Black and White Friday

My first computer was someone else's used Apple, $100, a funky little gray machine with a screen about the size of an iPad, but all black and white.  Before buying it, I talked to everyone I knew who had a computer: Apple or Dell? and wound up joining the Apple club for life.

My first car-of-my-own (not counting a '55 Oldsmobile I drove senior year that soon became my daddy's fishing car) was a beautiful turquoise 1990 Acura Integra, $14,000.  (Actually, it was a gift from my parents, so it only cost me gas and insurance!) I loved that little car and it was my vehicle (literally and figuratively) into Singledom.

Married, we'd had a '67 Volkswagen, two Volvos, a Dodge van, and a Suburban, but those had been chosen by the man.  (My only contribution to the choice of Volvo #2 was blue.)

Betty's often said I make decisions by consensus, and she's right. Until I got my Choosing Muscle built up, it took many phone calls and interviews with owners to make a decision.

I drove that pretty Acura for ten years, then got a white Camry which I drove for seven. In 2005, I only asked Mini people for advice and put my fingers in my ear when I got unsolicited advice from anyone else. It was exactly what I hoped it would be and I've been a Mini Girl for a decade.

Now the Mini decade is coming to an end.  Driving without a spare tire on long road trips is a factor (again!),  the ride on Mini tires is hard and noisy, and there's no back-up camera.  The seats are so-so comfortable. So after trying out three sedans and a Kia Soul, I'm buying a Tiguan today, Black Friday. Elena will be my first passenger--as her daddy was in former Minis.

Victor let me bring it home a couple of days ago--and I'm smitten.  Falling in love with a car or a person is a very individual decision and this one feels so right.  It's a quiet, comfortable ride and I love the look of it.

If all goes as planned with Victor, I'll be driving a white Volkswagen Tiguan (the word comes from tiger and iguana so Elena will love it) home from the Black Friday sale.