So we needed a new car and we’ve been looking and test driving for a couple of weeks and we’d narrowed it down to a few options. We were thinking it would be hot to drive a diesel (tax credit for alternative fuel) and we thought we wanted to buy new (sales tax credit).

We went for a test drive in a 2009 Jetta Wagon and were a tad underwhelmed but it fit most of our utilitarian needs. The sales guy suggested we look at his barely used 2008 Jetta Passat Wagons–he had three, all loaded, at a price lower than the brand new Jetta Wagon–but with an even better warranty–the original 2008 warranty was still in effect and they tacked on the “certified” used warranty, too, to the car is under warranty until 2014. And then we test drove it and everything just seemed to fall into place…

Here is our new car in front of our boring old house! Hee! No, that’s a Frank Lloyd Wright house but we only live two blocks away from there and we wanted a nice backdrop for our pretty Betty to have her picture taken.

Anyway, we think she’s a real beauty (though we did argue about the color; Dale wanted green metallic). She serves all our needs: big enough for Dale to lug around all his photography gear, small enough for me to reach the pedals, clean, loaded with extras including biege leather, decent gas mileage for its size…we like!

Betty’s got a niiiice profile! She’s sporty but functional–like I aspire to be.