I have started some research into what my next car will be. Most of my research has been on the internet and speaking to friends, but this weekend I did a bit of field research.

The car that is at the top on my list now is there partly because it was my rental car when I went to my niece’s wedding back in Nebraska.

One thing I needed to research was color. My local dealer did not have a car in the color I am thinking about, so I took a little road trip to check one out at another dealer.

I do like the color. The color changes a bit with the lighting, but is a nice blue.

I also wanted to see how the front end of the car looked. Does it have a nice grill? Is it boxy, or is it a bit aerodynamic?

I am looking at a plug-in hybrid so wanted to see what the connection looked like and where it was.

One of the reasons that has me looking at a plug-in hybrid is that the new building we will be moving into next year has a large number of parking spots and charging stations for clean air vehicles. If I charge at home and charge at work most of my commute will be in EV mode. However, the charging stations at work are still a year off.

Another is that I may be able to use the express lanes for a couple of years. I am still trying to find out what traffic benefits I would have.

I also wanted to see how much trunk space there is. With additional batteries for a plug-in hybrid I knew it would be different from the car I drove back in Nebraska.

Am I ready for a plug-in hybrid? Is the extra cost worth it in the long run? How much will I save on gas?

Still questions I am working on.

Steven