Y12 D254

 I need to whine about something for a moment. It's a complete and utter first world issue, spoiled old white guy issue to be even more accurate, but this is my journal, deal with it.

My original plan when my lease was up was to switch to a Nissan Frontier. We can really use a truck living here and more importantly, we can use something with 4WD. Especially if B wants to two and go to the lakes. The Frontier was the perfect size for us and met all the needs while keeping the price reasonable to where we wanted it. The only issue was the 2020 didn't have all the features I was looking for in a vehicle. According to Nissan, the 2021 would have all those features. Hurrah! Except, no. They just finally posted the 2021 on their website and I guess someone fucked up because half of the features I want aren't there and won't be there until 2022. Dammit. Now I have to make a decision: do I get another Rogue which will have all the features BUT won't have 4WD (they're AWD) and might not have the towing capacity I want OR do I look at other options? The problem with other options is that I am limited. There aren't many choices in mid-size 4WD trucks. It's really down to the Ranger for me. The problem with that is the Ranger is about 7k more than the Rogue. Our payment would go up about $40. Not life threatening, but not what I wanted either. I also don't really want a Ford. There's just not a whole lot of options in that sector. Add to that, they have redesigned the interior of the Rogue big time and I don't know if I like it. Plain and simple. I am scheduled to drive a Rogue on Saturday and I sent the salesperson (whom I have been going back and forth with for three days on Frontier features) the exact build of a Rogue I would find acceptable. He sends back a link to something TOTALLY different and is like "Yes we have what you want in stock!". I replied back kind of pissy saying no, this isn't what I want, I will come look at it but don't expect me to leave with it. He got all butthurt and was like "what's wrong with it???". So I had to reply that it was the wrong color, wrong interior, and missing at least three options I selected. I shared this with B and she enlightened me to midwest car buying:  I am not a Michigander. I am used to being able to send a dealer what I want down to the last nut and bolt and if they can't find it from one of the 20 other dealerships nearby, they order it for me. When I got this Rogue they got it from another dealer 30 minutes away and traded stock. B explained that most people here either don't have the luxury of waiting, or are just so excited to be getting a new vehicle, they take what's on the lot. There's the disconnect. I have 5 months until my lease is up, not worried about the payment, and this will be vehicle number 30 for me, so no emotion or immediate need. I'm also not loyal to a brand or a dealership, but to features and my driving experience. I just think I am more detached than some of their other customers might be if I hear what B is saying about Michiganders in general. We shall see how it goes on Saturday. I am going to also make an appointment to drive the Ranger if I can to do a single comparison in one day. Wish me luck.

In other news, had a 3 hour work session where we reviewed some stuff, decided on some changes to existing classes, discussed company issues, etc. I have a task for today as a result, but overall it wasn't horrible. Finished up with work stuff around 4. Made chicken for dinner. Watched some tv, played some games, went to bed.