Some stock pictures

Picture this in a dark metallic blue and you have my car.

Oh, and some random cool features: 6 airbags, including side-curtain; electronic tire pressure monitoring system (haven't figured out how to work it yet, though); an MP-3 plug to play my iPod through the car stereo; heated mirrors (which would matter a lot more if I didn't live in FLORIDA, LOL, but I still thought it was cool); standard CD player and decent stock sound system (remember, this is coming from someone whose last car had a TAPE PLAYER--and a non-working one at that); and one of the best warranties in the biz. Plus, A/C was standard with this model (don't laugh. It's not for a surprising number of cars--which is why I went with the Spectra, actually. I initially looked at the Rio, but by the time I added the air, it would have cost as much as the Spectra anyway--plus, the Spectra had a $1000 higher cash-back offer). Plus, according to user reviews online, the gas mileage is AWESOME.

I know there's more that's cool about this car but I can't remember it all right now--my head is still spinning. =-)

I'll be damned....

I actually did it.

I bought a new car today.

And not just "new-to-me," either. NEW. 2007 Kia Spectra, deep ocean blue. (I'll take pictures with the camera phone tomorrow.)

I'm almost 31 and this is my first-ever brand-new car. The monthly payments are a bit of a nut, but with the (slight) raise at work, the adjustment I made to my health insurance (which means much less coming out of my checks) and keeping up just one or two Pure Romance parties a month, it shouldn't be a problem. And besides, with my beloved '99 Ford Escort JUST under 100,000 miles, it was at the point that I was falling into that putting-more-into-it-than-it's-worth trap. Hell, if I'm shelling out money for a car all the time, it might as well go towards a new one.

I've been thinking about a new car for a good year now but with my credit, I figured it was impossible. Then I heard an ad for a Kia place down in Naples promising they could help anyone, so with a laugh, a healthy dose of skepticism and an evil gleam in my eye ("you just don't KNOW what you're up against, you poor bastards") I drove down today to check it out.

I had done considerable research online last night so I wasn't going in blind, but it was still a nerve-wracking experience. I'm paying more per month than I anticipated, but again, with my credit, that's pretty much a given. My rep, a guy who sounded like he walked off the set of the Sopranos, was a lot of fun. He was an older, balding, heavy-set Mob-like teddy bear who hugged me instead of shaking my hand when the deal was finalized. Ooh, and I did get a $1500 cash back deal which of course went towards my down payment (see how responsible I am?). We won't say how much I got for 'Scort. Let's just say that what little value she had pretty much came from the new tires on her. =-) This didn't stop me, of course, from tearing up a little as I drove away and left her behind. I got her right after Cam's accident. We've been through a lot together. Hell, we came to Florida together. Okay, now I'm getting verklempt again. Shut up.

So....there you have it. My hands are still shaking. I can't believe I did. I drove in the right-hand lane the whole way home, hands at 10 and 2, pulling a Deb and going 65 in a 70, swearing every time a bug hit the windshield. I had to pull over halfway home to figure out how to turn on the lights. =-)

I feel like such a grown-up.