So, I've compiled a list of features that I want, er NEED to have:
Navigation:
My next car will have it. And not a hand-held Garmin one that you mount to the dash either. A real Navigation system, built in. With bluetooth and voice command too, if I'm really lucky. Eric HAS navigation in his car and still uses Mapquest. I'm not kidding. How many times am I driving and we say "Where should we eat?" and Eric says, "Just keep driving, I'm sure there is a Chipolte just up the road." So we drive for 20 minutes before he gets antsy and drives home to order Domino's. Navigation solves this problem and so many others. It's really a time saver. Navigation = Need.
DVD Players:
Do you hear that? No? Nothing? That's because it's the sound of silence. I'm driving and my kids are quiet. Happily enjoying Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Yo Gabba Gabba for the zillionth time from the comfort of their car seat. Now skeptics will say, "What type of children are we raising here? When I was growing up, we never dreamed of having movies in the car." You know how I respond? "On a scale of 1-10, what's your mother's sanity level?" I'm teetering right on a 6-7 now, and that's with two kids. In the car, it shoots up to a 9.5. Throw a third kid in the mix and I'll be an everyday skitzofrenic with a hideous case of road-rage. Don't be confused. The DVD players are not for the kids. They're for mommy. DVD Players = Need.
Captains Chairs:
As of April 2011, we'll have three car seats in the car. As it stands now, 3 car seats will physically not fit 3 in a row across in my car. Don't panic. I'm getting a new car. In my Volvo XC90, I have a third row, however this third row is useless to me for a few reasons. 1. You can't access it from the second row when you have two car seats locked to the seat. The second row seats cannot slide forward. 2.You could push the middle seat down and crawl through to the third row, but guess what? In my car, you're not allowed to put a car seat in the third row...which makes the third row moot because unless you are an adult with no legs, the third row in my car is too small for you. 3. With the third row up for my friend with torso-only, the double stroller will not fit in the back of the car. This brings me to captains chairs or quad seats. Instead of a bench in the second row, I want (NEED) just two large captains chairs and a space large enough for me to walk through to put the kids in their car seats in the third row. Then I'll just click the baby into his/her seat in the second row and have enough room for 3 more adults to come along for the quiet ride. Remember, my car plays movies. Captains Chairs = NEED.
Automatic Tailgate:
Now this is something that even I didn't think I needed. Until I had a second child. And started grocery shopping. And schlepping shit in the back of an SUV. Do you know how many times a day I access my trunk? In all seriousness, it has to be in the millions. The tailgate is freaking heavy. Have you ever tried to close a tailgate with a baby in your arms? Do you know how wonderful life would be if I could push a button and it would beep at me to move out of the way and just shut on it's own. Hear that? Angels are singing. Automatic Tailgate = NEED.
OnStar:
If you're like me (chances are you're not) and have locked both your children in the car, with the keys, then you can see why OnStar is a Need. Next time I do this, I can simply pick up my phone (if I didn't lock that in the car too, which I did today) and call the OnStar lady that lives in this magical tower in the sky (right?) and ask her to press the button to unlock the car. Easy. OnStar = NEED. PS, I locked Sawyer in the car today with the keys...but since I had done this previously one time before, I didn't need to dial 911. I just had the auto shop guys from across the street from his preschool come on over and pick the lock. The firemen damaged the door the last time they had to rescue one of my children from the sweltering heat of the locked car so there was plenty of room for the auto shop guy to slide his metal stick in the window and pop the lock. If you're a car thief reading this post, I'm only kidding. And I have low jack.
So, what car could possibly accommodate all of the Beach Family's needs you ask? Look no further than the Cadillac Escalade ESV. This SUV has it all. And it has to be mine. Oh, it will be mine. Eric thinks I'm ri-diculous. Spoiled. "So La Jolla." Guess what? Homey moved to California and married me (best move he ever made.) What did he think he was going to find in Southern California? I don't care. I dream about this car at night. And to prove that I'm not spoiled, I even offered to get a used one. Can you believe? I'm so accommodating. And clearly, I don't NEED a new one. See, I've really come a long way. Here's the clincher. My lease is up March 24, 2011. Baby is due April 1. Oh, it's so on. Counting down the days to quiet driving.
What I NEED
What He thinks I NEED
What I swear I will drive instead if he gets me a minivan
You are so fuuny. I agree with you. I have a Nav but it's the Garmin that sticks to my window. The nice thing about that is you can program it while your driving. Safe, no! I HATE when I'm in a friends car and they have a built in nav. and the car is in motion and I can't program it. Grrr. Isn't your car smart enough to know you have a passenger and it's not the driver being unsafe. HATE that!
ReplyDeleteWe have DVD and I couldn't live without it. How did we survive before DVD in the car? I'm not sure?
Captains chairs are one of the favorite things about my car. Not only for the carseats but when you have adults in your backseat (which isn't often) it feels like your in the front. A definate must!!!
Automatic Tailgate- I NEED one! I hate having to pull that heavy thing down!
Good luck on convincing him of your "needs"
I can think of something else you need and it's more important than some overpriced Escalade. When is that post coming, about what you really need ;)
ReplyDeleteGet a Yukon XL tricked out, same as an Escalade but you aren't paying $20,000 additional dollars for those little Cadillac symbols, I'm sure you could steal those off of someone's car and just blame it on one of the kids!
Hilarious as usual!!! Thanks for the laugh! I drive that thing in the middle. The only thing that keeps me going in it and willing to admit that I drive it...it's paid for!!!!! So true about the captain's chair and 3rd child. The oldest can walk right through the middle, climb in the seat, and buckle up without you crawling over seats to help. Can't wait for your next post!
ReplyDeleteGet the Caddy! I have one (not the ESV, just the "small" one) and the reason IS the captain's chairs. That was my number one criteria when we were looking. We wanted something used, since SUVs take a huge drop in value and we were originally looking at the Tahoe/Yukon. However, in order to get captain's chairs, you have to get the higher end Tahoe/Yukon (which I don't object to). BUT, we wanted beige interior (for our yellow lab of course) and it was so tough to find a black Yukon/Tahoe with beige interior that was the correct version WITH captain's chairs...and maybe nav and dvd too :) When we were looking, we weren't even thinking about the Escalade. Then, we saw a used one on a lot (wrong interior), but we realized that Cadillacs only come one way - WITH EVERYTHING standard (including captain's chairs)!
ReplyDeleteSo, we began the search, which was much less complicated because all we needed was the right color combination. It still took a little searching, but we found it and bought it in June of 2009 and I LOVE MY CAR! We have put four adults and two kids in it (and I've been in that third row) and because there is leg room (and space between the captain's chairs, I didn't feel cramped (and I tend to get car sick at times). Captains chairs rock! We finally now have our first car seat in it (although still waiting for the car seat to be filled) and I'm excited to go on trips.
We bought the 2007 because that was the first year of the current body style, so it is as new looking as the 2010s. I love the DVD (even though we don't really use it yet) and the navigation. There are only a couple items of note: bluetooth and mp3. The 2007 doesn't have bluetooth. If you have verizon, then your phone works through the on star system (which is essentially bluetooth). The only other new feature it doesn't have (although I don't even know if Cadillac has it on the new ones yet) is the mp3 connection. I use a cord through the speaker/dvd system which works great. But, James' new car has one that connects directly so you can see the songs on the screen and change them using the steering wheel (and it charges the ipod). Those are the only two things I look forward to upgrading someday. That said, not having them doesn't make me love my car (truck really) any less (or rock out to my ipod any less).
Good luck with the decision/campaign!
Okay, so I have a couple of more points to make (that might actually help with Eric). First, my number two criteria for the car purchase, after captain's chairs, was heated seats. I love this feature. James and I are typically on opposite ends of the temperature dial, but heated seats solve that problem. What is cool about the Caddy is that not only do the front seats have heating, but so do the captain's chairs. Now, I'm not sure that feature is a big seller for the guys (although a heated seat allows me to tolerate a colder car). So, the cool part besides FOUR heated seats...the Escalade has air conditioned seats in the front! Now that is something James was totally happy about (and surviving a Sacramento summer pregnancy I have TRULY come to appreciate). Now, I know a lot of cars have ventilated seats, but it is not the same thing. Ventilated seats push the car air through the seat; air conditioned seats push COLD air conditioned air through the seats (a big difference for your hot man) ;)
ReplyDeleteAnother guy feature: the engine! The Escalade comes standard with a 402 horsepower V-8 engine (I didn't even know what that meant when I started shopping). The Tahoe/Yukon CAN have a V-8, but again it is not standard and makes finding a used one perfectly put together with all of your features difficult. Besides the cool factor of a badass corvette engine (yes, it's the corvette engine), it is really a safety feature (this is for selling to Eric now). A large SUV is a lot of weight, and sometimes getting that weight moving is tough. If you're in a situation where you need to get up and go to avoid an accident (or just 'cause you can), that V-8 engine is a must. If he's not convinced, take him to the lot and drive the V-6 and the V-8 tahoes (one after the other)...that's when I actually started caring - the side by side feel of the power is a big difference on such a huge car. And he wants you to be able to avoid accidents and keep those kiddos safe right? ;)
Okay, normally I'm not a big post/reply person, but having done some research (although it may be old now) and ending up with the car I love, I figured I'd break my typical quiet. Hopefully the same stuff that mattered to my guy will help with yours!