Feb
2022

We did a thing!

Next week is the Winterfest Cheer competition… I am excited and nervous!

He said

What we didn’t talk about last week was that we were in the middle of very seriously digging into the possibility of upgrading our truck. We weren’t actively looking, the dealership had actually contacted us as the market for used vehicles right now is a hotbed and trading in our vehicle meant we could walk out if it and into a new one for essentially the same payments. Now, add that we knew the tires were at the place where they needed to be replaced and they are not cheap. Plus we were also due for a service. So, we told the dealership if they could make the right deal, we’d consider it, but if we got to the point of doing the service and replacing the tires we were going to keep the truck until it was ready for the scrapyard.

Well, as it turns out the used market is crazy and our trade-in made enough sense that found a deal that convinced us to get a  new truck. Most of that negotiating happened last weekend, and a lot of it while I was at work (thank you Danielle & Emelia). And by Monday we had a deal in place and were masking arrangements to swap trucks. And if there is one thing that Covid has given us is a much better car shopping experience. We could sign the paperwork at home electronically, negotiate via phone and text, and in the end do the transfer of vehicles in the parking lot at work. That was all seamless and very easy! On my lunch break Wednesday the swap was done and after work we went for a longer family drive to test out the new vehicle and figure it all out.

There were some non-negotiables for us in what we wanted in the new one. CarPlay was an absolute must, as was a sun/moon roof. What we found out was Ram trucks now all have CarPlay, but the surprise was of the models we were interested in, they came with a huge 12” Display for the infotainment system. But, the Rebel models didn’t have the sun/moon roof because of a chip supply issue that has arisen as a result of the pandemic. The good news was the Ram Sport still had the 12” display, CarPlay and a ginormous sun/moon roof for us. And it came with Night Edition that gave it black rims, badging and accents.

Most of our week was really sorting that all out. But also this week, finally the replacement spin bike on Monday, which was assembled in short order and ready for our workouts Tuesday morning. And, I am happy to report it is working fine. Through the week, I continued the work on brake and shifter cables on my outdoor bike. I have successfully got the brake lines replaced and they are working like brand new again (I guess, cause they are). I have moved onto the shift cables and am about three quarters of the way through that. Once that is complete I will put on the new bar tape and the bike will be ready for the Spring. And hopefully sooner than later as I am still hopeful that I can get in one outdoor ride before the month’s end.

Lastly, Emelia’s Cheer training has moved to dialling in their routine for Winterfest a competition they are in this upcoming Saturday in Mississauga. They’ve once again had a compressed practice schedule as a result of the last wave of lockdowns, so it will be interesting to see how they perform, but we’re all excited to see how it goes and what adjustments they’ve made. And, to make it even more interesting they don’t get really any time to rest on their laurels as the weekend after they are off to Kitchener for the Ontario Championships.It’s going to be a busy next couple of weeks for sure!

She said

So this week was really focused on dealing with the truck. Since I am the budget person between the two of us we had to really sit down and figure out what change we could take on and be comfortable with it. The dealership when they contacted us stated we could move over with little change to our monthly payments. But the problem would be inventory. The pandemic has really impacted the inventory of vehicles. Most dealerships have little inventory so selection for ‘must have’ features.

When we first talked to the sales person more seriously we found out moving to the exact same truck only newer wasn’t an option. We could get a Rebel but getting one with a sunroof (this was my one must have feature) was not an option. There are very few even hitting the market due to supply issues so finding one would be unlikely. So they showed us two other choices but in a different model. Both had the sunroof we wanted. As we were talking things over and messaged the dealership one of the trucks had already sold. So we were down to one. Thankfully it was the one that we wanted. Now changing models did slightly change the price but it was all within budget.

And like that we have moved to a more fuel efficient model, and as much as we would like to not have to deal with such a big vehicle with the trailer we have no choice. The entire process was pretty smooth all things considered. We have heard horror stories from some about waiting months with no luck. We have traded in and now do not have to deal with the very expensive new tires we needed, and oh the big dent that we put in the truck a few years ago when we jackknifed the trailer. That alone would have been $5000 to repair. So we definitely made the right move.

Other than dealing with that the other focus for Emelia has been getting ready for her cheer competition that is quickly approaching. With lockdowns the team lost a lot of practice time, they made major changes to the routine post last comp so  it has really been crunch time for the last few weeks. The team has been working so hard and hopefully they are ready. So Saturday we head to Mississauga for Winterfest and the weekend after we head to Kitchener back and forth for Ontario Championship that is over two days. Emelia is excited and nervous but mostly excited for next weekend.

That was our week, it was busy, a bit stressful but all worked out in the end.

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