G&S and cars
I haven't posted in a while. Currently, however, I'm sitting at work waiting for an email response I sent to someone who (I believe) is currently attending the Rice CS Affiliates Day (he was there yesterday for the ECE day, and I know most of those guys are attending both days). It could be some time. I'm supposed to meet with my new boss at some point today as well, but I think that's not going to happen until this afternoon.
So... updates.
Trial by Jury went well. We had decent crowds two of the nights, and I think we broke even on the show in the end, so it wasn't quite the financial quagmire I was expecting. The cast was fantastic, the set was wonderful. My only complaint is that it was far more stressful than it needed to be. I'm not sure I'll ever direct again, but I think it was a good experience on the whole.
Unfortunately, my car finally died two weeks ago, and with the rehearsals and performances for the show, I didn't have time to go car shopping until everything was over. The old car, which has been having problems for some time, was starting to have engine problems - multiple misfires, dead sensors, that sort of thing. I could have fixed it up, but if I wanted to fix *everything* that was wrong with it, the repair bill would have greatly exceeded the trade-in value of the car, and as that would probably only buy me six months to a year before something else breaks, then what's the point?
Anyway - I've been looking at all sorts of cars. I test drove the '09 Corolla and an '08 Toyota Yaris. I like the look of the Yaris (sedan, not hatchback), but it feels less solid than the Corolla and it's a little noisier - suggesting that it isn't as well put together. The look of the dash bothers me a bit, too. The tachometer isn't standard - it's an upgrade that comes with the package that gives you the power locks and windows. If I upgraded it to the point that I'm comfortable, it's just as expensive as the Corolla, so it really isn't saving much money. That, and Toyota's incentives currently (0% financing and such) apply to the Corolla and up, but don't apply to the Yaris. Base model Yaris is about $12k, apparently, but you can't really find them for less than $14k and with some basic (in my mind, fairly necessary) upgrades giving it power locks, a tachometer, and a decent stereo system - it's right at $17k.
As for the Corolla - it's basically the same as Gillian's '06 Corolla - although it's a little bit bigger and the standard features have improved a bit. I like the car on the whole, but I don't know if we want to own two Corollas. The base model '09 Corolla has an MSRP of $18k, although with as desperate as Toyota is to sell cars right now, it comes with 0% financing for as long as I would consider financing a car, and the'd probably knock a bit off the price.
I looked at the '09 Civic but I haven't had a chance to drive one yet. The '09 Civic is a bit bigger than the Corolla (and bigger than earlier Civics) - it's closer in size to my old Sable than to a Corolla or to the older Civics that people have, I believe. It has a fairly awesome feeling interior - it feels like a nicer car than the Corolla - but the sticker is higher, too. $20k is the base price, and most of the ones I saw were right at $21k. The guys at John Eagle didn't seem particularly willing to deal, either, suggesting that Honda had a better third quarter than Toyota did. The feature set on the '09 Civic is pretty much identical to the '09 Corolla, too, so unless they'd knock a couple thousand off the price, I'm currently leaning towards the Corolla between the two.
I'd look at a Prius or a Civic Hybrid, but the cost savings just isn't there right now. IF you could find a base model of either one, that might be the case, but the only Prius I've found in the city has a sticker price of $27k, and they are not willing to deal in the slightest. Civic Hybrid is about $25k, and it isn't quite as fuel efficient as the Prius - and again, they aren't willing to deal much because they aren't having any trouble selling hybrids.
I stopped off to look at the Ford Focus - haven't test driven it yet, but I'm not sure I like this model year. It's a little boxier than earlier Foci, and the dash is downright ugly. I think it's supposed to have a sort of retro feel, but I just don't like it. The feature set is, again, identical to that of the Civic or Corolla, and I'll give it a test drive just for shits and giggles, but it's not as aesthetically pleasing to sit in as the Corolla or Civic.
We stopped off to look at Saturns - if they still made the Ion, I'd go for one, I think, but they don't really have a cheap sedan right now. They're cheapest car is a hatchback-only model, and the step up from that is about $25k (the Aura) and is more comparable to the Camry or Accord.
Just for a lark I stopped to look at a Hyundai dealership, and I was really impressed. It was getting fairly late by that point, so I didn't test drive any of the cars, but I like what I saw. The Accent is their lowest model (I think it is, at least) and runs between $11k and $15k - the $11k model being a fairly stripped down version and the $15k version being fairly similar to a Corolla. The Genesis is a magnificent piece of work, but it's a bit beyond what I'd like to spend (it's $36k, or at least the one I was looking at was, and it feels like a $60k luxury car. It's a sweet little car). The Elantra is an equally impressive car - it's somewhere between the Corolla and Civic in feel, but the sticker on the one I was looking at was around $17k - and the salesman seemed really, really willing to deal. He was the best salesman I met at any of the dealerships, and that helps a bit, I think. The Sonata is they Hyundai equivalent of the Accord or Camry, but it looks nice on the inside and runs for around $19k (so it's nicer than the Civic, and cheaper). I didn't see any Tiburons, but that's a car I want to check out. It runs for about $18k or $19k as well, and it's the Hyundai sports car.
The only downside of the Hyundai cars is the gas mileage - they aren't quite up to the Civic or Corolla (both of which are rated to about 27/35, with the Elantra rated to 25/33). However, if I can get the Elantra for significantly less than the Civic or Corolla, that may be the way to go. I have yet to test drive them, though, so we'll see.
So... updates.
Trial by Jury went well. We had decent crowds two of the nights, and I think we broke even on the show in the end, so it wasn't quite the financial quagmire I was expecting. The cast was fantastic, the set was wonderful. My only complaint is that it was far more stressful than it needed to be. I'm not sure I'll ever direct again, but I think it was a good experience on the whole.
Unfortunately, my car finally died two weeks ago, and with the rehearsals and performances for the show, I didn't have time to go car shopping until everything was over. The old car, which has been having problems for some time, was starting to have engine problems - multiple misfires, dead sensors, that sort of thing. I could have fixed it up, but if I wanted to fix *everything* that was wrong with it, the repair bill would have greatly exceeded the trade-in value of the car, and as that would probably only buy me six months to a year before something else breaks, then what's the point?
Anyway - I've been looking at all sorts of cars. I test drove the '09 Corolla and an '08 Toyota Yaris. I like the look of the Yaris (sedan, not hatchback), but it feels less solid than the Corolla and it's a little noisier - suggesting that it isn't as well put together. The look of the dash bothers me a bit, too. The tachometer isn't standard - it's an upgrade that comes with the package that gives you the power locks and windows. If I upgraded it to the point that I'm comfortable, it's just as expensive as the Corolla, so it really isn't saving much money. That, and Toyota's incentives currently (0% financing and such) apply to the Corolla and up, but don't apply to the Yaris. Base model Yaris is about $12k, apparently, but you can't really find them for less than $14k and with some basic (in my mind, fairly necessary) upgrades giving it power locks, a tachometer, and a decent stereo system - it's right at $17k.
As for the Corolla - it's basically the same as Gillian's '06 Corolla - although it's a little bit bigger and the standard features have improved a bit. I like the car on the whole, but I don't know if we want to own two Corollas. The base model '09 Corolla has an MSRP of $18k, although with as desperate as Toyota is to sell cars right now, it comes with 0% financing for as long as I would consider financing a car, and the'd probably knock a bit off the price.
I looked at the '09 Civic but I haven't had a chance to drive one yet. The '09 Civic is a bit bigger than the Corolla (and bigger than earlier Civics) - it's closer in size to my old Sable than to a Corolla or to the older Civics that people have, I believe. It has a fairly awesome feeling interior - it feels like a nicer car than the Corolla - but the sticker is higher, too. $20k is the base price, and most of the ones I saw were right at $21k. The guys at John Eagle didn't seem particularly willing to deal, either, suggesting that Honda had a better third quarter than Toyota did. The feature set on the '09 Civic is pretty much identical to the '09 Corolla, too, so unless they'd knock a couple thousand off the price, I'm currently leaning towards the Corolla between the two.
I'd look at a Prius or a Civic Hybrid, but the cost savings just isn't there right now. IF you could find a base model of either one, that might be the case, but the only Prius I've found in the city has a sticker price of $27k, and they are not willing to deal in the slightest. Civic Hybrid is about $25k, and it isn't quite as fuel efficient as the Prius - and again, they aren't willing to deal much because they aren't having any trouble selling hybrids.
I stopped off to look at the Ford Focus - haven't test driven it yet, but I'm not sure I like this model year. It's a little boxier than earlier Foci, and the dash is downright ugly. I think it's supposed to have a sort of retro feel, but I just don't like it. The feature set is, again, identical to that of the Civic or Corolla, and I'll give it a test drive just for shits and giggles, but it's not as aesthetically pleasing to sit in as the Corolla or Civic.
We stopped off to look at Saturns - if they still made the Ion, I'd go for one, I think, but they don't really have a cheap sedan right now. They're cheapest car is a hatchback-only model, and the step up from that is about $25k (the Aura) and is more comparable to the Camry or Accord.
Just for a lark I stopped to look at a Hyundai dealership, and I was really impressed. It was getting fairly late by that point, so I didn't test drive any of the cars, but I like what I saw. The Accent is their lowest model (I think it is, at least) and runs between $11k and $15k - the $11k model being a fairly stripped down version and the $15k version being fairly similar to a Corolla. The Genesis is a magnificent piece of work, but it's a bit beyond what I'd like to spend (it's $36k, or at least the one I was looking at was, and it feels like a $60k luxury car. It's a sweet little car). The Elantra is an equally impressive car - it's somewhere between the Corolla and Civic in feel, but the sticker on the one I was looking at was around $17k - and the salesman seemed really, really willing to deal. He was the best salesman I met at any of the dealerships, and that helps a bit, I think. The Sonata is they Hyundai equivalent of the Accord or Camry, but it looks nice on the inside and runs for around $19k (so it's nicer than the Civic, and cheaper). I didn't see any Tiburons, but that's a car I want to check out. It runs for about $18k or $19k as well, and it's the Hyundai sports car.
The only downside of the Hyundai cars is the gas mileage - they aren't quite up to the Civic or Corolla (both of which are rated to about 27/35, with the Elantra rated to 25/33). However, if I can get the Elantra for significantly less than the Civic or Corolla, that may be the way to go. I have yet to test drive them, though, so we'll see.