Jilda and I've had the good fortune to own a few new cars. I mean ones with stickers you have to scrape off with a razor blade. But you wait a few days before removing them so most of your friends realize you have a NEW car.
The smell of the interior, the clicking sound when you flip a switch and the whisper of a new engine are sensory things I remember.
The first few months you notice the odometer when it flips over the first 100 miles, then the first 1000.
But here's the thing. Even a new car, when you drive it off the lot, is then a used car. Soon you get a ding in the door at Walmart, and you find yourself going a few weeks longer between washings. Before you know it, you pull candy wrappers and peanuts out when you're fishing for your seatbelt.
Things get older. That's fine with me because with age, there are some benefits.....you learn just how far you can go when the gas gauge starts leaning on the E. You also have your favorite CDs in the glovebox and you can find your favorite station with the punch of a button.....and the best part is no car payments.
Both of our cars have been paid off for years. We've learned to live with the quirks, and the smells that seem to change with the seasons. We add a little oil every now and then, and I'm amazed at how good my truck looks when I hand wash it.
Our vehicles are almost like old friends. Jilda's Volvo, Ingrid is a 1996 and we'll have to have a newer car by summer. She loves that car and it will be a sad day when we have to let her go, but things get older.
The smell of the interior, the clicking sound when you flip a switch and the whisper of a new engine are sensory things I remember.
The first few months you notice the odometer when it flips over the first 100 miles, then the first 1000.
But here's the thing. Even a new car, when you drive it off the lot, is then a used car. Soon you get a ding in the door at Walmart, and you find yourself going a few weeks longer between washings. Before you know it, you pull candy wrappers and peanuts out when you're fishing for your seatbelt.
Things get older. That's fine with me because with age, there are some benefits.....you learn just how far you can go when the gas gauge starts leaning on the E. You also have your favorite CDs in the glovebox and you can find your favorite station with the punch of a button.....and the best part is no car payments.
Both of our cars have been paid off for years. We've learned to live with the quirks, and the smells that seem to change with the seasons. We add a little oil every now and then, and I'm amazed at how good my truck looks when I hand wash it.
Our vehicles are almost like old friends. Jilda's Volvo, Ingrid is a 1996 and we'll have to have a newer car by summer. She loves that car and it will be a sad day when we have to let her go, but things get older.
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| My father-in-law's old truck that was new when Carter was in the White House. |
They do don't they? And not just cars....
ReplyDeleteMs Soup
Love the descriptions of the new-car memories. Spot on.
ReplyDeleteI hand washed my car this week. I think it's the first time I've done that since I got it (2011)...and I realize that there is a small ding on the driver's door. Nothing lets you "see" your car like lovingly hand washing it. I tend to be a lazy gurl and take it through the automated car wash. I decided to do the dirty work myself this week. (No pun intended. )
And, there's nothing like a vintage car or truck. We have husband's father's old work truck. It still is a workhorse here on the farm.
Great post!
I love seeing vintage cars. of course 1996 isn't exactly vintage but 18 years is a long time to have with a car! I'll never forget my first car - a 1985 Dodge Shadow lol.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, LOVE getting a NEW car. After a lifetime of used cars and the unreliability of them I now insist on new. We do drive them at least 10 years though and wear them out.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I managed to use our cars more than four years after they were paid off. I think it is wise to use what we can still use.
ReplyDeleteCars are sometimes like old friends because they have shared your journey with you!
ReplyDeleteWe too have had those few "new" cars. I remember the first car I bought with my own hard earned pennies. A 1972 Malibu...boy I loved her! She was faithful for 10yrs before cancer took it's toll on the body. However, we sold her to a teenager (that car ran like a top..just didn't look too nice!) and I saw it for years around town. Last year Jack had to retire "Bessie"..his 1996 van. His "new" car?..a 2008 little jeep that he loves and says it's like driving a sports car compared to the van! The car I drive is a 2001 and does have a few little issues, but looks great and still drives nice and frankly it's like putting on a comfy pair of yoga pants when I get in! The best part? Like you said, they're paid for in full! P.S..I don't actually own any yoga pants but everyone says they're comfy!
ReplyDeleteI guess there is something sentimental about rusty love!
ReplyDelete