Google's definition of glamorous states: Your dramatically polished appearance makes you the most intimidating kind of elegant.  This was just the image I was looking to portray and  it was important for my vehicle to follow suit.   I found it in the Infinite QX56. This car was EVERYTHING I was looking for!  It met every requirement on my list, with it's: Standard 5.6-liter DOHC V8 producing 315 horsepower at 4,900 RPM and 390 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 RPM, aluminum block with cast iron cylinder liners, forged steel crankshaft, micro finished crankshaft and camshafts, molybdenum-coated pistons, 6-bolt main bearing caps, single-stage timing chain, Standard Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) with Brake Activated Limited-Slip Traction Control, 8,900-pounds towing capacity, and all of the safety features you could think of...this car was for me. 

O.K., O.K..  Truth be known, it was black, sleek, and had a 10 speaker BOSE sound system that would have brought music to even Helen Keller's ears.  It was beautiful!  The smell of leather, the dvd system with the monitors in the head rests for my client's viewing pleasure, and it's wonderful navigation system had me in seventh heaven.  My client named her Condelisa.  He was a military man and loved the fact that my car told me step by step where to go.  She was my trusted advisor and she was a gem!

OH, did I mention her one tiny flaw? She was a bit of a lush and insisted on having her favorite cocktail quite frequently.  It was a volatile mixture of flammable liquid hydrocarbons derived chiefly from crude petroleum.  You guessed it, Condalisa was a gasaholic and after every 13 miles she demanded another gallon. But that was o.k with me because I loved her and during that time I was happy to be her enabler.  Besides, her drink of choice was not too expensive and even if it was it wouldn't have really mattered. It was 2005 and the  real estate market in Charleston, SC was BOOMING!  Homes sales were high, buyers were everywhere, my investors where gobbling up everything they could find to flip and I even topped of the year off with the sale of a major B&B in historic Charleston (which by the way if you ever visit Charleston you should book a stay at The Elliot House Inn http://www.elliotthouseinn.com/). I listed that property for 4 million and within 1 hour of putting it on the market had three offers, all more than full price.  LIFE WAS GOOD and Condelisa and I were enjoying our time together. 

Fast foward...2008.  I still loved Condelisa, but her $1000.00 a month addiction was really starting to get on my last nerve.  Like any friend with foresight, my husband could see how destructive this relationship had become and decided that it was time for an intervention.  But he would have to be clever about this becuase I am not one that takes kindly to logical scolding.  So with that being said he started to plant that little green seed.  Yes that's right, you heard me correctly, my husband was suggesting that maybe ust maybe I should consider a hybrid. 

I am definitely one to do all that I can to help with the environment. I recycle, I don't litter, and I haven't purchased that jet I want to take me on all of my travels.  But a HYBRID?  Was I willing to go that green.  Hmmm...money is green, beer is green (on St. Patricks day) and green m&m's seem to evoke a positive response, so maybe it was worth considering.  So there I was ready to embark on the wonderful adventure of car shopping.  Which by the way, the whole analagy of Realtors being like car salesmen...I don't get it.  I have NEVER made my clients cry.  I do NOT try to break them down.

O.K, so I didn't go that easy.  I did the hybrid shopping, but I also decided that i would look at BMWs.  I couldn't believe that I was looking at cars! I haven't driven a car since, hmm, I can't even remember when.  And so the great debate began.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not a completely materialist person, but when you conduct most of your business in your vehicle you want it to be a pleasurable experience.  A nice ride! So I drove both and much to my surprise the Toyota Prius impressed me while the BMW left me feeling empty.  Which is a feeling that my new love never gives me...becuase it is true...I now get 50 miles to the gallon!

She isn't quite as beuatiful as Condelisa was.  But with a little window tinting, a sports rack, a "LIFE IS GOOD" decal on the gas tank, and a sound system that would be perfect for Helen when she is having a sensory overload day, she is a keeper.  She doesn't make quite the impact that my old love did, but isn't that the point?  To leave a smaller imprint on the beautiful place we call earth!