Go big or go green?

The Kueblers have an interesting decision to make...continue to ride dirty in our spacious mini-van (see below)

or downsize to the ever-popular, European Smart Car? (if you squint hard enough, you might be able to see it pictured below)

Each have their pros and cons...

The upside to downsizing is first and foremost, saving HUGE on gas!  It costs us over $150 to fill up the ol' mini-van and we burn through that full tank in less than 2 weeks.  Supposedly, Mike's teammates who drive Smart Cars only need to dish out $50 when they fill up about once a month.  Once a month!  Unreal.

Another pro to driving a smaller vehicle is the ability to navigate the narrow European roads (and park, of course!) with greater ease.  My little car back home (s/o to Sadie!) is a piece of cake to park.  I've gotten used to cruising around like a speedy, silver ghost and managing to fit in the tiniest of places.  You should see me try and parallel park the Red Beast (as I've started to fondly call him...oh yes, it's certainly a him).  Needless to say, it's not pretty nor is it a quick process.

***I have to insert a quick story here...it's not really relevant but could bring back some funny memories to a few folks back home.  About 10 years ago my family took our annual trip to Miami.  I brought along my friend McKenna and my sister brought our good pal Ashley.  Hi guys, if you're reading!  The "cool" SUV that my dad picked out ended up being a burnt sienna colored Astro Van.  Ken Pfau got a kick of yelling, "Nice ASS trovan!" at every...single...opportunity.  Embarrassed us nearly to death at the time but now looking back, I kind of get a kick out of it.

Onto the cons - they are simple and potentially minute, but still worth considering.  First off, trunk space. Neither of these words really apply in the case of the Smart Car.  We would no longer be able to offer up rides and a hefty trip to the market could result in us having to hold bags out the window.  Also, there is no radio/CD player.  We've made due without music in the past, but it makes for some potentially boring road trips.  Lastly, and I'm still not really sure what this means, it would be a manual/semi-automatic...wait, that sounds more like a gun description.  I guess it's that there isn't a clutch to kick but you still have to shift gears somehow.  I don't know.  It sounds strange but potentially manageable.

So that's where we are at with it.  I personally think we'd be smart to go with the clown car.  I've been wanting to live and drive greener for years.  I'll update once a decision has been made.  Till then, a warning to drivers all throughout the 3 Cities, be on the look-out for an apprehensive blonde behind the wheel of a red Dodge Caravan.  My "guess and check" method of parking hasn't failed me yet, but I'm not making any promises for the future...