As gas prices near an altogether appalling $4 per gallon, Meg and I have both decided that it’s time to look for new cars.  My current one, a ‘99 Ford Escort ZX2, was intended to last me no more than a year as kind of a ‘rebound’ vehicle after my Acura Integra was stolen back in 2006, but clearly that one-year mark has come and gone and I’ve still got it.  And it’s slowly dying, piece by piece.  It still runs, mind you, but I really do think it’s time to start driving a reliable, warrantied vehicle that I’m proud of, not this ghetto-esque thing that I bought for two grand and have since shoveled in another two in upkeep.

Meg’s car is a hand-me-down from her brother, who is stationed in Hawaii currently and has no need for a vehicle.  Unfortunately, the Kia had pretty much been run into the ground when he owned it, and now Meg keeps waking up to new problems.

So it’s just time.  I am 98% sure that I’m going to get a “galaxy gray” Mazda3 Grand Touring, complete with leather seats, a Bose soundsystem (*drools*), keyless entry, alarm system, and all that fun stuff.  Those things run about $24k new, but you can find some pretty sweet deals if you go pre-owned, so I’ll probably end up doing that.

Meg, meanwhile, took it upon herself to research some cars last night, and just to give you a sample of the list, she thinks she’d be happy with a Mazda RX-8, a Porsche Boxter, a Jeep Wrangler, an Audi TT, and a Nissan 350z.  Can you tell she’s quite the sporty person, not to mention one with rather expensive taste?  She would have probably bought the RX-8 already were she not stressing over the low gas mileage … but it is a very pretty car.

My dreams of an Acura TL will be put on the back burner for now.  Who really wants to be paying a load of money per month for a car loan during a recession?  Not I.