Car saga continues whilst the bridge run looms

Hello!!! (a la Uncle Leo from Seinfeld, who died recently). I hope you've all had good weeks. Mine has been interesting. 

First of all, we're still working through the car stuff. To recap, the two we're looking at (below) are the 2011 Escape (on left) and the 2007 Mercedes SUV (right).

I'll start with the M350 - I drove the Mercedes Wednesday and kept it overnight so that J could drive it. Needless to say, it's super. I mean it's like new and has all sorts of bells and whistles (except it doesn't have an MP3 plug in - which is weird - iPods were big in 2007). 

Here's the breakdown:

• The Pros

1. LOVED the way it drove. SMOOTH. LOVED it. 

2. It's an amazing deal. 

3. It's got everything (other than the MP3 plug in) ... leather, satellite radio, GPS, a bad ass sound system, sun roof, a CD player that does nifty things, and SEAT WARMERS!

4. Good resale value. 

5. IT'S A FRIGGIN MERCEDES.

• The Cons

1. The cost of premium gas is high. Always.

2. While it's a good deal, you could still get a new car for the same amount.

3. All of the little gadgets are apt to tear up at some point and if they do they cost an arm and a leg to fix.

4. The price of servicing is higher than other cars.

5. It's a FRIGGIN MERCEDES and a target - if people are going to break into your shiz it's more likely to be a luxury car. 

Basically - I love it, but it's risky. If we buy it, we might never have to buy a new part. BUT if it becomes a money pit (like my dad's) - we're screwed. 

Now let's look at the 2011 Ford Escape

Here's the breakdown on this one:

• The Pros 

1. It's a V6 - got lots of get-up 

2. A lot of extras - the satellite, Blue tooth sync, plus an MP3 USB port, leather, sun roof

3. We can use J's X-plan and save more than $1,000 on it

4. There's a zero interest rate

5. The cost of gas and repairs are standard

• The Cons

1. It's not a Mercedes. :( 

2. It's priced very high for what it has ... I don't know if we'll be able to get them to come down enough to make it work for us. 

3. The X-plan basically "x-s" out the commission for the salesman - that makes him less motivated to wheel and deal on it.

4. This car is EXACTLY like my Tribute ... I'd like a little bit of a change. 

5. I would have to order another one ... not a fan of this color.

6. Have I mentioned that it's not a Mercedes? 

The Ford is the reasonable choice. And I like it. Josh is going to "negotiate" with the guy today --- so we'll see. We wouldn't purchase until March anyway and we need to see about the tax return (hopefully we'll get one) and J's bonus. 

Alright - enough of that. 

Other than driving cars that don't belong to me, I've been working out (like I even need to write that at this point). 

It's been all about legs. On Wednesday, I squatted 120 lbs (for my last set of 6) with free weights! Whoo hoo. They (Cori, Shari and Jim) also make you get LOW. Real low.  Like dis ...

They place an "emergency bar" at a low point ... and you have to touch that each time. 

Then 150 lbs on the leg press and 70 lbs on leg extension. Of course, Thursday - ouch! I did hamstrings and tris (Thurs). I took Friday's functional day off the agenda. Just doing light cardio ... because on Saturday - it's DA BRIDGE!!!  

Driving up ... much more fun than doing it on my feets

The Sidney Lanier Bridge Run. It's a 5K but the bridge has a 6 percent grade. Wowza. I have never done it before (the actual race - I run the bridge a lot). I've just had something else every year. Last year, it was the (half) marathon weekend in Jacksonville. Can't remember what was up the year before ... anywhoo it sucks but at least this time I'm getting a t-shirt for it. Whoop.  

That's really all the new stuff going on ... just REALLY looking forward for a couple of days off. YAY!