It is the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the big reveal of our new car! Well maybe not everyone per se, but hopefully one or two friends would like to hear about Dad’s new car. But before we reveal what our helicopter dog parents chose for our safety and comfort, let’s review their car buying goals. First and foremost they needed a car that our crash-tested travel crate would fit in the cargo area. They also wanted a car that they could control, turn-off, and/or mute the safety beeps, because beeping makes me anxious. There were a few other requirements on Dad’s spreadsheet of research that led to some really strange questions for the car salespeople, but we’ll spare you those details. However to further build anticipation before our big reveal, here are a few of the front runners that didn’t make the cut.

First and foremost, although Dad really loved his 19 year old Subaru Outback, would you believe they made changes to it since 2004? The biggest, or let me rephrase that, the smallest change was the cargo space in the back got smaller. The dimensions were a tight fit for our travel crate in the new model, but could have worked. That is until Mom noticed a small bump down from the ceiling on the right side, that made it a half-inch too small to slide our crate inside. Too bad too, because the Touring edition of the Subaru Outback comes with a CD player concealed in the center console. Something that would have brought Mom and Asa great comfort as they were not quite ready yet to relinquish their CDs and upgrade to streaming music.

Speaking of sounds, I really wished they purchased the Hyundai Santa Fe. Would you believe it came with a soundscape option called “Experience the Universe!” Just imagine how listening to that could have enhanced my research as a Dog Ufologist! Not to mention how cool I’d look driving up to an investigation with that playing. Alas, though going from Dad’s 2004 technology to that car’s 2023 upgrades was like going from a Model T Ford to the Starship Enterprise, and neither he nor Mom we’re ready for that much technology at their fingertips.

They also looked at the Toyota Highlander. Sure I would have to endure Asa’s relentless jokes about naming the car Duncan after the lead character in the Highlander series, and Dad would no doubt repeat on a loop track his favorite quotes from the movies and television show, but alas the crate didn’t fit. Well let me explain that better, our travel crate did fit with the third row of seats folded down. However, there was a slight slope that would mean our crate wouldn’t lay flat. Great job to the salesperson who tried to convince us we could make adjustments by referencing another show from that era, MacGyver. But for what they wanted us to pay for that car, we wanted our travel crate to be comfortable without having to MacGyver it!

There was also a brief period of panic by Dad after he put down the deposit on what we did choose. He saw a Toyota 4Runner in the grocery store parking lot, and thought why didn’t we test-drive that car! Mom told him why, there weren’t any available at the dealership they visited, and the nearest one that did have one on the lot, was sold by the time they arrived to do a test drive. That’s alright though, Dad found solace in that it didn’t check off all the boxes on his trusty spreadsheet.

So what did Mom and Dad end up buying as our new car? The Honda Passport! Just like Goldilocks on her quest, this car was just right for us! The Honda CRV was too small for our crate, and the Honda Pilot was too big for our needs. But the Passport is perfect for our Variocage travel crate, has just the right amount of technology to be a huge upgrade from the 2004 Subaru Outback but not too much to feel overwhelming or unfamiliar, and has a great track record for safety and reliability. We’d like to give a special shout out to the salesperson, Allan, who patiently answered Mom and Dad’s unique questions. He’s been a car salesperson for decades, and he commented that before Dad no one has ever asked him such specific questions!

And now for what really sealed the deal to let us know this car was meant for us. As you know from yesterday’s post we bought Dad’s previous car for Lemmy. To this day we still call it “Lemmy’s Car,” and parting with it made it that much harder. But Angel Lemmy helped guide us to our new car. Throughout this process Dad had his heart set on getting the new car in silver. We even came close to finding a Passport in that color at a different dealership before that option fell through. Then Allan said that he guaranteed he could get us one in red. Lemmy was known as “Mr. Red” during his whelping box days. As soon as Mom and Dad saw it, they knew instantly that was Lemmy’s sign of approval. So without further ado, introducing Dad’s new car, the Honda Passport, that will affectionately be called Mr. Red, in memory of Lemmy!