I am a kid still in so many ways. I'm not that "cool" adult who's like "oh yea, getting a new kitchen....whatever"...I am still I AM GETTING A NEW KITCHEN I CAN BARELY BELIEVE HOW EXCITED I AM!!!!!! So recently I got a new car. A brand new, great smelling, I'm afraid to really drive it car! It got me thinking....buying a car has always been thrilling for me.
I got my first car in the Fall of 1990. My Dad took me to the Bozak Chrysler Dealership in Merrillville. For some reason, My Dad trusted this place. He knew ahead of time that I was getting the Plymouth Colt. It was the most basic Plymouth you could buy that year. I was pumped! My biggest concern was color...I chose red. I was dying to test drive the car because I knew that was protocol and who doesn't want to go drive a brand new car that's not theirs? My Dad's exact quote - "No, we aren't test driving. Do you think it's going to drive like shit off the lot?". I didn't care and kept on so he relented. Of course our salesman drove along in the back seat of this tiny car with his head nearly in between me and my Dad. He's chatting up a storm while I am happily driving. I thought this car drove beautifully. So Mike, our sales guy, keeps talking about how I live in Indy and he has friends in Indy and then he says...."I go down to Indy a lot, maybe I should call you sometime". (In my head...."are you insane to talk like this in front of my Dad????? HOLY SHIT!!!!) My Dad turns around and says "Mike, we're here buying cars NOT making dates". OUCH. Painful Silence. Nonetheless, that couldn't damper my spirits - I was GETTING A NEW CAR. My car payment was $198.48 which worked out perfectly with my highly paid position of Child Abuse/Neglect Caseworker for the state of Indiana - bringing in exactly $505 every other week! Perfect.
Four years later I proudly paid that car off. Three months later it died. Really died. So off my Dad and I went to Bozak. One step up, I bought the Plymouth Neon. I ADORED that car. It was a silver/lavender color and I felt like a million bucks.
I've had other cars in my lifetime - mostly out of necessity We bought a Ford Windstar when I was pregnant with Maeve because Rob's car had expired so he took my Neon. That Windstar was horrible. But I drove it for 5 years. Then I very briefly yet quite happily drove our brand new Mitsubishi Endeavor until I realized I was pregnant and there was NO WAY you could fit 3 car seats in that car. So back to a van I went and we bought a Chrysler Town and Country. A good car and it did the job but I don't remember jumping up and down - again it was purely necessity as I handed over my newer/sportier Endeavor to Rob. I drove that van for 7 years.
Last week when I knew/thought we were getting my new car I was just like a kid. On Monday I thought 3 more days. On Tuesday I thought just pretend it's tomorrow. On Wednesday I thought Holy shit - it's tomorrow. On Thursday I thought okay - be cool - it's tonight - keep it together - you're not 24 years old - be cool - OMG IT'S TONIGHT. I said a proper "good bye" to my Town & Country, thanking her for bailing me out when I had a 3rd kid. And then we walked into that Honda Dealership, I was like a kid who walks into the family room on Christmas morning to discover Santa DID actually arrive. I opened cars and smelled interiors. I tried to be "cool" - chilled - whatever - might buy a car...might not - whatev. Occasionally the sale's guy probably heard me say "OMG this car is beautiful.." or he might have caught me glance at Rob and mouth the words I love it. I will say this, I am a good negotiator (I mean that IS my job right?). I was cool. I got it DONE. We walked out with the keys. I love this car. It's a beautiful machine. It looks beautiful and smells even better. I still wake up every day and think oh yea, I just got a new car. YAHOO!
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