Not having a car was convenient in Shanghai, the entire city is a huge parking lot anyways, you would burn more gas while stuck in traffic and waste more money than cab fares on parking fees anyways. However, in the good old US of A, in a suburban area such as Silicon Valley, not having a car is a big No-No.





Although Vivian owns two cars, one of them recently broke down (dead battery, burnt out ignition fuse), and so, we have been carpooling to and from work for the past two weeks. We took full advantage of the carpool lanes -- a gratifying experience to zoom pass those frustrated drivers behind the wheels of single occupant vehicles stuck on the freeway in the morning. Despite the carpool “perk”, I still miss having my own car.

I spent a month researching and monitoring online for new and used cars, and narrowed my field down to Audi A4, BMW X5, Infiniti FX35 and Acura TL. Each had its pros and cons... I was deeply allured by the sexy, cheeta-like Infiniti FX35! But with the optional features I wanted, it would cost as much as a BMW X5. After Vivian and I realistically forecasted my financial situation, I dropped the idea of owning the FX35 and X5. *sniff*

Known for its fine performance handling, Audi A4 was hard to dismiss, but the completely re-designed, luxuriously equipped and reasonably priced 2005 Acura TL eventually win me over. Perhaps it was the 270hp engine, or the voice recognition navigation system, or the 6-speed manual transmission, or the sleek bold look, or the fat 235mm tires... somewhere amongst the long line of desirable features on the TL, I’ve decided it is the right car for me.

Now all I need to decide on is the color!