"Wen?" My husband's voice woke me from what, at that point in time, qualified as a deep sleep.
"Mmpf."
(It was 5:11 AM. I was 7 months pregnant at the time this exchange took place, with a 20 month old and a three and a half year old who were decidedly unacquainted with Dr. Ferber and his methods. You can't expect anything more profound than this from me before 7:00, at least.)
"Um...Where's the van?"
I burrowed deeply into the pillows, hoping that we could deal with this intriguing line of inquiry at a more reasonable time.
"Inna driveway."
"No...It's not there. Did you lend it to anybody?"
This got my attention. Absentminded, yes. Disorganized, no doubt. Capable of misplacing my glasses eleven times in a solitary day? It's happened. But, really--even I don't lend out my sole mode of travel in the middle of the night and then space it entirely.
"I'll call the cops," I muttered, dragging myself out of bed.
Five Weeks Later...
"I don't care what color it is," I snarled, struggling to keep the phone from sliding off my shoulder while deftly removing a stray outlet cap from my son's gullet. "Just bring home a vehicle I can drive without scraping my tush on the highway."
The rental insurance we carried had been sufficient to set us up in a compact car, (me, my ever-increasing belly, my two kids and their carseats, and my 5'10" husband. Very cozy.) The term "go-kart" came to mind.
Like a good neighbor, the insurance company had finally coughed up the cash to replace our stolen vehicle, and akivasdad was at the dealership picking out our new wheels.
On the Road Again...
It felt so good to be back in the driver's seat! The wind in my hair, my gut wedged securely under the steering wheel...
All kidding aside, the GMC Safari is a pleasure to drive. (I'll bet you were wondering if I was actually going to review the vehicle, or what...)
Eight is Enough!
The Safari seats eight, which, in addition to being amazing, is a good thing, as I have three kids in carseats and drive a carpool with 3 other children. Plenty of room for everyone.
The Safari's bucket seats are comfy, and adjust to accommodate the tall, the short and the hopelessly average among us. They slide forward and back, and can recline fully, in case you want to pop "Low-Rider" into the standard cassette deck and pretend you're 16 again. (Never mind.) They also have flip up armrests, adjustable headrests, and a really nifty secret-slide-out drawer on the passenger side to stow your fix-a-flat, extra sippy-cups, and the library books you forgot to return. The removable backseats fold flat for extra cargo space. (Don't try this unless you've removed your kids and their carseats.)
The Big Chill?
The GMC's lone drawback is its AC. It's mediocre, at best, which is no small challenge when one lives in close proximity to Dan Marino, Gloria Estefan, and Sly Stallone. Not only does the front AC take forever to cool effectively, but the rear AC fails miserably to do its job. This seems to be a design flaw, as several of my friends have the same vehicle and report similar goings-on. We're thinking of moving to a cooler climate to rectify the problem.
It's In There!
The GMC base-model comes chockablock with goodies. There are more cupholders in this van than you can shake a stick at. It's got a tape deck and decent speakers, a sunglass holder (oooh!), a garage-door-opener-holder (ahh!), and a CD holder (I mentioned the part about the tape deck, right? This baffles me to no end.) There are some oddly shaped storage areas in the way-back, (Yes, I have little kids, and yes, we do actually call it "the way-back"...)and there are magazine holders on the backs of the front seats so your rugrats will have a place to store their half-eaten popsicles while they play License Plate. I adore the temperature/MPG/miles remaining display, which will even tell you how bloody hot it is, centigrade, if you like. There's a grocery net in the very-back (not to be confused with the way-back) which I simply don't use. (My mom has one in her Saturn, though, and finds it terribly convenient. Never mind again.)
The winner of the "This is cooler than I thought it'd be" award? Without a doubt, this honor goes to the "barn-style" rear doors. Loading up at the warehouse store? Open all three doors. Just popping in the double stroller? Lift up the top door. Jammed all three doors shut in spite of the fact that you couldn't get the stroller to fold down in the middle of the mall parking lot while stuck in a torrential downpour with a screaming baby balanced precariously on one hip? Listen carefully: Put the baby in his carseat. Give him a cooky and a sippy cup. Go home. Put the baby down for a nap, put the 2 year old in front of the idiot box, and remove the carseats. Fold down the backseat. Now, go to the rear of the car, and try opening the doors again. Remove the stroller. Replace the carseats. DO NOT tell your husband. Trust me on this one.
Wham! Bam! Got State Farm, Ma'am?"
If you really want to know about the accident, you'll need to read my Eddie Bauer Carseat review. (http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-1793-1C230671-3972F867-prod5) Let's just say it was NOT the highlight of my year, but thank G-d and GMC, nobody was hurt. The superior design of this vehicle protected my family in what could have been a life-threatening situation. We drove away from the scene of the accident with a great big dent in our fender. That was it. Mind you, that dent cost roughly $2,200 to fix, but like a good neighbor...
akivasdad says:
"You did what to the stroller?!?!"
(Whoops.)
"You write like a girl. You didn't even mention the engine size, here. This is supposed to be a car review? Sheesh!"
For those of you whose Y chromosomes are crying out, Tim Allen style, for cold hard automotive facts, I offer this information, shamelessly lifted (and duly cited) from the manufacturer's product page. (For those of you producing estrogen, please bear with us.)
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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