He says, she says…

Posted on August 12, 2007
Filed Under Australia - The land down under |

Brian and I went shopping for a new car this weekend. It’s becoming quite pressing that we get a move on with this and I am definitely feeling the pinch. You see, I’m the one who will have to bus and train everywhere should we not have a second car. Brian drives a manual ute which I have no interest in learning to drive 1) because I am not comfortable with the ute being so big and 2) because I refuse to let that be an excuse not to get a new car (I.e. well we don’t NEED a new car becase I can just drive the ute when Brian’s not at work, or out or has need of it…BLECH!)

The problem is we like different cars. I like the Renault Megane Sedan as seen below

It is everything I have ever wanted in a car. Has all of the bells and whistles (like rear-parking sensors, automatic headlights and climate control) that make me very happy (as a woman) and the safety features are beyond anything else I’ve seen. It seems that European car manufacturers take safety very seriously and everything comes standard. Not so, in Australia. Lots of the features considered standard on the Megane are extra $$ in Aussie cars. On top of all of that, I very much like the size inside and out. It feels very comfortable to me, and I think it looks elegant and classic.

Brian disagrees. Though he can’t complain about the bells and whistles and safety features, he is insistent that the car looks “ordinary.” And on that note, he doesn’t really like it. This is what Brian likes:

The Dodge Caliber. Now, I didn’t particularly like it from a picture so we went to see it as well to get a better idea of what it looked like. When we got there, I could see that the picture I had seen didn’t really do it justice and I conceded that it was OK. The bells and whistles are comparable to the Megane but the safety features are not as impressive. On the overall it was pretty good BUT there was a few small things that made me slip this baby off the selection list.

1) I tried for about 10 minutes to get comfortable in the drivers seat and I couldn’t. I’m pretty short, so in order for me to see and feel like I am in control of the car I need to be high up. The only thing is, when I was high enough that I felt comfortable, my left knee was banging into the dash & steering wheel…no good. Brian INSISTS that if I test drive it, this will change my mind but I can’t see how.

2) This may seem niggly but I felt like my vision out the rear window was impeded by the rear headrests which were very high. Even sitting still I felt like I couldn’t see well. Brian also insisted that I would get used to this and that it was not, in fact, a big deal.

Now, as much as I value Brian’s opinion on most everything, in this case I feel like he’s trying to push me into getting a car that HE likes rather than listening to me about what I want..lol The plain truth is, I will be driving the car 95% of the time. Back and forth to work, shuttling the kids to all of their different practices and friends houses etc… Brian will of course drive it too sometimes, so I can see why he wouldn’t want a girly car (no pink VW Beetles..lol) but realistically, we should be looking for something most suited to me…that he is comfortable driving as well. After all… he still has the ute.

So folks, given that they are comparable in price, which would you want and why? Should I concede to Brian and take the risk of buying a car that I might not like and could end up resenting? Or, how do I tell Brian, without sounding like a selfish prat, that in this case, my opinion should weigh more?
I went back to work for sole reason of getting a new car…I don’t want to be bussing and training it because we can’t agree!

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Comments

5 Responses to “He says, she says…”

  1. debambam on August 12th, 2007 11:11 am

    I must admit if I was you I’d be pushing for the one that YOU wanted seeing as how YOU’LL be the one driving it most! As for which one I’d pick…Dunno. Would have to take both for a drive :)
    Cheers, Kelly

  2. Christina on August 12th, 2007 11:45 am

    I guess I feel a little selfish about the whole thing. I mean, he has to like it too but we just can’t agree and seeing as it’s a pretty darn big purchase… well.. you see my dilemma.

    I just don’t want to end up driving a car I’m not comfortable with or worse driving nothing a all!

  3. debambam on August 16th, 2007 5:56 am

    Thought about going to a tie breaker car? A third one?!!!!
    Cheers, Kelly

  4. Barbara on August 20th, 2007 7:13 am

    Yikes! The Dodge Caliber is one of the ugliest monstrosities to come off the assembly line. My partner is quite small and she too has a hard time seeing over seats, dashboards and the like.

    Since YOU will be the one driving the car 95% of the time I don’t think it’s selfish at all to insist on something you feel comfortable in. Please keep in mind that not being able to see properly when driving IS a safety issue.

    I think the Renault is lovely. Why don’t you take that one for a test drive?

    Best of luck.

  5. She’ll Be Apples » The Megane wins! on September 12th, 2007 7:19 am

    […] It’s the Megane Sedan that I liked in the post “He Says, She says” Ultimately, it was the best decision for me and for the kids. Brian still thinks it looks ordinary but I think he’s coming around to all the features. […]

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