Car Talk

I almost bought this car last weekend.  It's a 2013 Volkswagon Passat TDI SEL, diesel-fueled so it gets an impressive 40-50 miles per gallon on the highway.  It has a huge back seat with plenty of leg room for the teenage boys I imagine I'll be driving around these next few years.  I didn't know that big cars like this could get that kind of mileage.  

It's lot of fun to drive, with plenty of pep, which also surprised me. 

The interior of the car I test drove was a beautiful white leather, with a wood-grained detail to the dash that was very stylish.  It had top-of-the-line technology, with a computer, navigation, and great sound system.  I felt like a queen in it.

The price was right and we had the money in the bank.  But I walked away.  Why?  Primarily because the car was available only in an automatic transmission and I don't think that I'm quite ready to stop driving a stick shift. 

I may have to get ready.  It turns out that less than 10% of the cars being sold today have stick shift.   Not a good thing for folks like me.