Shit my wife says...

"J. Walter Weatherman" (J-WalterWeatherman) 09/09/2013 at 11:42 • Filed to: None

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Backstory: Some of you may recall that my wife is considering getting a new car, and that I was excited when she said that she wanted a Fiat 500. Well, she is wavering in the 500 a little, because we are currently trying to have kids and we might want something a little more practical (despite the fact that we have 2 other kid-friendly cars...). I am being very hands-off with the whole process, because I want her to get exactly what she wants without any of my meddling (and hopefully that means that she will return the favor next time I am in the market for a car).

This weekend, she is out running errands, and I am at home working on my bikes when I get a call from her (total wife move, by the way, to call the SECOND she has an idea that she wants to tell me about) and drops this bomb on me:

Wife: "I've decided I should get a Prius."

JWW: *stunned silence*

Wife: "A blue one"

JWW: "uhhhh, ok..."

Wife: "That or a 4Runner..."

JWW:

So to recap, so far, the only three cars that my wife has decided to cross-shop so far are: Fiat 500, Prius, and 4Runner. I have no words. I have zero idea what goes through my wife's head. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out...

CalzoneGolem > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 11:45

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Kia Soul. Good Value. Good gas mileage. Cheap to buy and own. Higher ride height. Hamsters.

Gamecat235 > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 11:46

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I...

Hmmm.

Good luck.

Casper > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 11:47

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If she is comparing those cars, she has no idea what she wants. Tell her to put all the options in a hat and just draw one.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 11:47

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WTF? What a silly list.

I had the same approach with my wife. She's obsessed with Jeeps. I took her to a Jeep dealer and lined up every Jeep she would be considering to replace her old Liberty.

Her test list was:

4 Door Wrangler

Grand Cherokee

Commander

Liberty

And when we got to the lot she liked the look of the Hummer H3, so she drove that too.

I told her to pick whichever one she liked the most and we'd find one in our price range/option requirements. She picked the Commander and sure enough I found her one. She never cares what I buy for cars as long as "it can baby" and it fits the monthly budget after that she couldn't care less lol.

Firewrx234 > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 11:48

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That seems like something I would have heard from my wife. Honestly, it's amazing how their minds work.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 11:49

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I like the way these look, some don't. A bit more pricey unless used, but compact, fun, and to my way of thinking an ideal family wagon in the compact set.

J. Walter Weatherman > Casper 09/09/2013 at 11:49

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Actually, what I told her to do is go DRIVE each of them. Something that she hasn't done for any of them yet...

doodon2whls > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 11:50

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Seems legit...

I am right there with you, JWW.

Depending on the wind direction and relative humidity my wife's tastes change, too... She has been waffling between GT-R (yeah, right !), Tahoe LTZ, G37 6MT convertible, or buying nothing and just driving what we have into the ground.

I thought I had indecision issues.

I was gently nudging her into something like a diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee, but then realized she is not serious about this yet. Not with those choices.

I'll go back to what I posted in Travis' Aventaport gas station post:

Chicks be like: That's a pretty silver color thingy.

Bros be like: AWW F**K, man, you see that SH... Awwwww.... (spins 180 in traffic to turn around) DAAAYYYUUUMM ! Awww man that's a Lambo, man. A LAMBO. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU**... Damn man look at the doors.. Yo', man get my picture with that thing. S**T, that thing is DOPE. DAAAANG. OMG. OMG. OMG. (fills pants)

Casper > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 11:50

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That is what most people fail to do. Even "car" people get wrapped up in what it looks like and what the stats are on paper and think that gives them the whole picture... which simply isn't true.

J. Walter Weatherman > Casper 09/09/2013 at 11:55

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Yeah. I tried ever so gently nudge her away from the Prius when I told her "You REALLY need to go drive the Prius if you are serious about considering one, they are quite different than what you are used to."

Her current DD is a GTI and we also have a 80-Series Land Cruiser, so she has a general idea of what the 500 and 4Runner would be like. I am hoping that after trying the Prius, she will have second thoughts.

J. Walter Weatherman > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 09/09/2013 at 11:56

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Yeah, I wouldn't mind at all if she got one of those. Perhaps I can plant a little seed...

J. Walter Weatherman > Gamecat235 09/09/2013 at 11:56

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No kidding. I am really going to need it.

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 11:57

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Remember the Jalop Code young padawan - Let people enjoy what they enjoy. Even if it is a Prius.

Has she driven these vehicles? Or other vehicles, so that she can make her choice. Asking, since if she doesn't like the car later on, you'll have to bear the brunt of her rants. That is universal for all husbands. So a hands-off approach might not work :(

Tom McParland > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 11:59

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And this is why I created my survey for my clients. Often people are all over the board with this stuff and this tool helps me narrow down the choices. Here is the link and based on the results I will be happy to point you in some direction.

fhrblig > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 12:03

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Ooh, you know what else she should consider, along with the others? A Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD crew cab!

Corey CC97, MAZDA DPI IS STILL BAE JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV VISIT FLORIDA RACING LIVES FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 12:05

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I know you wanted to take a hands off approach, but you need to step in and get her to test drive these cars and look at some other options. If she wants a Prius, fine. Just make sure she knows what she's getting into. Mentioning how much it costs to replace a Prius's battery wouldn't hurt either...

deekster_caddy > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 12:05

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Ask her to tell you exactly what she wants from her next car. Then you can help guide her into something fun yet practical.

J. Walter Weatherman > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents 09/09/2013 at 12:07

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I am completely on board with allowing people to have what they enjoy. Even if that means that we will be Prius owners. I am not being completely hands-off, moreso just hands-off when it comes to personal opinion - for example I won't tell her I don't like any of the cars or that I think she should get one over the other. I have told her that she needs to drive each of them (especially the Prius, since it is quite different than anything she has driven) and I will point out relevant facts about each of the cars to help her make a more informed choice.

To be completely honest, I am not even that against the Prius. It's not what I would choose, but they're not bad cars. I kinda like the looks actually, and they have usefull interior space and great mileage is nothing to scoff at. Personally I prefer something more engaging to drive, but if she doesn't mind it, than so be it.

I was more shocked at the diversity of cars that she has chosen so far.

J. Walter Weatherman > Tom McParland 09/09/2013 at 12:09

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Thanks. I will see if she can be convinced to approach it in such a logical fashion, or if she purely wants to go off of emotion. I won't be holding my breath on that first one...

J. Walter Weatherman > fhrblig 09/09/2013 at 12:14

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Or maybe a 1935 Auburn Boattail Speedster... or a 1983 Chevy Citation, or maybe even LaFerrari!

maximillious > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 12:19

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Here is my guess.

She likes the Fiat 500 because its cute

She likes the Prius because its "Earth Friendly"

She likes the 4runner because its more practical and can maybe support a child safety seat at some point (assuming you havent done that already)

So then lets do the math:

Cuteness of Fiat + Earth Friendly Prius + Utility of 4runner = ?

After reassigning the values of this equation to simplify, and literally spending no time thinking of possible options I have come up with this.

CF+EFP+U4R= Ford Fiesta ecoboost

J. Walter Weatherman > maximillious 09/09/2013 at 12:27

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I think you may be on to something. And that actually bodes well for the car that I am somewhat secretly pulling for - the Maxda CX-5 with the 6-speed. I'd say those are a pretty good blend of looks, utility, mpgs and fun.

Decay buys too many beaters > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 12:28

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Good luck with that! I'm in the process of convincing my mother (who has ALWAYS driven manual cars/SUVs) that her next car should be a manual.

She is dead set on one of the Subaru SUVs (they bore me, so I'm not sure which one) with a CVT. I've simply told her to make sure she takes it for a test drive, and in my own opinion the +3 mpg is not worth the added maintenance and annoyances like CVT whine..

...I fully expect her to disregard my advice

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 12:29

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My wife really likes this little guy...

It's not a very Jalop ride, but I'd bet more than a few Jalp-wives would love them.

maximillious > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 12:44

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The CX-5 looks nice... just a little too big.. You could also suggest the obviously slightly larger focus and get the ST trim for the 6 speed and have tons of fun in it

fhrblig > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 12:58

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Ford Club Wagon?

Mattbob > CalzoneGolem 09/09/2013 at 13:12

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CalzoneGolem > Mattbob 09/09/2013 at 13:25

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I think you got nibbled son!

Sethersm > J. Walter Weatherman 09/09/2013 at 13:31

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Interesting choice of words in the context of family car shopping!