i got a new toy, oh-ay-oh

Behold, the Boom Box. Our newest toy, it is Blue Onyx Pearl, although it really has to be a fairly sunny day to see that it's not black. A Toyota enthusiast from the time of my first new car, I am excited to get back into one (although the Honda was a fine vehicle!). In the first few days, I discovered a phenomenon.* People love this car!

We parked it at Costco one evening to do our weekly shopping and have dinner at Cafe 150. When we came out, there a family of three walking around it and talking about it ("it looks like it's from a foreign country," she said, to which I had to stop myself from saying, "it is from a foreign country -- Japan!"). We chatted with them a bit, and decided that the foreign country it looked to be from was actually England, and they thought it looked like a British cab. The other curious observation was that there were foreheadprints on each of the windows. Apparently, while we were shopping, someone was trying to see in (it has tinted windows). Too funny.

I have also encountered several fellow xB drivers on the road who cheerily wave at me when we pass. This reminds me of my youth, when other friendly folk waved at us in our Volkswagen bus just because they were in one, too.

It's a fairly straightforward car. Cool standard features like power doors and power locks, but a few luxuries missing (cruise control being the big one). The leg room is tremendous, even in the back seat, although cargo space in the back was clearly sacrificed to get it. It doesn't help that the Bazooka subwoofer in there is actually mounted about a third of way into the middle instead of flush against one side or the other. Not a huge deal, as the seats easily fold down and provide lots of cargo space.

It's a great little car. Shifts nice (yes, I still drive a stick) and has more pep than it should with such a small engine. The gas mileage is better than the Honda (although not yet as good as I've been told by other xB owners), and the insurance is a mere $6 per month more than the Honda. I'm very happy with it.

* Every time my husband hears the word "phenomenon" (or its derivitives), he immediately sings "doot-dooooot-doo-doo-doot" a la the song Mana Mana from the Muppets. Now I can't even write the word without thinking about the doots.