Hoover got his first ride in Sabrina today:
Honestly, Hoover loves going for rides so much that he probably would be thrilled to ride in a Geo Metro or some POS Isuzu. But we had a good time running errands this afternoon.
Earlier today, I transferred some of the things I had in Cruella's trunk, glovebox and console to Sabrina. I discovered there's a handy little storage compartment on the right side of the trunk. Two quarts of oil went in there. I don't like a cluttered interior, so I really appreciate the two-level console. Put my camera in the bottom level, and the shallow top level is perfect for storing my Bluetooth headset, mints and mailbox key. I also used a little square of Velcro to secure my iPod on the console, since it was sliding around in the corners. Yes, I'm that anal retentive.
I don't do bumper stickers, but I do have a couple of loyalties that go on my car. I need to get a CadillacOwners.com decal for the other side.
Side profile picture that I need to send to Jimmy so he can update my sig:
Driving back to Salem on I-5; pretty impressive gas mileage for a big V8. According to the driver information center, I got 21 MPG overall on this tank of gas, which like most of my driving is 70% highway, 30% city:
Driving impressions so far? In a word: wow. I can't say enough about the powertrain. Drive it docilely, and you can't even hear the engine; you can barely feel it shift. Drive it like you stole it, and it'll fly, with the intoxicating sound of fine machinery doing what it was designed to do. Even when driven hard, the transmission executes crisp upshifts and downshifts.
The ride is smooth and very well controlled. Handling is also impressive. I got to take my favorite roller coaster road tonight, and there was no Prius putzing in front of me, so I took the curves much faster than I got to Wednesday night. Considering this is a big FWD car, cornering feels pretty neutral. Even on a tight hairpin that I took faster than I have in Cruella, there was no noticeable understeer.
The whole car feels very responsive and rewarding to drive when you want to have some fun out on the road; yet it's effortless when all you want to do is get to where you're going. That's exactly what I want in a car.
I've always loved the exterior on these cars; I think it's one of the most handsome designs on the road, with a timeless grace that will look good years from now (just like the the '92-'97 Seville, which are still beautiful).
The interior is a nice place to spend time. I'm still playing with the seat adjustments, but it's always comfortable; I didn't know it had adjustable lumbar until I stumbled upon the control for it. And I love the heated seats. Even though it wasn't that cold out today, I had the seat on low, which feels great on my lower back.
The Zebrano wood is beautiful, as are the illuminated guages. It is by far the best looking guage cluster of any car I've owned. The center stack is a little plain, but everything is easy to use. I'm not that knowledgeable about high-end audio equpment, so the factory stereo sounds plenty good to me; it seems there are speakers all over the interior.
Fit and finish are decent, especially considering this is an eight-year-old car. The lid on the storage bin in front of the shifter looks to be slightly misaligned, but it's not horrible. Gaps between the dash and the door panels look bigger than they should be, too, but I think that's a design issue rather than an assembly one. And there are no squeaks, rattles or other glaring faults.
So, am I glad I bought the car? Oh, yeah. I will not mind making payments to have something I'll enjoy this much.
Serious dog is serious. 
:ba con2:
