Monday, February 19, 2007

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
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I have my parents and a good memory to thank for my score.

Four decades of Hondas


After making the purchase of our minivan, I got to thinking about the Hondas I have owned in the past. When I lived in Dallas, TX in the mid eighties I owned a 1976 Honda Civic like the one in the picture. The only difference is that mine was canary yellow. I moved from Dallas to West Virginia and back in that car. I stuffed all I could into the car and put the rest in a large wooden box that I tied on top. It was a great little car and its demise is one of the reasons that I am in the Army. But that's another story. When I met my wife she had just purchased used a 1998 Honda Civic. This is a much nicer car than the one I drove those years ago. When I took a position in DC I decided I didn't want to drive my big red truck in that traffic, so I looked for an economical commuter car. I found what I wanted in a 1985 Honda Accord coupe. It was a one owner vehicle and it has been great. So, I have owned Hondas from the 70s, 80s, 90s and now the 00s. I also own a Honda outboard for my boat and a Honda powered pressure washer. I guess I just like the products. We will be getting rid of the Accord and I will be driving the 98 Civic. There just isn't room enough in the driveway and our house looks like a used car lot at times. I have also owned two 1975 VW buses, but that is a story for another day.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Ebuying a Car


We had been thinking about upgrading our vehicle status by adding a minivan. For those who know us, the fact that my wife was even entertaining the idea of a minivan is a miracle. Recently, she accepted a position as a nanny for three small children. The family is very flexible about allowing my wife to take the kids to the park or zoo. Her car at the time was a Honda Civic. It had enough room for her and two of the kids in the back seat, but not room for all three. Our pastor had purchased a van on Ebay and recommended that I try to see what I could find. I began my search to see what was available and where. I did not want to have to fly half way across the country and drive back. After searching on Ebay, I found a dealer that seemed to have what we were looking for. He specialized in Honda Odyssey and Toyota Previa vans. He had several nice looking 2003 Odysseys. Best of all he was only about three hours away in PA. The couple that my wife had previously worked for as a nanny had an Odyssey and she thought they were nice. I did a price comparison with dealers in the area and found that the online dealer was asking $1,000 to $2,000 below what the local dealers were asking. I did a NADA search to see what the retail list would be for the van and found that the online dealer was asking for $500 below list. The van in the picture had a Buy it Now price and a button for Make an Offer. I offered $1,000 below the Buy it Now price and shortly thereafter received a notice that my bid was accepted. I applied online for a loan through USAA which is also my insurance company and within 30 minutes a check was overnighted by FedEx and we received it less than 24 hours later. We drove the three hours to the dealership, got in the van for a test drive and spent about ten minutes filling out the paperwork. In no time at alll, we were back on the road home. The van was exactly as advertised. It is the nicest vehicle my wife or I have ever owned. She is very pleased with the purchase and that makes me very happy. I must say it was the most positive car buying experience I have ever had. If anyone is interested in purchasing a late model Odyssey or Previa, email me for the dealer's info.