![]() It looked like a decent deal and buying it would stop the agony of the search. The owner pointed out that this is a Pontiac and therefore quite firm in the suspension. I was sure an alignment would take care of that. The steering wheel was a smidgen off center and the car pulled slightly to the side. It rode alright even though the tires were noisy. I drove it the same night in stormy weather. It was Salsa red, black interior, it had the Moon & Tunes package (moon roof and 7 speaker stereo including a sub-woofer). It was for a private sale and only one mile from my place. The following Monday an ad for an ’05 Pontiac Vibe appeared in Craigslist. At the used car dealer that had the Amanti I was treated with respect, they just didn’t have the right vehicle. The whole encounter left such a bad taste in my mouth I was pissed for days. When he tried to talk me into a Ford Escape I said: “I think I have to leave.” And I left. Back at the office they insulted me with a below the belt line trade-in value for the Windstar and when I declined their offer they came back with a senior salesman to twist my arm. There was no sampling of a bad road at all. The route included some interstate from on-ramp to the next off-ramp and smooth four lane roads. First he was telling me which route to take rather than letting me choose. The salesman turned the ride into a rather displeasing encounter. Pissed off by high pressure sales tactics. It felt and looked too much like 7/8 of a minivan. It was a decent enough car but I was not impressed. I gave them the keys to the Windstar and asked for a ride in the Rondo even though it was out of my budget. They ran an event where they would evaluate anyone’s car for trade in. I decided to check out that Rondo at a Ford dealer in the Des Moines area. A Pontiac Vibe was available about 2 hours away and a Kia Rondo was close by. A used car dealer wanted $7000 for one with over 200,000 miles on the clock. Toyota Matrix were rare and seemed over-priced. Hyundai Elantra Touring were completely absent in our region. The Dodge Magnum that were in my price range had the infamous 2.7L engine. Among the replies were the Dodge Magnum, Hyundai Elantra Touring, Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix and Kia Rondo. I entered my criteria in a query at and hoped to get some useful suggestions. Wagons were just about impossible to find or German, Swedish or complicated by 4 wheel drive. All of them lacked one major requirement: a special compartment for the dog. I also sampled a ’10 Chevrolet Malibu, an ’08 Mercury Milan and an ’07 Kia Amanti. I drove two of these and they were very much to my liking. I also toyed with the idea of getting a Lincoln LS V8. My excursions with the BMWs in Atlanta were fresh in my mind. I was looking forward being coddled with a smooth ride by an entry level luxury car. I made her (the African-American Queen) pay the vet, groomer and kennel bills. Within about 3 months I was walking the dog, taking him to the vet, buying the food, picking up his poop and teaching him a few commands. It was supposed to be our younger son’s dog and teach him all that responsibility. Everybody knew my answer would be: “No!” I knew exactly how this is going to work out. Still, there was no need for a vehicle this large even though the family expanded by one English Springer Spaniel.įor some peculiar reason I was never asked if I wanted a dog in our house. The boys have their own wheels and one of them has moved out, the other one had temporarily moved in again. 2005 Pontiac Vibe.In 2013 it became obvious that the minivan era is over for our family.
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