Mary's new car,
a Dodge Caliber

Mary's new car,
a Dodge Caliber

Over the last couple of weeks, Mary and I have partaken of the ritualistic exercise many people do from time to time: We went new car shopping. Mary's 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee was making dying noises. It was time.

After our experience driving a little car during our Irish vacation, Mary set 2 criteria for her new car...30 miles per gallon and under $20K. I did a quick search on Edmunds and came up with 105 different cars that met that criteria. And of course, in her best operational management style, Mary needed to drive all of them. We drove Jeeps, Toyotas, Hondas, Chevy's, Fords, Dodge; if they was a car dealership within 100 miles of the inn, we drove their cars.

Mary took delivery over the weekend of a new silver Dodge Caliper. It is a nice (on the small side) mid sized car which met Mary's goals. Front wheel drive, a responsive stick shift, and plenty of room inside for the ever present golf bags or skis.

Mary's Jeep lasted 13 years. How many the Dodge will last is anyones guess. So it goes.