New vehicle

So I want a new vehicle.  My 2004 Honda Accord has 104,000 miles on it.  I drive about 90 miles/day round trip to my work in Kansas City.  So yea, I rack it up.  But I don't want just any vehicle.  I want something more manly.  I want a pick-up.  I mean, I grew up on a farm...pick-ups were everywhere, and they were always dirty, beat-up and tough.  Now I live in the suburbs.  I'm not dirty, beat-up or tough.  But I want to be.

So I saw a pseudo-pick-up in the Barkley garage a few days ago.  A Honda Ridgeline.  Perfect.  It has 4-doors, and a short bed.  It has a CD player and a drain-able cooler under the flip top back section of the bed.  It will haul me to work and haul the rototiller I need to rent to work up my soon-to-be garden.  And it just looks a bit more manly.

I haven't purchased a car in awhile.  So of course, I got on line and started researching.  I used to sell cars.  In college.  As an internship.  I sold 15 new Toyotas in 3 months.  Made good money.  But I always felt a little dirty.  I want to avoid the "traditional" experience of car buying at all costs. 

I found Autotrader, then found a local dealership -- AutoExchange -- that had a used Ridgeline with low mileage and low price.  I emailed them.  We'll see what happens.

It sure is different these days.  The first car Amy and I bought in Washington, DC in 1995, we spent 8 hours at the dealership haggling.  Now I can find exactly what I want on line at a place that doesn't haggle.  I love the Internet.