Slightly misplaced priorities

So four years to the day on Saturday March 15, M and I will bid adieu to our peppy black Mazda3. No, it's not symbolism. The lease is up. And after several months of debate and a new job for M, instead of financing this car out, we opted to lease a new one. Still a Mazda, still black, but this time a sexy MazdaSpeed3.




It looks basically the same from the outside, save bigger wheels, a bigger wing and a less ghetto antenna. What makes this car different from the old car is what's under the hood. A turbo-charged six-speed that goes zero to 60 faster than you can say "Chelsea got another speeding ticket. She'll soon exhaust the supply of charm she uses to get out of them."

It's also satellite-radio ready, has an input for ipods and a six-disc changer. Most excitingly for me, it also has a sub-woofer. In honour of this M and I have been diligently assembling our first uber-bass mega mix for the drive back from the dealer in Waterloo. (Apparently that's the place to get a good lease on a Mazda).

I'm pretty excited about this auto-upgrade, though there are a couple of things I wish the MazdaSpeed3 had, like a moon roof and heated seats. Oh how I love heated seats. One can get these things as options on the regular 3. But on the regular 3 you have 156 horsepower, on the Speed edition we've got an engine that produces 263 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 280 lb.-ft. of torque at 3000 rpm. I'm hoping that the heat coming off this puppy will be more than enough to keep my tail warm.

And yes Mummy, not only is it a faster car, it's also a much, much safer car. Big powerful brakes, 4-wheel ABS, emergency brake assist, dynamic stability control, front dual airbags, along with side and curtain airbags. None of which I'll need because I'll be driving very responsibly, obeying all speed limits and points of the Highway Safety Act.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Strict Machine" by Goldfrapp

HRH