Yepper, a new vehicle for Jane...

A New Ride for Jane….

It has been a while since I posted.  I have been busy and been quiet.  Winter hibernation set in and I have just been doing a few things here and there.  I was on such a hectic schedule at the end of the year that I finally crashed and have just taken a step back and work on things a little at a time.

I have just bought a van.  (And for those of you who will ask, I still have the Elantra AND the truck!)

I am planning several road trips this year.  At the end of April, I will be spending a week in Lewes, DE.  My BFF Marji and I were originally going to do a weekend with her sisters and daughter.  The condo that we decided on was so nice that I figured doing a week would be fun.  Taking sewing machines and will be visiting a couple of really neat quilt shops in the area.  Mary Davis, another BFF will join us for Monday through early Thursday and then the rest of the group will arrive on Friday.

In July, Marji and I will be driving to Minneapolis to help my youngest son celebrate a birthday.  We will also celebrate Marji’s birthday as they actually share the same day.

At the end of September/first of October the Golden Girls Quilting Guild will be heading to the Outer Banks for a retreat.  Again, sewing machines will abound with projects already being tested and planned.

I own an economical Hyundai Elantra which is my gad about vehicle and gets great gas mileage.  It does hold a lot for such a small car, but when I drove to Minneapolis last year just the gear I needed for me and for Miss Molly plus stuff I took to Brian filled the trunk and the back seat.  Adding another person is out of the question.

I also own an F150, four-wheel drive pickup.  There is a cap on the bed, so things stored back there are covered.  Going on our retreats the last couple of years we were able to haul everything we needed and stuff we did not.  But it cost an arm and a leg for gas on a long trip.

As Rudy’s life was winding down he wanted to be sure I had a good vehicle and was willing to sell his Miata but I figured I really could do without the van I had at that time, so we traded that in.  I WAS WRONG.  I missed having my van.  So I started checking out some used vans that I could afford and would give me the passenger seats plus storage for our projects.

I headed to Hershey Motors as they had a couple of Dodge Caravans that were priced well, had pretty good mileage and were in my price range.  Neil Powers was a terrific salesman.  He went out in the cold wind and brought both vans down to the building.  We sat in each one.  I was looking for the Stow and Go feature that Dodge has.  It allows all of the back passenger seats to fold down into the floor.  Since I no longer have my strong person around to muscle the seats in and out, this was a must for me.  The slightly newer van did not have that feature.  The slightly older van did.

So, here is my new ride.  These pictures were taken in the bright sun and looks much brighter than the real color which is a nice, rich red.  Power everywhere, windows..mirrors…sliding doors…back hatch!  The interior is gray.  It is clean, no stains.  A couple of scratches on the outside, but nothing bad.  It rides like a dream.  I did opt for the 3 year extended warranty since I am not mechanically inclined.  Plus, should I have a problem while on the road, I can get things fixed.

So I am ready…. Come on spring!!