Be Careful What you wish for!

OK so I have been complaining about gas prices for almost two years now. The reason: my 1999 Chevy Suburban. The thing gets about 12-15 MPG around town and not much better on the highway. At three bucks a gallon, even a ride to the Cape can turn into an expensive affair.

Now I like the car, it fits all my kids, the dog, our gear and the equipment bags for my baseball team. It starts every day and it GOES when you tap the gas pedal. My mechanic says I can drive the thing to a half a million miles or more! I just feel it wasn't treating me well wallet-wise as I am usually alone in the car 90% of the time.

So my brother gets a new car and he says I can have his old Ford Escort. Not exactly the coolest ride around, but it gets almost 30 MPG and the Air Conditioner works great. I took the Suburban off the road and I have been driving the Escort for a week now. I have only spent $20 on gas the whole week-and I drove to the Cape and back in addition to the regular running around. I spent $20 every other day with the Suburban!

The problem is is the thing won't GO! I tap the gas and its as if the car says "OK, hold on a sec, we'll get there." It can barely get out of its own way! Plus I get no "road respect." In the Suburban, if I wanted to take a left against oncoming traffic, I'd just nose out and people would let me go. Size DOES matter when negotiating traffic. I nose out to take a left with the Escort and people flip me the bird, honk or just zip by with a contemptuous look. Maybe after a few months with the Escort, I'll switch back to the Suburban. For now, I'll put up with its shortcomings and keep an extra $50-$80 a week in my pocket.