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I am not the only one searching for a new vehicle these days or, if I'm really being honest, trying desperately to not buy a new car.  At the park on yesterday, my good friend confided that she had check in hand to buy a new car, too.  She is replacing her Honda Civic with a Subaru Outback.  Her other car is a Subaru Forester.

I have a Subaru Forester, as does my neighbor one street over.  Two houses down, our neighbors have... you guessed it, a Subaru.  We are quite the Subaru neighborhood, which is useful since our local mechanic is a Subaru expert (but I digress).

What's so great about Subarus?

Well, let me say that I had never heard of Subaru before moving up North.  And there's a good reason for that.  You see, Subarus are the reliable in the snow cars.  It's something called All Wheel Drive (AWD).  They make a big deal about it in the commercials.  I have no idea what it really means.  But this is what is doesn't do:  it doesn't slip in the ice and snow. 

Let me put this into perspective for you.  My first car in Philadelphia was a thoroughly used Bronco II.  I got a lot of use out of it.  I was pleased to have it.  It was dreadful in the snow.  Dreadful.  It was tall and light, so a strong wind or the slightest tilt off-balance from water, ice or snow would send us spinning.  It was scary.  The result was that, more or less, I swore off driving or riding in the ice and snow.  That's kind of a difficult position to take in the northeast US.  And while it wasn't impossible to rely solely on mass transit initially, with three kids going in different directions, it got tough.

So, a couple of years ago, we got the Subaru Forester.  I have been thrilled with it.  The mileage has been great, both in the city and on the highway.  We have packed everything that can be squeezed into and on top of that vehicle.  And it somehow always fit.

But now, three carseats and a dog?  Unless I'm planning on riding inside the Thule on top, we're sunk. 

So my head knows that we need to make a change.  But the thought of leaving the Subaru behind for something else just leaves me speechless.