I felt like I had lost an old friend when I traded in my old Chevy Cavalier last week for a newer car. Although it was only worth dollars and cents to the dealership to me it was worth much more than the Blue Book price. I can remember the thrill of buying it new in July of 1999. It was still running well when I traded it in last Tuesday for a 2009 Ford Focus SE (pictured).
The night before that I went through the car and took out all the personal possessions I was carrying around in it. That was a strange treasurer trove to be sure. There were road maps of Wisconsin and Michigan. A paper weight, don’t ask me why. A number of CDs and cassettes (I hadn’t played the cassettes in years). More pens than I care to count. There was also a spare pair of glasses with an older prescription, a rain poncho, extra windshield wiper fluid, an ice scraper, folding knife, and of course being a good Yooper a snow shovel and extra blanket.
Over time like a child a car can acquire bumps and bruises. I remember the first, and not the last time, I spilled coffee in the car. When moving from Beaver Dam to Fond du Lac I used the Cavalier for at least half a dozen trips to move odds and ends. On one trip I was unpacking some free weights and dropped a 10 pounder on the back driver’s side of the car. It caused a small dimple about the size of the head of a pencil. Some time during my travels over the last year the mirror on the driver’s visor got cracked. And last winter the plastic that kept the fuel cap from falling off when you gassed up the car cracked off.
That car also provided a bond with family. It got me to eleven Christmas gatherings, a number of vacations and three weddings. In addition to family members over the years it also ushered dogs and parakeets to and from. It temporarily housed treasured purchases and groceries. But mostly it was just me and the car.
Out of curiosity I found myself browsing the dealership’s website late last week to see if my old friend (the 2000 Chevy Cavalier) had been listed yet. It was. It still had a lot of miles left on it so I’m hoping someone will get some good use out it. It’s their memory maker now. As for me I have a new friend and some new history to make.
The night before that I went through the car and took out all the personal possessions I was carrying around in it. That was a strange treasurer trove to be sure. There were road maps of Wisconsin and Michigan. A paper weight, don’t ask me why. A number of CDs and cassettes (I hadn’t played the cassettes in years). More pens than I care to count. There was also a spare pair of glasses with an older prescription, a rain poncho, extra windshield wiper fluid, an ice scraper, folding knife, and of course being a good Yooper a snow shovel and extra blanket.
Over time like a child a car can acquire bumps and bruises. I remember the first, and not the last time, I spilled coffee in the car. When moving from Beaver Dam to Fond du Lac I used the Cavalier for at least half a dozen trips to move odds and ends. On one trip I was unpacking some free weights and dropped a 10 pounder on the back driver’s side of the car. It caused a small dimple about the size of the head of a pencil. Some time during my travels over the last year the mirror on the driver’s visor got cracked. And last winter the plastic that kept the fuel cap from falling off when you gassed up the car cracked off.
That car also provided a bond with family. It got me to eleven Christmas gatherings, a number of vacations and three weddings. In addition to family members over the years it also ushered dogs and parakeets to and from. It temporarily housed treasured purchases and groceries. But mostly it was just me and the car.
Out of curiosity I found myself browsing the dealership’s website late last week to see if my old friend (the 2000 Chevy Cavalier) had been listed yet. It was. It still had a lot of miles left on it so I’m hoping someone will get some good use out it. It’s their memory maker now. As for me I have a new friend and some new history to make.
No comments:
Post a Comment