fast, sexy, and seats 7

growing up, my father, who is a guy who knows cars, grew up working on cars, hot wiring and stealing cars, and just loving cars in general, would always be the dad in the car yelling "59 ford- did'ja see that?! what a beauty..." (and then he'd usually make a growling noise).

and any time an old car would drive by, you could trust he'd know just what it was, the kind of engine it had, and which guy he knew that had one when he was growing up. so, at this point in life, i could give a fair amount of guys some competition when it comes to make and model. and genetically, i'm a girl who gets a little short of breath at the sight of vintage corvettes.

namely the 69.

(my heart done just jumped into my sock, to use the famous words of an older man who stalked me in college.)

now that baby 3 is en route and the murano only seats 5, we're in the market for something a little bigger. the other day, our friend cody was asking me what my criteria was for car shopping, and i said:

1. it has to be fast
   
2. it has to be dead sexy
3. and it has to seat 7

ahem. seriously.

i was thinking about my criteria later on, and wondering if my criteria is a bit inappropriate for a pregnant mother of 2. like, what about safety, michelle? and what about economy? or cargo space? and those are important to me. i mean, i'm not trying to get us all killed or anything.

but i really can't drive cars that aren't fast.
and if it's ugly?
i mean, it is some kind of vanity to say i need a sexy car, i know it must be, but if i'm going to be in it, it has to be aesthetically pleasing. uncompromisingly, i have to like to drive it and look at it.

but, really?! how many cars out there fit that criteria? i fall into the camp of minivan-avoiders, and not because they don't make WAY more sense, or afford the room you need to accommodate so many small people, or that they're not fast enough.

i just. don't. like them.
(if anyone sees a sexy minivan, let me know, okay? because i'd consider it.)

on our way back from a spontaneous drive down the cape yesterday, dave and i took the kids car shopping yesterday (luckily dealerships have play spaces for kids now, and besides the waiting and the car seat switching, it wasn't as bad as you'd imagine. if you'd dare to imagine.). we took these 2 cars that had made our short list for a test drive (i, like my father, love test driving cars. going fast and racing around on someone else's gas?! pure joy.).


we drove the nissan pathfinder

and the mazda cx-9

i liked them both. both were 2007's (we are pre-owned car-type people) with lower mileage, and were in good condition. but i have to admit...the cx-9?
was fast.
and it was dead sexy.
AND? it seats 7.

does it have a lot of extra cargo space? well, no.
(but it does have roof racks for when we travel)

is it super on gas? well, no.
(but no car or SUV or minivan that carries a bus load of people IS fuel efficient, unless i robbed a bank and bought a hybrid)

BUT. it was fast.
and it was dead sexy.
AND? it seats 7.

and for a girl who would rather be in a 69 corvette?
it might be the best fit. (or the only fit.)

so we'll see, but this one has some promise.
so tell me- does anyone have any other suggestions of 7 seaters that provide a driving experience that is more like a, well, 2 seater??