Oh, we've gone and done it now. We went out and purchased a new car for the hubs this weeked. Just like that.

Except it wasn't exactly unplanned. The timing was sort of a surprise, but the need has been there for years.

See, my husband bought his Acura Integra back in 1991 and he's been driving it ever since. Not too long after he purchased it, he was rear-ended. Body damage repaired (and chiropractic care obtained) he got back on the road and kept on driving it.

When we first started dating, I jokingly planted a fire-engine red lipstick kiss on the driver's side window, and there it stayed for months. He washed around it, no joke.

He also won me a stuffed animal at the fair, and we had it buckled into the back seat for a few months, until someone broke into the car and stole not only the stereo, but the toy as well. Bah.

When we lived 100 miles apart, we put a lot of miles on that car. I got my engagement ring while sitting in that car. (He had put it under the passenger side seat. OH YEAH, BABY. THAT'S ROMANCE.)

The years haven't been kind - the once shiny black paint is weathered, especially on the roof. The stereo fades out, and requires an occasional smack on the console. The antenna has been gone for years. The weather stripping is missing on the trunk, and rain leaks in. The window tinting is peeling, and for a long stretch last summer, the driver's side door would not open from the inside.

You can imagine my delight about driving into valet parking at BlogHer last summer and having to roll down my window to stick my hand outside the car to engage the door handle from the outside.

This winter, I was driving into the office at 7 am, and the radiator hose blew off (I think) spraying fluids and belching smoke. We had it towed to the mechanic and put back together one last time. We knew the practical lifespan for the poor thing was approaching the end, but we decided to keep driving it until it died. Even with all the problems, the car was still getting over 30 miles to the gallon, and with a 40 mile commute each way, fuel use is a major consideration.

My dad recently returned to work as a car salesman, as my parent's business (home staging) is very slow, with the economy being what it is. That, combined with a bunch of sales events and rebates and all is what nudged me to act this weekend.

I woke up on Saturday morning and said: "Hi, let's go buy a car today!"
My husband said: "What?"

And then we did. We are now the proud owners of a 2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid. It is very pretty, and has so many bells and whistles that I think it will take us a month to program everything.

Even weirder - THERE IS NO KEY.

There is a "start/stop" button. You have this little remote in your pocket, and you can just leave it in your pocket, walk up and open the car door and then you sit down and push the start button, and it doesn't make any noise because of the electric engine and then you just drive away. Then, when you are done driving? You just push the stop button again. It's... weird?

Totally weird. But cool!

I'll post pictures tomorrow.

So, what with our piano purchase, and now the new car, I think it is safe to say that the Lauck family is doing our part to show consumer confidence. The Acura is now parked at the curb, and we're debating whether to try to sell it or donate it. If I could give it to a nice farmer who would let it graze and enjoy its senior years, I totally would.