posted by Ashalah on Life

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Car shopping is seriously exhausting.

Did you know that I’ve never really been car shopping? Since my car is proving to be more of a problem than it’s worth, I have decided that selling or trading it in for something new (or new to me) is probably my best option. Yesterday I took myself to the Subaru dealership for two hours and came home completely wiped out. Apparently I’ve been drinking the Boulder koolaid a little too much lately–everyone in Boulder owns a Subaru–but I figure there must be something to them that made everyone here love them, so I have focused in on them for my next car. I was a little nervous to go car shopping by myself; I had images of pushy, cheesy car salesmen in my head and well, I’m not good at poker faces. I was worried that I was going to accidentally buy a car before realizing what was happening.

I went mainly to check out the Forester and the Outback but within minutes eliminated the Outback (out of my price range) and immediately fell in love with their new Crosstrek. I’m talking seeing it across a crowded room, love at first sight love. It was smaller than I wanted but then again, maybe that’s a good thing. After all, it’s just me! I don’t take up that much room. I did give some attention to the Forester and even test drove it and got pricing on it since I have to give myself options.

The Forester is bigger than my Rav4 (it looks smaller but it felt bigger.) and has a bigger engine than the Crosstrek which I’m not sure if that matters or not to me. Bigger engine means more power, I guess. There’s a lot more cargo room, headroom and has 0% financing. It also has been around for many years and there are a lot of reviews to consider. Granted, my Rav4 is considered Consumer Reports top used SUV pick so there’s that…

The Crosstrek is brand new so I don’t know how it’ll fair over the course of many years. It’s small but still an SUV, has amazing gas mileage, handles really well, lots of room inside for all that I need and has more perks than the Forester for just about $1,000 more. I really could care less about the bells and whistles but for that price difference, it does add some appeal. The reviews so far of it online are great and I just felt more comfortable in that car.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I am horrible with decision making! I know which one I want to get but part of me feels like I shouldn’t be buying myself a brand new car. I should be getting a used car because that’s what people my age, with my budget, do. I am going to be tying myself into a five year car payment which is a huge commitment. I don’t make commitments like that! I should keep looking around and find something with less of a commitment but…I really like the Crosstrek!

Another part of me is saying, Ashley! Look at this amazing opportunity you’ve been provided! I could sell my car, sell all my belongings and take off for a huge travel adventure and really try to turn this blogging thing into my life. I’d have such a nice cushion to do that and it’s something I’ve always thought about doing in the back of my mind.

And then there’s the part of me that wants to settle down and make a home out of Colorado. Start saving to buy a house, do adult things like buy a new car and make car payments, get a dog, really focus in on my career. I thought I would have my Rav4 for ten more years but the universe always has other plans. I’m learning to accept that and right now am just thankful I have enough money in the bank to be able to fix my car, even if it was money that was funding a dream that has to be put on hold. I guess the Universe just has other plans for me.

See how exhausting car shopping is? There are so many things to take into account. It’s making my head spin!

Image from Subaru.com. Don’ t worry, I will be getting this in dark grey, not tangerine! Tangerine may be my new favorite color for clothing and home decor, but I draw the line somewhere. And that’s at cars.