Out with the old. . .

. . .and in with the new. My new car is here, as previously announced.

The new
Those of you, who are local and astute enough, will notice right away what the snow in the picture gives away: this photo was already taken a week ago. True; I just have not had a chance to put it up here yet, as I have had a bit of a rough week with a lot of work and personal stuff. So I have not enjoyed this new car as much as I should have, but in some way it feels good to be reminded of the relative importance of material possessions.

In the meantime, the plates came in, and that took the hassle out of naming this beauty: Uve. Uve? Well, that is what it says on the license plates, and it is a good, traditional German name (Uwe) as an American might spell it. So it seems oddly fitting for this car, and I have already embraced it wholeheartedly. Uve it is.

I was also happy about the number on the license plate: 906. How many other three-digit numbers with rotational symmetry without reflection symmetry can you think of?

The old
50,000 miles and many memorable trips together. It's been a good car. Too bad the next generation could not live up to the old. I hope this one finds a good new home through the Newgate Education Center. The transfer really only took about 10 minutes, and it was done. So long, old friend.

The process
After all is said and done, I have to say that the buying experience was actually rather nice. There were almost no real hassles to deal with, and the dealership was friendly and not too over the top (for a car dealership). I am sure it helps to be an internet customer who knows exactly what he wants and knows what the prices are or should be. Still many of the people and dynamics I observed at the dealership very much reminded me of this excellent article I read a while back. Definitely worth a read, even if it is a little long.

One more thing. . .
Sure, the Autobahn is hard to beat. Germany is clearly number one there. But soccer? Things have been better. What do you think—can Germany beat Greece?