Goin' Rogue...

So this St. Patrick's Day weekend, my lad and I went on a search for a new (used) car. Our adventure started last week when I researched the crap out of a bunch of cars. Under the advisement of my saavy mother, I went on consumer reports and autotrader and researched until I found a couple crossover SUVs that I felt comfortable and liked. I had a list of my ideals and emailed Consumer Report's list of "used cars to avoid." So with a focused mind, we started at a Hyundai dealer in town and looked at a few cars before test driving the 2009 Hyudai Santa Fe. I loved it. Blue, big, some fancy gadgets, sun roof, it had a lot to offer. It was medium on miles (about 33,000) but then I saw the gas mileage and I was not too thrilled. But the drive was nice and we left without leaving a deposit but decided we would keep it in mind.

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. Cute and Sporty, not great on gas.

Next we went to a Kia dealer on the same road. Here we met a tall gentleman named Sinbad, who decided we didn't want a preowned car and tried to get us to spend 5,000+ over our budget on a new car that we weren't interested. We wanted Kia Sportage, he showed us the marshmallow known as the Kia Soul (you know, the car the hamsters drive?).

2012 Kia Soul. It also has SOUL written all over it inside. Not appealing.

So we bailed as soon as we could and we found we had some extra time and decided to pop in the Nissan dealer on the same road (there are a LOT of car dealerships on this road). We had seen a Nissan Rogue at the Hyundai dealership and I remember it having decent ratings on CR, so we decide to have them show us some. We walk around with a nice gent named Eric and he's looking at the cars and trying to find something that would work for our budget and be a smart buy. Eventually he goes, "This one is in your price range and it's got... no... that can't be right? Under 10,000 miles on it?" And lo and behold, this fiesty little 2009 Rogue had 7,400 miles on it. As I get in the driver's side, the door is open and a mega millions lotto ticket floats in onto my lap! Could it be that this purchase is like winning the lotto? I took it as a good sign and a lucky find, so we took it for a test drive and fell in love. I looked at the gas mileage and I was a goner. We went inside to discuss and put down a refundable deposit after he agreed to make it a certified pre-owned car and add 4 years addition to the warranty. I went home to do some research. I checked prices of comparable cars, that was good; checked Consumer Reports, came back excellent; checked customer reports, all very good. We were set! My wonderful husband is trading in his car, taking my Sonata, and I am getting the Rogue! Am I looking forward to paying off that loan while paying for grad school and a mortgage? No, but it is a good investment and I want to have a safe and dependable fuel efficient crossover for when we have a family.

Look at me! I'm a shiny new Rogue!

Look at the pretty insides! I'm going to scotch guard the crap out of those seats!

Also that one cup holder is giant. Gordon's big gulp obsession will be pleased. Also the glove compartment can "hold a toaster" according to CR. I don't know when I plan on using a toaster in my car, but I'm glad to have the option. There are a lot of compartments, like in glove box, console, and even hidden ones in the trunk. I love storage and I will try not to fill them with things as much as I can, but no guarantees.