It’s official. There’s a 2006 Hyundai Elantra sitting out in the driveway right at this moment.

I don’t think it’s completely sunk in.

I love the car, though. It is an absolute blast to drive. I had forgotten just how fun it was to drive a stick shift, as it’s been years since I had the opportunity. I’ve only managed to kill the engine twice, as it’s taken a bit of an adjustment period. It’s certainly a lot more sensitive than my old beat-up Toyota pickup used to be. The Elantra is almost sporty. The steering is good… not sports car quality, but solid. And it’s quiet. And fuel efficient.

In short, it will be an excellent car for the next couple of years.

My hope is that I can baby the hell out of it for the next 24 months and then see where opportunity takes me. I’m even going to do all the maintenance myself if possible. It’s time I faced down the jabs of my gear-head brothers.

I just find it surreal that I’ve doubled the odomoter on the vehicle in one day.

I also feel like my arm should be sore from all the signature signing I did today. Over a dozen different documents needed my elligible scrawl of a signature on them, and after you sign that many documents (sometimes more than once), you start to wonder if you’re missing something, even if you read all the small print. Honestly, though… working with the Hyundai dealership was one of the more pleasant experiences I’ve ever had. The staff was friendly, answered all my questions, went out of their way to find me what I wanted, and even worked to get me the best deal possible. They were able to beat the percentage rate I had on my pre-approved loan, gave a hefty cash back discount on the new vehicle purchase, and didn’t force me into things like unnecessary accessories or extended warranties. The one thing I did cave on was gap insurance, which, in my case, was something I seriously needed to get anyway. I was able to negotiate with them on it though… and after protesting that I didn’t want it a couple times, they came back with a lower rate that fit into my monthly payments beautifully. The only other issue I had was that they tried to get me to finance for 72 months instead of 60, though that was easily solved.

So, all in all, I’d have to heartily recommend Hyundai. Good service, fun cars, and an excellent warranty.

Of course, we’ll see if my tune changes the moment I have an actual problem with the vehicle.

As for the holiday… Easter is tax day for me. And, hopefully, a little bit of World of Warcraft.

I miss my kender.