A new CAR!

Well, it has been another busy month for us as full timers. We had been thinking that our focus after our trip to Glacier which is coming up later this month of August, would be to pay off some credit card bills and then buy a new car. Well, just like so many other Americans, we occasionally need a little retail therapy.

Also, its that time of year when dealers are clearing out their year-end inventory. So, we went looking at cars. We looked at the Jeep Wrangler, the Jeep Cherokee and the Ford Edge. All three of them are towable four down behind the motorhome. We wanted to buy a car in the next year or so in order to have it paid off before we retire. After looking at all three cars, we decided we really liked the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, a four door Jeep. We had heard that this was the last year of this body style of the venerable Jeep Wrangler, and that early previews of the new body style were not well liked. So, with all of this in mind, and the fact that we could get $3,777 off of a Wrangler if we bought before the end of July, we decided to pull the trigger. We talked to the local Folsom Jeep dealer, and though they talked a good line about being willing to negotiate, when it came down to the brass tax, they indicated that the ‘price was what the price was’. We found a Wrangler in the basic package and color that we liked at Elk Grove Jeep. We touched base with them via instant messenger, and found out that the jeep we wanted was still in stock. So, we headed down to Elk Grove so that we would be down there when they opened, After talking to a Sales guy, we found out that the Jeep we wanted, had been stolen from the dealers lot a few days before, and that they had not updated the inventory. But, they had a couple options of other models that they could trade for at other dealerships. They showed us copies of the Window sticker and we picked one that turned out to be in Stockton. They immediately dispatched a ‘Runner’ to take another vehicle down to Stockton and pick up the car we were interested in and bring it back. While the process of getting the Jeep we liked was in process, we proceeded with getting the paperwork and financing done. Once the paperwork was done, we went and grabbed lunch at Panda Express and then headed back to the dealership. Within 15 minutes of returning to the dealership, our Jeep had arrived. We took it for a quick test drive, and we loved it! So, we told the staff it was a ‘Done Deal’ and we headed home. We love the Jeep because its color is very close to one of the colors on the Motorhome! J

The newest addition to our family Rex, is doing great. He is now 21 weeks old, and weighs in at 35 pounds. He is getting along great with Rosie and Charlie. Charlie however is having a bit of a challenge with Rex because he is a little cautious about wanting to put Rex in his place. Rosie however has no problem letting Rex know when ‘enough is enough’. So, we are continuing to work on that and encouraging Charlie to tell Rex ‘No’ when he has had enough.

In less than two weeks, we head out on our two week vacation to Glacier, which will include a brief stop in Bend where we will hook up with Karen and Mike so that we can watch the eclipse.

Safe travels everyone, we will keep you posted on how things are going!