That's a lot of car...

Saturday, Omaha and I tortured a sales guy. Not enough, in my opinion, but it was clear between the two parties that negotiations were at a standstill. They'd knocked almost 15% off the "we're desperate" price, at least according to them, but we were still several percentage point above the median market value for the car we were looking at. And let's face it, when you're buying (and selling) a car with a manual transmission, you both know where you stand: he's not going to find many buyers like me, and I'm not going to find many sellers with what he had.

I had driven the Forester and the Outback, and I kinda liked the Outback better. It felt more like the Escort, it felt more like the car I already owned. But in the end, the Forester won because it had better mileage (if you can believe that; I still have trouble doing so) and better cargo space.

That's Dr. Forester to you!

So we bought it. A white Subaru Forester, 2009. It has only a few options: an iPod hookup, a sun roof, power windows. The previous owner bought an extra-stiff suspension for it, which is surprising considering that it has the smallest engine available in this model. That's about it. None of the super options, like the Winterizing package (heated seats, remote start-up), power windows, or digital radio.

Oh, and whoever owned it last, they put a Flying Spaghetti Monster sticker on the back. I approve.

We drove it home. It's a lot of car, compared to the Escort, especially with the suspension. The deck is fully four inches higher, and the seats add at least an additional six. That high from the road, I don't feel the speed so much. I'm going to have to learn to gauge the car's speed all over again.

When we got home, we realized that we'd driven off the lot with no tags. A state patrol officer drove right past us and he didn't notice either! In the morning, Lisakit gave me a ride back to the dealer, who gave us a temporary tag, and a letter stating that the permanent tags would be available within 15 days. I certainly hope so. They were very apologetic, made clear it was their responsibility to check the car for road-legal status before we left.

Anyway, like I said, it's a lot of highly computerized car. It makes me pine for the days when I could fix things myself on my '72 Chevy. It feels like I'm sitting in a spaceship, which has its coolness points. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it's a bit like upgrading from close-fitting powered armor to something in a vehicle class; I no longer know exactly where the extremities of the body are.