the rest of the road that our cabin is on.

And of course the satellite radio is great; I had it on the 70's station today. We're going to take turns driving the Jeep to work, so I'm going to get spoiled with the satellite radio and not want to go back to the regular stations when I don't have the Jeep. And the navigation system is a lot of fun to play with too.

Best of all, there is NO WAY I can lose it in our new parking lot. I came out of work tonight and there it was, blazing like a beacon from a distance. I couldn't miss it if I tried!