Look what my hubby bought me…brand-spanking new off the lot. Imported all the way from Idaho.  Sure, I’d prefer a 1964 WV van or a Mini Cooper over a 15 passenger van, but really, who am I to be picky?

I certainly couldn’t fit 11 gorgeous, brilliant children into a Mini Cooper, now could I?

And look at those big brown eyes (but not the dirty face, please) I don’t see him complaining about the lack of a completely restored cherry red or turquoise ’64 hippie van…

And the dashingly handsome man who pays for it all…he doesn’t look like he’s complaining, now does he?

So how did this all go down? Chuck and I honestly have no interest in new vehicles. In fact, we both prefer used for the huge savings. Unfortunately, when you only have one option for family vehicle (15 passenger van) and you insist on a sliding door (to save strangers’ vehicles in parking lots) and you current 15 passenger van needs a whole lot of work…and you hate said van, it can be a bit like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

It was either drop a whole chunk of money into our 1995 diesel van…or buy one. And believe it or not, we could not find even one 15 passenger van with a sliding door for sale in our state or our surrounding states (and please, do not email me if you know of one for sale now….it’s too late

But since we had to buy a new one, I can enjoy the perks, right? Like the built-in USB port to charge my phone, Ipod, Ipad, etc while driving. Or that with the push of a button on the steering wheel, I can talk on my cell phone hands-free. And not to be forgotten, seats that match. And probably most important of all, this one’s not diesel.

Yes, perhaps not my dream vehicle, but I’d say it comes pretty close.