Yep. FWIW at this point, I can understand. You had been planning a kitchen renovation, and in that renovation your dreams included a specific type of range, and then you decided not to renovate and the alternate plan landed you with something that was not quite what you had hoped for. It's natural to be a little disappointed. A "so close but yet so far" type of thing--and the money it's worth or even the gas vs. duel fuel is not really the issue. Whether it was the above referenced Hotpoint you wanted and you ended up with a Magic Chef, or you had your heart set on gas and ended up with electric--the fact that it's a hugely expensive stove is not the issue here. You were hoping for one thing and got something else. I think that your reaction is completely natural, and I think that you are getting over it--also completely natural. Like any other disappointment in life, you deal with it and move on. You just had a "moment" and shared it with the group, some of whom took it in stride and some who decided that it was a monetary issue, and that you don't have the right to be disappointed in something that expensive. :-) However, I think the best piece of advice that you received is to live with it awhile, put it through it's paces, and if it's really not performing the way you wanted it to, and you can afford it, swap it out for something that's closer to what you wanted. If I understand correctly, the dual fuel Wolf you wanted is not going to fit in the space you have anyway, so you might as well see if you can make this one work. As others have pointed out, the resale value is not going to change much between now and later, so you might as well give it a go. Good luck, Cj

Thanks, all! I apologize for not seeing this. The day before my birthday I found out that my job was being eliminated, so that was a LOT of stress. Fortunately, within a week I found another job inside my company, which I start on the 16th, so I don't even have any layoff time. Because my car was getting older (14 years) and I was getting seriously concerned about its reliability, I decided that now was the time to get a new one. This past weekend I laid out for a 2006 Subaru Outback limited, fully loaded, with leather interior. For a 5 year old car it's amazing just how clean it is. It was very well taken care of. I hate the thought of having a car payment again after so many years, but I need reliable transportation. I guess that was my birthday present to myself! Again, thanks everyone!

When I got home at 6:15 yesterday I found I'd received an email from the Honda Fit salesperson, who sent me a price quote, a PDF attachment, at 5 p.m. I had dealt with him over the phone one day earlier and sent him a long email after the call. -!- Yes, the email was based on the draft above, and modified in ways that reflected comments above. I can post it if people want. His message: "Thank you for the detailed email. Here is a price." At 6:30 I emailed back and phoned (leaving message) saying we'd be available downtown around 7:30 p.m. for the test drive he wanted us to do. I live downtown. A similar story: Yesterday I called the Suzuki retailer closest to me and spoke to a salesperson. Ten minutes at 10 a.m. Before 12 noon I sent email to the manager for him to forward to the salesperson. The same long email modified as per feedback received. The salesperson called me back at 2:30; his price was $X thousand lower than the web price. He agreed with me that this was just the "over the phone" price with a stranger so the real price would be even lower than that. After calling him again at 4 he was expecting me to confirm later whether he'd see us that same evening. I sent email at 6:30 asking if it was reasonable to expect him to pick me up and drive another mile to fetch my wife who was finishing work. In other words, if the test drive could start at my wife's workplace or at my place. That email was also sent to the manager's email address, for him to see and discuss with the salesperson. Then I called and asked him the same thing. He went to get the email and consult his manager, and got back to me. No go. At 7:30 p.m. I was at his front door showing him my drivers' license while standing a few feet inside the front door. He gestured to a chair and I said "No time, remember we're driving now to go pick up my wife." He walked over to a floor model to show me things, and I said "You'll show all this to my wife when we get her into the vehicle, right? So let's get going." We left to go pick up my wife. The manager observed from the distance and did not approach. Minutes after picking up my wife, I was driving and my cell phone rang. It was the Honda Fit salesperson getting back to me at 7:50 p.m. Can't talk now, thank you for the email, bye-bye. I drove the three of us back to the Suzuki showroom, my wife drove a second vehicle, and then we did all sit down. Since he used silence as a closing tool, my wife resisted him. --- The best way to save money is to avoid spending money. (An SX-4 at $X deprec./year, plus insurance, plus gas, plus maintenance, etc) We still have our ten year old car depreciating at $1700 per year (bought used) and have never paid for major repairs for it yet. Since last year we now belong to a car sharing service. We've used it a few times. Compare A to B: A. carsharing service, regular car rental service, taxis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carsharing) B. owning a car Conclusion: A is way better. My wife was frustrated with our current situation. Now she is happy. She was the one who said "A" is way better after we went for a walk around the duck pond in the park. At 10 p.m. I feel now I've come as far as I needed to on Tuesday, 48 hours ago. We'll go rent a Versa or a Fit for our vacations. To try it out. I'll look into inventories visible on the web. Thank you!

This has nothing to do with "power" and "control". What it does come down to is me being expected to pay for damages that could occur and me being expected to pay for a higher rate of insurance should an accident happen with her daughter driving the new vehicle. I don't think it's a good idea. I even told my wife that I would buy a secondhand car for a couple thousand dollars so her daughter could learn in that instead. For some reason, she is adamant about using the new car for the driving lessons. As for the snippy comment, I AM very generous and very good to my wife. She gets just about everything she asks for, she doesn't have to pay rent, I do most of the cleaning AND I'm the only one who cooks and bakes. I surprise her with little things all the time, I make sure that I tell her that I love her every day and I make sure I tell her that she is beautiful. I just don't find it "equal" or "fair", since this is "OUR" car, why *I* am the one being expected to pay for damages and be the one whose insurance gets hit. Basically, to reiterate, the conversation came out to be her saying "I want to teach my daughter how to drive in the brand new car that YOU are paying for and if MY daughter gets into an accident, YOU need to pay for it and YOU need to pay for the higher insurance." Tell me how that is right.