Thunder's Friend

Kirk and I have come to the point in our lives where our great car, Thunder, needs a friend. Thunder has been in our family for about 5 1/2 year. We've driven all over the country together and the mighty 1998 Honda Civic Thunder has been there every mile. We've done minor repairs over the years and then one major repair last summer. However, with a baby on the way and Kirk needing to commute to work/school next year, we decided that Thunder definitely needs a friend.
We looked at many different cars--from Altimas and Accords to Avalanches and Frontiers, but we always came back to the Toyota Matrix, and so that's what we ended up with. After months of searching online for deals and trying to figure out exactly what we wanted, we went out 2 weeks ago with the intention to buy a car that day. We had a list of 5 that we wanted to look at and sure enough, ended up buying #3.

Isn't it a pretty color? We ended up with this 2006 Matrix. It is a stick shift, which I am getting used to. Upgrades from Thunder: the AC works, the power locks work, all four doors open from the outside, lots more legroom in the front etc.
The trunk space is really big and the back seats fold down for more space if you need it (like if you're moving to Memphis and have to take lots of stuff with you.)


Another fancy feature--the sunroof!


So, we're excited about the new car. I think it looks sporty and kind of small on the outside, but on the inside it feels big and has a pretty small engine (not sporty to drive). Hopefully it lasts as well and with as few headaches as our civic has.