Last night Tal and I said goodbye to our 2005 Honda Civic with 150,000 miles...
...and bought a 2014 Ford Expedition XLT with 23 miles to accommodate our growing family
for the next 10+ years:
Below is an old photo of the 2005 Honda Civic, which I bought brand-new over 9 years ago (before Tal and I started dating). We had hoped to keep the Civic a bit longer, but it was getting expensive to maintain. Over the last 10 months, Tal and I have spent $2,300 in repairs, and the mechanic said the car still needed another $1,000 in work done:
Instead of throwing money at the Civic, we decided to invest in a newer, more reliable vehicle for our family. Tal spent weeks researching large SUVs in our price range that would seat 7 people and grow with our family for the next 10 years. We needed a vehicle that was big enough for baby carseats and strollers, family trips, sports equipment, and Savannah's friends. After extensive research, we had three SUV's on our short list of possible vehicles: the Ford Expedition, Lexus GX, and Mercedes GL.
Our 2014 Ford Expedition XLT has a black and tan exterior...
...and a tan leather interior:
Tal and I love having a GPS and Sirius radio. Our cell phones are synched to the Expedition, so we can listen to music and call people through Bluetooth:
Our new SUV has other perks that make life easier, including plenty of cup holders, heated/cool seats, and temperature-controlled rear vents so people in the second and third rows can stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter:
The second row has two bucket seats for Savannah and Hadley's carseats:
Savannah's new seat in the Expedition!
The center aisle in the second row makes it convenient to get the third row:
The third row of seats has plenty of leg room and space for 2-3 adults:
In the "trunk," there's plenty of room for groceries, luggage, or baby gear:
Just push a button, and the third row seats fold down automatically:
The running boards help our family to get in and out of the Expedition safely:
When we bought the Expedition, Tal and I compromised on three things.
We didn't get power mirrors, a sunroof, or DVD players on the backs of the seats:
However, our Expedition fits in our narrow garage, which was one of our most important considerations when we went car shopping. Our new SUV is several inches narrower and taller than Tal's truck. Whenever Tal or I pull the Expedition in or out of our garage, we have to fold in the driver side mirror, but it's doable:
The car dealership gave us a heck of a deal, including 0% financing (because of our excellent credit), $4,000 for the Honda Civic (more than the Kelly Blue Book value), and $5,000 off the sticker price:
Tal and I trust that our Expedition will serve our family well for many years to come!
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