2009 Honda Fit Sport

I've got a thing for small cars, even though I'm not a particularly small guy. When Honda announced their new 2009 Fit model, I was instantly attracted. Small, clever cars are just my sort of thing. I really admire the efficiency -- in space and fuel usage. Honda released them in September, 2008 since their old model was pretty much sold out (says something, that). I decided to jump in and get one.

Art shot, from the Jordanelle Reservoir overlook

So the trusty Muw, a 2003 Hyundai Accent, had to go on the block. I owned it from new, and had 84,000 miles and 4.5 years of trouble-free driving. So I put an ad on Craigslist, and had calls within minutes. 12 hours later the Muw was sold to my good friend Jeremy at work, and I had a down payment for my new Fit.

The only problem was that I wanted one with a manual transmission -- and Honda just wasn't shipping many of them. I also wanted a black one if possible. Four weeks later, I broadened my color choices (to include silver and blue) and got on the phone with dealers within a day's drive. I managed to do what the local dealers couldn't, and found a silver Fit Sport with a manual transmission and no dealer add-ons or extras. It was in St. George, Utah, about 4.5 hours away. Jenny and I took the next day off from work and drove down in the Sprout.

Fresh from the dealer, ready to head north to home

We left at 6:30 am, and by 11 am were at the dealer. Some signatures and a quick trip to the credit union and we had ourselves a car! We grabbed a bit of lunch and headed for home. By 7:00 pm we were home safe and sound. A good adventure all around.

Home safe in the garage for the first night -- then it's outside living for the new arrival