ask Shaffer -- if you dare.

The other day I was goofing around on Wikipedia, and for some reason I bumped into the entry for the Ford Pinto, a completely little econo-car from the 70's. Perhaps more significant was that it was one of my very first cars. So I decided to make a list of all the cars that I/Kristie & I have owned. I started looking for pictures, and that's how we got here. 2002 Honda CRV After we sold the Cruiser and I had found our latest Accord, it was time to focus on a car for Kristie. It needed to be ultra-reliable and comfortable, but not a minivan. I think the Sienna had finally exorcised the last of the minivan demons from my body. We both wanted something that was 4 wheel drive, as we'd grown to like that feature in the Cruiser, even if it had been used sparingly. We had given up on the third row seating option, it would only be a dreaded minivan or a big SUV that could satisfy that itch, and with the price of gas beginning to soar, the big SUV was out. So I put all the data...

The other day I was goofing around on Wikipedia, and for some reason I bumped into the entry for the Ford Pinto, a completely little econo-car from the 70's. Perhaps more significant was that it was one of my very first cars. So I decided to make a list of all the cars that I/Kristie & I have owned. I started looking for pictures, and that's how we got here. 1999 Honda Accord LX 4 door While I was going through the machinations to sell the Landcruiser and the Sienna, I knew I had to get a car for myself. As usual, I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but I had a plan in mind. Since the Cruiser was supposed to be reserved for the girls, my plan was to get a decent enough car for me to drive for a few years, and then one or both of the girls would "acquire" it. That would free me up to get another car, and if I get my wishes, a little pickup. I wasn't too picky about what I wanted. It needed to be simple, reliable transportation, with A/C. For some reason ...

The other day I was goofing around on Wikipedia, and for some reason I bumped into the entry for the Ford Pinto, a completely little econo-car from the 70's. Perhaps more significant was that it was one of my very first cars. So I decided to make a list of all the cars that I/Kristie & I have owned. I started looking for pictures, and that's how we got here. 1999 Toyota Sienna XLE The Landcruiser had been our primary vehicle for years, with good reason. It had been amazingly reliable..only in the shop a couple of times for minor little wear and tear issues. It was "comfortable"...okay it was kind of comfortable. The back seat worked great when the girls were in car seats and moved up from little girls. But now that they were lanky high schoolers...it was tough to imagine a long trip in the old girl. We had taken it on a camping trip down to La Veta in 2003, a long trip really, and they did okay. But Spring Break 2004, we did a trip to the Sand Dunes and it was cle...

The other day I was goofing around on Wikipedia, and for some reason I bumped into the entry for the Ford Pinto, a completely little econo-car from the 70's. Perhaps more significant was that it was one of my very first cars. So I decided to make a list of all the cars that I/Kristie & I have owned. I started looking for pictures, and that's how we got here. 1994 Subaru Justy 4WD 4 door I was looking around at all the various cars that I wanted to get. It didn't need to be big, just reliable and inexpensive. I was intrigued with the whole All Wheel Drive thing...seemed like a good idea, living in Maine and all. So as I looked around, I concluded that Subaru was really my best choice. Honda, Toyota and Nissan had some offerings, but Subaru was the leader of the pack. So I started to look in the paper for an Impreza or maybe a Legacy. The Portland paper wasn't exactly teaming with used Subies to choose from, but one popped out that had me intrigued. A 1994 Justy with ...

The other day I was goofing around on Wikipedia, and for some reason I bumped into the entry for the Ford Pinto, a completely little econo-car from the 70's. Perhaps more significant was that it was one of my very first cars. So I decided to make a list of all the cars that I/Kristie & I have owned. I started looking for pictures, and that's how we got here. 1999 Ford Expedition XLT We had made it out to Maine with only the Landcruiser and we had planned all along to pick up another car once we got out there. We didn't really have a "plan" as to what we were going to get, but we kind of agreed that the Cruiser would become mine and we'd get something for Kristie to haul the girls around in. I guess I was thinking minivan, since the Cruiser was the SUV and it seemed logical. For some reason, I was back on the Ford Windstar. Kristie had other plans. We really wanted a third row of seats, our thinking was that we would need it to haul people around when the...