my new ride

I've never been into cars. Point at any car on the road and ask me to describe it, and the only thing I'll likely be able to tell you is its color.

On the other hand, I do like driving. There's nothing like the feeling of control and independence you get from a solo long-distance drive.

For obvious reasons, I didn't drive in Shanghai. Instead, I got my fix with every business trip back to the States, where, depending on the rental company my company used, I got to drive everything from a PT Cruiser to a Chevy Aveo (which handily broke down on me just a couple of miles from the airport.)

Now back in the States, I've spent the past month or so becoming intimately familiar with the excruciating process of buying a new car. What to buy, where to buy, how much to pay, how much to borrow. For somebody who dislikes shopping, hates bargaining, and is fairly conservative with her expenses, spending tens of thousands of dollars on a new car and having to negotiate with salespeople who could smell my ignorance was a nightmare.

Yet, with a little grit and a lot of help from some knowledgeable friends, I came away with some pretty sweet wheels:

25/36 and best resale value sedan for 2008. Considering my top criteria were mileage and resale value (again with the cheap, er, conservative spending), I think I got a pretty good deal. Not to mention, it sure is perty.