My Wife Has Been Converted

"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo)
12/03/2018 at 08:26 • Filed to: None

So my wife is borrowing a 2018 GMC Terrain that my FIL got as a loaner car while his Ford F-350 is being working on because I’m waiting on intention coils(my fault I didn’t complete my order the first time so they didn’t come, whoops) so my BMW is parked and I’m using her Fit. He’s not driving the GMC because he still has his old F-350 and would rather drive that. So he offered to let her drive the GMC while we’re down to one car.

Did ya get all that.

Anyway I asked her last night which car she wanted me to drive to work tomorrow, she laughed and said “I’m taking the Terrain obviously.”

in her words she likes the way it makes her feel “ All grown” up in her macho looking SUV...ugh. She also said it makes her feel “Like i’ m really a mom” . I fear that her next car purchase will indeed be a CUV. She seems to be on the same track as the herd, that owning an SUV even a small one means you are successful and mature.

maybe I can at least guide her towards one I kinda like.

The Volvo most suits her usual aesthetic tastes, as she tends to go for boxy cars. Her dream car for awhile was a first gen xb. I’m thinking about trying to get one on Turo for our trip to Denver but the one that’s available is expensive. I could get a manual WRX for less...

There’ s also the Mini Countryman which I’ve told her I’m keen on, and she seems okay with. We could also get one of those as a Turo, a Cooper S All4 no less.

I am thankful though that shes warming up to the idea of a fancy looking car . Compared to her Fit, and the Cavalier before it the GMC looks, and IS very flashy. She has said many times that she doesn’t like flashy cars, but I think she’s finally realized the upside of a flashy car, is that they are also nicer on the inside, and usually more powerful, something she REALLY isn’t used to.

DISCUSSION (30)

adamftw > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 08:52

Check out the Tiguan, for real. Super great looking, VW fit and finish, warranty is pretty great at VW now (even tho my wife is leasing hers). The XC40 is TINY. Its in the same class as the HRV, which is the same size as the Fit. My wife was thinking about a Terrain until 3 of them showed up at her work parking lot. She’s the only one with the Tiguan there still.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > adamftw
12/03/2018 at 08:56

I think we’d both be okay with the xc40 size. She typically doesn’t like driving a big car, she has complained about the Terrain being harder to park than her Fit

That’s also one reason I like the Countman as it seems to have the biggest windows

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 09:03

Depending on your budget I’d say CX-5 signature or XC-40. I am more partial to Volvo, but alas cannot afford one at this time.

adamftw > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 09:07

If size isn’t an issue, yea, the Volvo is great. I love those. And I see a new Mini on the road with the Union Jack tail lights and it made me want one. They are pretty sweet.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
12/03/2018 at 09:07

Neither can we. If we get one it’ll be a lease return

Nibby > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 09:11

If you’re leasing, the XC40 leases are mad pricey... the XC60 almost always leases better.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 09:15

Ah. Same

Textured Soy Protein > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 09:29

My wife went from an Impreza hatch to a CX-5 because of increasing anxiety about other drivers. Subarus are of course very safe, but with the big windows and the normal-car ride height (that at the time we got the Impreza, she preferred over the Crosstrek) she felt exposed, especially when riding as a passenger.

Now that she has the CX-5, she likes being up higher and feeling more enclosed. Drivers here are often crazy and there’s just a lot more of them than she’s used to in the previous places she’s lived. She still has yet to try driving on the highways here, all of which are 4-6 lanes in each direction, and she hasn’t dealt with that kind of driving before. Even with the CX-5 making her feel safer, r iding shotgun on the highway still freaks her the hell out.

So...work in progress haha! But at least she freaks out less in the CX-5 than in the Impreza. That was in full-on xanax and blunt territory.

Chariotoflove > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 09:39

Same situation with my wife. She started out a small car owner when I met her, but I knew even then that she was destined to be a minivan mom. I married her anyway.

Must be love.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Nibby
12/03/2018 at 09:49

This is still a few years away. I’m thinking The Volvo would be a good car to grab off a lease return

FatherMcKenzie > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 09:50

I swear I don’t understand the adoration people have for S/CUVs. I rode in both a Tiguan and a current RAV4 and found the experience terrible. They’re no less stiff than a normal car, which combined with the higher height makes them suuuuper uncorfatable. Not to mention that even with the stiff suspension, it feels like you’re going to roll ove r and die if you take a corner at more than 5mph. And, at least from my experience, they're cramped as hell.

Nibby > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 09:50

no dude BUY IT NOW

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 10:03

A moment of silence for Mrs.HFV....

jk CX-5 Turbo! DO EEET !

Kinja'd!!!

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 10:10

Just tell her it’s a less useful minivan...

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Chariotoflove
12/03/2018 at 10:11

Na, any woman who would rather drive a minivan than a CUV is a smart woman.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
12/03/2018 at 10:15

Thats also true of her Fit.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
12/03/2018 at 10:15

Maybe.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > FatherMcKenzie
12/03/2018 at 10:17

All of these reasons are why I like our Fit. that and the 35MPG.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 10:24

At least the Fit actually, y’know, fits places.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > FatherMcKenzie
12/03/2018 at 10:26

Most crossovers also get cost cutting applied to the Seat That Nobody Cares About i.e. the back bench. Every single one I have sat in has made sure that you are punished for using the back bench by making it feel like it was made of solid concrete with an old jacket used to provide “padding”. Uncomfortable if you have to sit in it for more than 5 minutes, torture if you have to sit in it for more than 10.

But then they make the front buckets out of the most exotic materials they can find.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > winterlegacy, here 'till the end
12/03/2018 at 10:28

It’s sure does. It also has a hand brake and likes to rotate. With snow tires it’s a pretty fun little hatch

Chariotoflove > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
12/03/2018 at 10:34

Well that’s for sure. She started out testing a couple of CUVs, and they just didn’t feel right. Then she stopped fighting her true destiny and fell in love with the Sedona. It’s been a good choice.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 10:50

... um, did the paramedics check your wife for a traumatic brain injury?

Also, if you want xB, there’s a manual for sale near me really cheap.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
12/03/2018 at 10:56

an old xb would be a downgrade from her Fit.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 11:04

Technically, the Terrain is too. (I drove some. Oh god. So bad.)

But it’s cheap enough, maybe you could convince her to buy it as a ‘fun’ car? I mean, it is a first gen manual. Practically ‘fuck it’ money despite being a dealer, too.

FatherMcKenzie > winterlegacy, here 'till the end
12/03/2018 at 11:05

Can confirm the Tiguan does that. Had to ride on the bench for 3 or so hours, was miserable the entire time. I had a better experience riding in the back seat of my parents 2002 Fiat Siena.

shop-teacher > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 11:19

I’m going to let you in on a dirty little secret, that most people here either don’t want to admit, or refuse to accept.

The good ones, are pretty great and very practical vehicles.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > shop-teacher
12/03/2018 at 11:30

I know. honestly it would do 80% of things better than my e90. Except be fun to drive. the e90s got any CUV beat by a mile on that one. Which is why i bought it.

as for the Fit, it gets about 5-7mpg better, and is easier to park. When we live out of town, and driving through deep snow is more of a concern a CUV might make more sense, as that really their only advantage , gr ound clearance .

shop-teacher > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/03/2018 at 11:45

It’s not they’re only advantage. There is also easier ingress/outgress, and better visibility in traffic.

M ost “enthusiasts” deride CUVs as compromise-mobiles, but every vehicle is a compromise. You’ve chosen fun to drive as your important factor, and found a fun to drive vehicle that is still very practical. A good CUV can still be reasonable fun to drive, and a bit more practical. Everybody chooses what’s more important to them.

Kar Wai Wong > adamftw
12/05/2018 at 14:02

Pretty sure the Co untryman doesn’t come with the Union Jack lamps. Although you can count on it being on the mid cycle refresh.