Smart Purchase

I found out today that all systems are go for my purchase of a Smart Car tomorrow. Maeve and I are very excited; she's coming with me to pick it up.

SUPPLY & DEMAND
Smart Cars are in low supply. I'm not sure how high the demand is for them right now, but with gas prices at about $4 a gallon and destined to rise, I'd guess that they're generally not easy to get ahold of. When I called Elaine at the NYC dealership a few days ago, I was told that my request couldn't be honored until early 2009. I upped my chances by telling the her that I had no preferences for the style or model. Amazingly, when the most recent shipment came in, one car was left, and it sounds like a cutie: black, with red cloth seats. There is also some trim, but I didn't care enough to remember about it, so I guess I'll find that out tomorrow.

GASOLINE
I made what I hope was my last commute in the Aztek today. By adhering to 60 mph the whole way down, I could achieve between 31 and 33 mpg, depending on conditions. On the way back to New Paltz, my best mileage was no better than 28 mpg due to the uphill nature of the return trip. Smart Cars tend to get about 45 mpg, so the dealers say, but I have a feeling that I'll be surpassing that since I tend to drive so slowly. I'm shooting for about 55 mpg. Since the tiny car's tiny gas tank only holds 8.9 gallons, I'll still want to conserve gas! I'm figuring that if I drive 40,000 or more miles per annum, I can save myself about $2,000 a year in fuel costs alone.

INSURANCE
We have Geico, which seems to have the best rates, and because I'm essentially retiring the Aztek, our insurance premiums aren't going to increase too drastically -- no more than a few hundred dollars annually. I also agreed to get Lo-Jack, an anti-theft and security system.

Maeve and I are taking a bus into Manhattan so that we can drive back in the baby car. We can't wait.