The real importance of being earnest

is that you've got to have a goofy grin and say, "Know what I mean, Vern?" a lot. Yes, that's being earnest.

So, a funny thing happened Friday. That afternoon, a guy called and said he'd seen our pickup truck on Thursday and wanted to come look at it. I'd washed and vac'ed it on Thursday and parked it by the side of the road with "For Sale" signs on the front and back.

He and a buddy came about 7 p.m. Friday, I rode with them on the test drive. They and the truck were gone, including filling out the required paperwork, in about an hour. And we had cash in hand � less than the original asking price but more than our baseline low-as-we-could-go figure.

That bumps my winning streak to three in a row. Of the three cars we have sold rather than traded in (1988 Acura Legend, 1995 Isuzu Rodeo, 1998 Dodge Ram), the first people to test-drive them have bought them. And they're always impressed with how clean they are.

So Saturday we were on a mission to procure transportation for the Petite Filet. It is a long walk to her office, after all, and her being pregnant means that joke wasn't all that funny. We had driven a few things previously, did a lot of looking, did a lot of sitting in cars at the fair and sort of had an idea what we wanted. I'd done a lot of Internet research, checking prices, professional reviews and consumer reviews. That's when I came across the Mazda 5.

We were dyed-in-the-wool antiminivanalists until we experienced the joys of dual rear sliding doors, activated by the touch of a mere finger. The space in this small car is incredible ... it seats six using three rows of two seats each. Two problems solved! We can carry four adults and two children in car seats. Plus, the ever-present support pole in the center of our garage is no longer an obstacle with the sliders. The thing is a mini rocket, too.

Even better, it has a power moonroof, six-disc in-dash CD changer, audio controls on the steering wheel and fog lights (but where's the fog?).

Also test-drove a CX-7, but it has less practical space, felt oodles more cramped and ... for a real deal-breaker ... requires premium juice for its turbo-charged engine. Sexy as it may be, it also can seat only up to five people. With two kid seats in the back, the number drops to four people total.

So there's a Mazda 5 in the garage. Is it a minivan? We don't really think so, although calling it a "small minivan" gets the point across the best. Maybe it's a MUV (Mazda Utility Vehicle) or FFM (Family Fun Machine) or a PFCNCTNRAM (Petite Filet's New Car That's Not Really a Minivan). Most important, we got a "Zoom Zoom" sticker for the back window.

Oh, and an even funnier thing happened earlier Friday. Checking my cell messages, a woman had called and was also interested in the truck. But when she left her phone number (which I had in my phone), she couldn't remember it. She went on and on for about three minutes giving me alternate numbers that may or may not have been hers. Before she hung up, frustrated, she said, "Never mind." So I didn't call her because I figured it would be embarrassing for her. Might have had the other guys not bought it.