30 years of the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe

My very first car was the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe.  My mother tells the story about how they had no intention of buying anything that large until one day they were in the toy store and I came zooming around the corner in it.  Of course, I have no way of knowing how accurate that story may or may not be but I like the sound of it.  This was one of my favorite toys growing up.  The sound of the door as it would swing closed and the way the static in the plastic would cause my hair to stand up.  My tiny little milk jug and pretend groceries fit so nicely in the trunk space.  I'm not too crazy about it's newest incarnation though.

Like most car companies, Little Tikes has presented a newer, sleeker model for the next generation.  I'm not sure of the actual measurements but it seems a little bit smaller to me (like the Cadbury Creme Eggs on the shelves this Easter).  The wheels seem sturdier and should allow one's sister to ride on top without fear of bending the wire axle.  And I would bet money that the windshield bars won't pop out unexpectedly during playtime.  Little Tikes has rounded out the features to create a visually pleasing toy and I applaud these efforts.  But is it really necessary to give the Cozy Coupe eyes as if it's a character in Disney's Cars?

Remembering my first car makes me realize why I picked my grown-up car.  Maybe I should consider a custom paint job to make the roof yellow?

Or maybe this should be my next car?

Convertible New Beetle

For everything that has gone wrong this week, I have to thank the powers that be for letting me have a Convertible New Beetle as my loaner vehicle while Red Sonja is getting her wheels and oil changed. 

I couldn't resist putting the top down and riding around at lunch time, even though the skies were overcast.  There is something about a convertible that just makes one feel so "bad-ass" when driving around in it.

Plus this one had an amazing paint job and was the "Final Edition" before they release the new design with the 2012 line.  The marketing teams at Volkswagen really know what they're doing when they use these cars as loaners.  It really had me thinking about whether or not I could afford to trade in my car yet.  Of course, mine is only a 2009 and has just 45K miles on it, so it's too soon for any of that.  I only have 2 more years to pay on the car and it's mine.  Then I can start putting the monthly car payment in savings and maybe buy a house in the next 5 years.  So it's not convenient for me to trade in even though it's incredibly tempting.

Flat Tires and Anti-Theft Devices

Yesterday had to be one of the worst days and only because of about two hours of the entire day.  I came out of work to find that my tire was flat, not completely but enough to be of concern.  (I had filled it with air the night before, so clearly it's a slow leak of some kind.)  I have never changed my own tire before, but I understand the mechanics of it and I was ready to take care of this myself.  So I pulled into a gas station and got out my tire kit, full-size spare tire, and manual.  I had no problem pulling the bolt caps off the tire, jacking up the car, or taking off 4 of the 5 bolts.  It was difficult work, to be sure, but I was able to get it done.   Then I started to remove the fifth bolt on my wheel and realized it wasn't like the others.  It had a weird shape to it and wouldn't budge.

According to the owner's manual, this is an anti-theft bolt.  There should be an anti-theft bolt key included in the tire kit or the dealership should have given me one when I purchased my vehicle.  Neither of these things happened.  The only way to get the tire changed is to take it to the dealership and have them do it for me.  Which would have been great on any other day, but all the Volkswagen dealerships are closed on Sunday.  Also, my car is no longer under warranty so it would have cost me money to have it towed anywhere.  Thankfully the Shell Station by my part-time job was able to look at the tire and give me some advice.  They told me that I should be able to fill it up with air and it would get me home.  But that I'd have to refill it in the morning to get to work and then again to get to the dealership in the afternoon.

So it's highly inconvenient.  I appreciate the anti-theft bolt and its purpose, but I am pissed at the dealership for not including the necessary equipment to properly change my own tire. (The gas station guys tried to be all macho and help.  Which kind of pissed me off, too.  They were like "oh, little lady need some help," as if I weren't perfectly capable of doing it myself.)  I didn't even know this was a security feature on the car or I would have made a point to ask for it.  My old Beetle had no such security feature.  Also, looking at the full-size spare I realized just how worn my current tires are and that they need replacing very soon.  Have you ever priced tires?  I didn't realize how expensive they were.

Volkswagen's 21st Century Debut

The new design of the Volkswagen Beetle, as seen in the view to the left, doesn't appear too visually different from the 1998 model.  But the side view offers a completely new, yet retro, vision for the beloved car.

Some of the interior shots of the new design reveal a whole set of bells and whistles that weren't available in the last model.  For example, I like the idea of the touch screen radio/navigation and the bluetooth capability.  Let me go on record as saying that I don't hate the new design.  I think it holds true to the original while keeping some of the spirit of the 1998 re-design.  That being said, I feel like it's missing something.  The thing about a classic beetle and the new beetle is that they are very unique and easily recognizable on the road, thus making road trips fun for decades with the Bunch Buggie game.  I haven't seen these in person yet but, from the pictures, I don't feel like they are quite as unique and will easily blend in with other cars.  We shall have to wait and see if my opinion changes when they start appearing on the highway.

**Please Note:  All photos from http://blogs.vw.com/beetle/picture-gallery/**