Quick entry, more later when I have more time to write...
My 30 day Carmax warranty expired last week so, being a responsible adult, I made an appointment to have it checked out on the very last day of the warranty period. But I had to be there at 8am, which served me right for waiting till the last minute. I could only find three things for them to check out - the windshield washers weren't quirting even though there was fluid, the light was out in the glove box, and I wanted to make sure my headlights were aligned because people keep flashing me and one of my pet peeves is being blinded by other people's lopsided headlights.
I got there at like 8:05 (which is amazing for me, trust me) checked the car in and went to sit in their waiting room with about 5 other people. I'd brought a magazine, but CNN headline news was on so I alternated between looking up at the TV and looking down at my magazine (Real Simple, easy to scan). Being more of a reader than a watcher the scroll kept getting my attention, weirdest one that went by:
Saw a commercial for (I think) Dell with new college roommates, a little goth girl all in black meets a tan blonde vallery girl type, but it's OK because they use the same computer.
But, before my butt could give out (I'm not good at sitting in waiting room chairs anywhere, if I can't put my feet up under me I don't last long), the service guy came back and said "You're ready to go!". Being my mother's daughter, I had brought provisions for several hours worth of waiting - water, two snack bars, a big wad of kleenex, and my magazine - but they finished in less than an hour and a half. Which is great because my nose was running the entire time and I know the other people in the waiting room were glad to see me go (I went through almost all the kleenex before I left).
A hose was disconnected for the washers, the dead light bulb was changed and the headlights were fine, just really bright. Now if the car will stay true to Nissan's excellent mechanical history and be a good trouble-free car for the next ten years or so, I've got it made :-)
I also filled the gas tank up for the first time the other day. It must be huge, it took $26 worth of Premium! I think the most I ever put in my last car was about $18, and that was when gas prices were at the $2 mark. But I parked next to an older Cutlass Calais the same size as my old one when I was getting groceries on the way home from Carmax, and the new car really dwarfs my old one. It's like three feet longer, it's taller and wider also. Perhaps I should have gotten an Altima (which was what I was originally looking at in the Nissan line), I think it would have been easier to drive and might have handled a little livelier, but I think the extra room will come in handy since I am the main driver in out family and I know my passengers will appreciate it. And, come the worst, safety-wise it never hurts to have a bigger car.