After four months of searching, I was getting worried about buying a Prius in time for the September 30 deadline for full federal tax credit (it drops to 50% after that and phases out in the following quarter). Toyota Oakland and Alameda were content to offer us the wrong color or wrong package every few weeks or so, but I held out. Finally, fed up with my whining, my fabulous car procurement specialist (aka Susan) e-mailed forty dealerships and found a 2006 Magnetic Grey in Las Vegas with the right trim level. We flew out and picked it up Friday.

My first new car! I’m glad we waited. It’s a beautiful color - originally my second choice, Susan’s first, but I’m very happy with it. The picture above doesn’t do it justice, it’s more of a shade like burnished pewter or dark brushed nickel. I’m still getting used to the smart key system and the push button start thing, but driving it back from Las Vegas yesterday at 85 mph was a breeze compared to driving the rattling death trap that was the Acura.

Oh, and we averaged 49 miles per gallon on the trip. Which was, of course, one of the points of getting that car in the first place.