Realization
Today was beautiful. 75 degrees and sunny. I drove home from the office with the top down on the car. Then it occurs to me. Those days will soon be over. I have child coming. I can’t very well strap her car seat into the back seat of a two door car and the fact that if my car flipped no one inside would live. I guess I need some sort of SUV.
I’ll need a daddy mobile. I can’t bring myself to drive a van. I thought this was why the Mrs. got an SUV. I’m thinking one of those four door 2004 F150s. Being a guy, if I don’t have a convertible, a hot rod or a motorcycle, then I have to have a truck. It’s a rule. Look it up.
After all, SUVs aren’t trucks. A man knows a station wagon when he sees one.
March 4th, 2004 at 9:39 pm
I have to say I love our Ford Windstar. Especially the newer models with side doors on either side, when you have two kids (especially one in a car seat) it makes it 10x easier to get them strapped in.
I personally don’t care for SUV’s, I prefer the minivan. Nothing wrong with it that I can see, and nobody ever accuses you of polluting the environment in a minivan…
March 4th, 2004 at 10:48 pm
Minivans suck. Not powerful enough to tow anything of import, yet big enough to act as a friggin’ sail going down the highway.
And if you lived up north, where snow is a way of life five months out of the year, you’d appreciate the utility of four wheel drive.
Having said that, rather than get a minivan (shudder), why not look into a conversion van? Most have eight cylinder motors and 3/4 ton capacity; they seat 7; and getting a child into and out of one is pretty easy (congrats, btw).
A warning, though… Pickup trucks, even the four door ones, are high off the ground. When my son was born, I had a Dodge Ram 1500. When I’d pick him up from daycare, I’d have to sling him over my shoulder, hold onto him with one hand, and hoist myself into the back seat of the truck with the other. Pain in the @$$!
So I traded it on on a Durango (now the Durangos have hemis. R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!).
And my wife liked it so much she gave me her Accord and she drives the Durango now!
S’okay, though. I got her back: I bought a Harley… Heh heh heh…
Congrats on the impending Dad-dom. It is, hands down, far and away, the greatest thing that will ever happen to you.
Even when they’re driving you insane.
Your life changes. Completely. Totally. You are no longer invincible. Little people depend on you. You will see EVERYTHING in a different light. Most of it better (wait until the first time your child is old enough to understand the concept of Santa Claus. It is very cool); some of it is worse (I was feeding my five month old son when the Andrea Yates story broke. As they showed the pictures of those five beautiful children, I sobbed great fiery tears).
Hang on tight. It’s a helluva ride, and it goes Warp Nine most of the way…
March 4th, 2004 at 10:51 pm
Guy, i look forward to it and thank you for the encouragement.
March 4th, 2004 at 11:38 pm
Do what I did and buy a used Cadillac. 270 horses, baby, and ROOOOOMY! Hear that echo?
Hell, it has a six-passenger TRUNK!
March 5th, 2004 at 10:17 am
Hell, it has a six-passenger TRUNK!
Room for Earl and all his buddies!
March 5th, 2004 at 11:28 am
SUVs: Just Say No
March 5th, 2004 at 11:33 am
Actually, I’ve pretty much decided on a 2004 F150 with a supercrew cab.