Now that I'm finally home...

by Rally

I find it kind of amusing seeing all the people having anxiety attacks on my last journal. XD Ah, silly furries. Can't wait a few hours. :P

Anyway, the news isn't major unless you really know me or used to follow my rant journals back on FA. In short, I've owned a 2003 Grand Am GT1 (which I've started referring to as a Grand Dammit) for the past five years, and I've been complaining about it for a long time now. Well, as of today, I was finally able to get a replacement for it. I did a few days' worth of research online and found a few models at a dealership of a vehicle I really liked. After driving the hour-and-a-half up there yesterday and waiting until after they had closed to hear back from the bank, I had to come back home and wait to get a call today, which I did right at the end of my lunch break at work. Because the bank took so long in getting back to us, the dealer guilted them about the long trip and wait I had to deal with (as well as having to make the trip AGAIN today), and the bank cut a good deal (despite my poor credit). 11.75% APR (my credit level would've warranted a 16%+ rating) for 60 months, making my new payment $232.25 per month on a vehicle I'll enjoy, $88.56 per month cheaper than I've been paying on a car I hate.

Those of you who have been paying close attention will have realized that I only mentioned the word "car" once above, in reference to my Grand Am. I purposely used the term "vehicle" to be both vague and accurate, since what I now have isn't a "car". It's a 2005 Ford Explorer XLS; a mid-size SUV. Why? Ohhhh, let me COUNT THE REASONS!

Negatives about the Grand Am:
- Cheaply built, literally falling apart inside.
- Spent over $3,000 in repairs on a car I was still paying for.
- Too low and cramped for my 6'2", 225-pound frame.
- Struggled going up even semi-steep hills.
- Cannot get ANY traction in even light snow/ice with new tires; even worse if the road is inclined at all.
- Dark. Grey. Leather. Seats. I was literally blistering my back through my clothes sitting in that car during the past few weeks.
- Front wheel drive. Seriously, fuck the person who invented that right in his ear.
- Severe wind noise issues.
- HORRIBLE SAFETY RATINGS! Honestly, I'm surprised they were allowed to market these things with how BAD they did.

Positives about the Explorer:
+ Mid-size SUV; plenty of room, and I can get in and out a hell of a lot easier, even in the back seats.
+ Cloth seats. Even in direct sunlight, it doesn't get half as hot as leather.
+ Rear wheel drive.
+ Rides very smoothly and quietly, despite its "truckiness".
+ Excellent safety ratings across the board, even by the very harsh IIHS standards.
+ MPG and "Miles until empty" readouts. Not a major point, but they're extremely helpful features.

I plan to take my own pics later, but for now, you can see the dealer's pixelated-to-Hell image here.

There's probably more I wanted to say on this topic, but after dealing with all this shit for the past two days and getting very little sleep last night, I'm just gonna say "fuck it" for tonight and leave it as it is now. :P Good night, fags!