Hungry, Hungry Hippos... Big, Blue, Extended Cab Hippos.

I can't completely attest to my state of mind when I bought my Chevy Silverado two years ago. I do remember that I was hotter to get a new vehicle than I was to get a particular vehicle. I was also still in an SUV/Truck phase.

That's pretty much out of my system now and I fully realize what it means to own a truck... especially at $2/gallon.

Don't get me wrong. I love my truck and enjoy every minute I get to drive it. I'm a pretty big guy and the truck lets me sprawl out and be comfortable... but I never get to take it anywhere. I rarely get to take it out on the highway and just cruise. If I'm doing that, I'm going somewhere, and the fuel cost is going to eat me alive. Of course, I still can't park the damn thing.

About six (or was it nine) months ago, I started looking at cars. Something with more reasonable fuel mileage estimates. The wife owns a 1998 Honda Accord LX V6 that's a really snappy car and still runs GREAT for having 107,000 miles on it. With that in mind, I took a look at the Accord, Civic, Toyota Camry and Corolla. I promptly decided I didn't want the Civic or Corolla. After driving a full-size pickup all day, those feel SMALL. The larger cars didn't feel right, either, but they felt much better.

I filed all that away for future reference... mostly because I wasn't quite ready to part with the truck. Now, it's time. I started looking at Accords. I decided that's what I want.

I priced out the EX and the LX V6. They're similar in price but it comes down to, do I want a sun roof or a V6? While I was in KC over Memorial Day weekend, I found a couple of '04 Accords with less than 100 miles on them they were selling as used. I didn't end up even negotiating on those because I figured I could talk down a new car to their asking price, which wasn't unreasonable.

When I got home, I went down to the local Honda dealer. I found an EX with leather that I liked so we started talking... they thought I was either stupid or born yesterday. They expected me to pay sticker for the car (yeah, right!) and only give me wholesale value for my truck - no deal.

After that, I hit the internet. I did research on new car prices, fair market value, trade-in values, credit reports, credit scores, car buying advice, etc. etc. etc. I also started getting quotes from dealers. I was armed with information and ready to drive to Oklahoma City this evening when my wife got into the act. She found a used Accord local (not the same dealership) so we went to check it out instead.

This thing is L O A D E D. If I end up buying it I don't have to choose between the V6 and the sun roof. It's got 240 HP, traction control system, 4-wheel ABS disc brakes, leather, heated seats (both power adjustable), dual-zone automatic climate control, XM satellite radio, 6-disc in-dash CD changer, fog lamps, photochromic mirror (it dims when someone comes up behind you with bright lights - the truck has this and I LOVE it) with compass, air bags everywhere, tinted windows, "home link" (integrated garage door opener), and the famous Accord big 'ol honkin' trunk.

The cool thing is the price is reasonable. We even sat down to talk to them and they came down on their price and offered more on the truck than anyone else has. So, why don't I own it yet?

When we got there, they guy took us to the back lot. "We don't have it out on the main lot because we haven't gotten a clear title yet. They're supposed to overnight it to us and we should have it tomorrow." We were a little uncomfortable taking the car without them having a clear title in hand (both of our brothers have had a hassle with this) and they said they would call a few wholesale buyers and see if there was a demand for the truck that would justify a higher trade-in. Maybe it's BS but we all walked away calm and agreeing to talk tomorrow.

We'll see how it goes.