Heart vs. Head

I am currently car shopping.  This is, for me, the equivalent of last night's "shoe shopping" observation. I love to shop for cars; and get very analytical about my decisions when I car shop.

My A/C went out on my '04 Accord, which hasn't been the best car but it's served me well for 2 1/2 years... and it's paid for (HUGE plus).  Given the age of my car and how expensive that repair would cost, it's time to think about a new car, even though I really wanted to be in the market a couple of years from now vs. today... but it is what it is. 

I started out searching for small SUVs, because I want something that will support my active lifestyle and that seemed like a good fit.  My basic requirements are:

• I want the car to be technology rich (like, I can plug in my phone, iPad, etc.), stuff like rear cameras and all that
• I want the car to be fun to drive
• I want the car to be easy on gas.  I HATE paying a lot at the pump, especially after owning a very thirsty G35 that I LOVED but was pretty high maintenance when it came to gas.
• The car has to be reliable, and 
• The car has to be somewhat "sexy", which means that the inside of the car needs to have some style.

A couple of test drives of the CR-V and the Mazda CX-5, I had a good idea of what was available in that space and honestly wasn't impressed.  Maybe it's because I've driven cars for all my life and just expect a certain type of driving experience.  Yeah, I do care about that.  

One route I am considering is the Certified Pre-Owned entry luxury car (read: G35 type car) route, with a car that's got a good reliability rating and gets better than 17-18 MPG.  One car on my list is the Acura TSX, which I completed a request form with Costco's auto program regarding and was routed to Ed Voyles Acura in Chamblee.  Ahead of a birthday party, I went out there to check out their CPO cars and found out that they had a couple of 2012 model - NEW - cars still on the lot, and after talking to a sales guy decided "why not?" about taking one for a test drive... 

Big mistake. 

Yeah, I fell in love with it.  Sports car handling, very cool inside.  And sexy.  On top of that, it gets 31 MPG highway, the only two downsides is that it requires premium fuel, and the Bluetooth connector didn't work when we attempted to connect it.  After an hour and a half in the dealership, I got a price that was really great... about $1000 over the CPO sales price (honestly, I should get the CPO sales price).  I wanted to think it over and the car is honestly waiting for me at Ed Voyles if I want it.  

Oh yeah - it's maroon, it's really hot looking, and it looks great!

Today, after church a guy from Curry Honda, who I contacted via Costco about the CR-V earlier called.  I told him I was out of the market, told him about the TSX deal and I was planning to finalize the deal on Monday.  He asked me if I drove the new Accord yet, and we talked a little about it (I know a decent amount about it since my dad and I looked at it at a Honda dealership in Lake Jackson when I went with him to start looking at replacements for Mom's Nissan Maxima).  So I decided that it's worth a shot, and besides I had my afternoon free.  

The Accord drove very well, it was definitely an upgrade over what I'm driving now.  I drove the EX-L version, which has a ton of gadgets and leather so it's a nice looking car, but more subdued than the TSX).  This car has a LOT of technology... touchscreen displays, easy to use Bluetooth, streaming Pandora over the radio, etc.  Plus it has a rear camera that wasn't available in the TSX I drove and some additional sensors to warn me of front collisions and lane departures.  I was quite impressed.  

To top it off, the car takes regular gas and gets 36 MPG on the highway.  Seriously, that's really good... not a hybrid.  Oh - and it's a 2013 and was quoted at about $2500 less than the TSX was.  The TSX does have a better warranty (4 years/50K miles vs. 3/36K)

This is a bad thing, because now the "practical" me is thinking... where as the "fun me" had all of the cards before this afternoon. 

I kind of feel like some of my friend girls that were trying on shoes at the Outlets yesterday.

To tell you the truth, not any of these choices is "impractical."  I've got seriously good, under invoice pricing from both dealers, both cars have great reliability ratings and will last a long time. 

I guess the question I need to ask is:  Is sexy and really fun to drive worth the extra $$$?  Especially in Atlanta where you spend most of your time parked on 400 anyways.  And the technology was cool... very cool, and I get that for less cash.  

Good grief!

Do I get the practical, kind of fun car with some cool gadgets?  Or the really fun, cool "toy" car? 

What are your thoughts (as if I'm going to really pay attention :-) )?  I feel like a girl buying shoes now.