OT: say hello to my little friend Options

[zymurgist]

I got the check for my dad's old Camry on Friday. It was an old car and it had issues, but I hated to see it go because it was once his baby. I did some car shopping, even considering cash for clunkers using my old Mercedes (which I think is too nice to have the engine seized up on purpose), and decided that rather than buy a new car, I would go with a used car and go more upscale.

I live a long way from the office, so I need a car that is reliable, good on gas, and comfortable on the highway. I didn't want to spend a lot on a new car since I know I'll be putting so many miles on it... I figured that a quality used car would be a good idea.

I drove a couple of Camrys and Accords, but I had to look into the Acura RSX. I work with a lady who drives a 5-speed coupe and a guy who drives a 6-speed Type S, and they both can't say enough good things about their cars. So I drove a couple of RSX's too. Loved the Type S, but it takes premium unleaded... that's a definite minus for my commuter car. So I found a local one owner base 5-speed with 41K miles. Drove an Accord with manual transmission and the RSX back-to-back, and that sold me on the RSX.

I picked up my car yesterday. It has brand new tires on it and a cold A/C. It corners well on local twisty roads, shifts like a dream (compared to an old Porsche!), a little bitty leather wrapped steering wheel, and a sunroof. It's not the fastest car on the street, but that's not why I bought it. I think I'm going to enjoy driving to work a bit more than I did when I had the Camry!