Nyaniso (my 12-year-old) has long legs. That back seat doesn’t look very roomy. And a canvass top? Onalenna (my 3-year-old) would freeze in the winter.

I moved on to another row of vehicles, where I spotted a souped-up Dodge Challenger V8 Hemi. All I could think of was the Kowalski character from the movie, "Vanishing Point."

“Whoaaaaaa,” I said, wide-eyed. The salesman came dashing up behind me.

“I can get you in this car!” he said. “You’ll turn all kinds of heads in this car. You can set the clock back 20 years.”

What about gas mileage? Will it set our family budget back 20 pay periods?

I soon departed, leaving behind the cars, the savvy salesman and the wishful thinking.

Just before I had kids, a former colleague told me that fatherhood is most difficult for guys who don’t accept that it’s a permanent change from singlehood.

That said, perhaps someday when the kids are grown up, you might see a sixtysomething like me rolling in a show-stopping muscle car _ with milk-crate-sized speakers that blast old school hip hop across two area codes.

For now, however, I ended up buying a Toyota Corolla _ roomy inside, outstanding gas mileage, smooth ride, low maintenance.

Plus, Nyaniso (who picked the color) says her friends call it “cool,” and Onalenna likes it so much she insists that it’s actually her car; I’m simply riding her around in it.

You might say my new car is father tested, kid approved.

Photo by myhsu @ Flickr