Well, we’ve found ourselves a car — a 1994 Volvo 850 GLT. It’s got a bit over 100,000 miles (that’s about one third of a Volvo’s lifespan), new tyres, and complete service records (a bonus, since now I know it just got a new timing belt and brake calipers). It’s priced perfectly for us, so now it’s just a matter of the dealer accepting the Subaru as a trade-in. That’s harder than it sounds, since they will owe us at the end of the transaction. If this doesn’t work out, we’re just suck it up with the baby seat/coupe combination, as I’ve grown weary of the poor service of the used car industry.

The fixed gear bicycle adventures continue. Today I hit the milestone of only using the brakes on the trip down Stanton Avenue — everywhere else (including red lights) I was able to come to a stop with just back pressure on the pedals. If I feel comfortable enough by week’s end, I may take off the rear brake over the weekend….

Posted on 30 September 2003