I put about 400 miles a week on my car, Angie, the VW New Beetle.
She is approaching the 100,000 mile mark on the odometer and I'm starting to think that it's either time for me to trade Angie in or resign myself to driving her until she dies.
I have been assured by my fiancé that Angie still has another 100,000 miles left in her before she'll need to be retired, provided that regular maintenance is done on her.
Jason is all about regular car maintenance. If you change the oil, check the fluids and treat it well, a car will run forever.
But... I really want a new car.
The consumerist culture we live in tells us we need NEW BETTER THINGS!
ALL!
THE!
TIME!
I admit that I am a consumer in the truest sense. I am a total sucker for advertising campaigns. I lust for new boots every fall and new sundresses every spring even though I don't need them. And, I particularly enjoy eye cosmetic advertisements that appeal to my vanity.
I know I'm not the only consumer out there who is a sucker for these marketing campaigns.
Car commercials are really good at making you think you need a new car, especially the commercials that advertise leases. "Only $499 a month!"
Right, just $499 a month.
Every time I get the itch for a new car, Jason reminds me that I bought Angie with cash and owe nothing on her and all of the things that might be wrong with Angie (coil springs, brake rotors, four new tires) can be fixed for much less than a couple months of car payments on a new car.
He is logical to a fault.
Once in a while, though, we see a car that winds us both up. The most recent one was the new Ford Focus 5-door hatchback. Its big enough to haul around bikes and Zeus, our giant German Shepherd.
But, it is small enough that it still gets good gas milage: 40 miles a gallon on the highway, which is what my entire commute to work is.
We stopped at a Ford dealership after a bike ride on Saturday to find out what kind of options are available on the Focus.
There are a few things that are non-negotiable traits of a new car for me: manual transmission, moon roof, heated leather seats.
We found out that you simply cannot get a manual transmission Ford Focus in the United States that has heated leather seats. In Europe, you can get these options together but not in the U.S. where the market is very uninterested in manual transmissions. Apparently, manual transmissions are too basic to be in American cars that have leather seats.
Angie the VDub has a manual transmission and heated leather seats. So, maybe Angie isn't ready to go bye-bye quite yet.
I still like the Focus but knowing that it doesn't come in the option I want makes me realize that spending thousands of dollars on something that isn't exactly what I want is silly.
It's hard to stay level-headed when you get an idea in your head about something you convince yourself you need. I want a new car but I don't NEED one.
Jason knew what he was doing when he took me to the dealership. I learned a valuable lesson in delayed gratification. The car I want doesn't exist yet and Angie is still healthy enough to last me a few more years.
Oh the joys of simple lessons learned in every day life.
**************************
Find Sally on Facebook and share your thoughts on what your dream car looks like.
Let’s continue this conversation on twoday’s Facebook page...are we a society that doesn’t value anything and expects instant gratification in all that we do? Does that serve us in the long run or hurt us?
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
I’m confused by this story. You seem to be comparing need and want again but without making a point. Nobody needs a new car (just as nobody needs new boots or new sundresses). Is there a lesson in this for the reader or is this just an excercise for your own benefit?
There’s a lot in here that I could object to (for instance, how is your fiance logical to a fault?) but I guess the most troubling part is that in an earlier article, you recommended registering for items that you want rather than what you do not need (whatever that means). Is the point of your story that it is ok for other people to buy you things you want but that you are not willing to make the same investment?
What is the point?
Hello Knitty
P.S. When I got married, I registered for things I both wanted AND needed. And I just bought a new car. Am I doing something wrong?
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Hello Knitty -
Your overarching theme in the comments you’ve made to my posts is “What is the point?” as if you’re tying to invalidate my position as twoday contributor.
The point of my posts is to give readers a glimpse of life into a person (me) in a relationship and the daily, sometimes mundane, things that occur in a relationship. Sometimes there is no point to be made. Sometimes I just like to tell a story. Isn’t that, at its most basic level, the point of magazines and blogs?
If I may, I’d like to turn the “What is the point?” question to your comment. Was the point of your comment simply an excuse to brag to twoday readers that you bought a new car?
I am always looking for suggestions to improve the content I submit for twoday. I would be delighted to write about more topics that interest you. Please email me or Natalie with your ideas. I welcome your suggestions!
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Sally,
I don’t think Hello Knitty was in any way trying to “invalidate” your position as a twoday contributor. At the risk of sounding overly harsh, I think you took care of that yourself by confessing that your posts are pointless. (Incidentally, it’s a stretch to suggest that Hello Knitty was trying to brag to the legions of Twoday readers about buying a new car.)
Do you actually believe that the fundamental purpose of magazines and blogs is to tell stories without a point? Even the simplest stories should have a point. I hate to sound cruel, but some of your articles amount to the joke equivalent of, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” The joke is meaningless without answering, “to get to the other side.” By not completing a joke or a thought or a story—in the case of this article, by stating that you want a new car, but you’d first require heated leather seats (really?), so you wait to buy the car (how is this a lesson you learned, as you claim at the end?)—you lack a reason for publishing it, and your readers lack a reason for reading it.
I hope you’re willing to accept criticism, and I hope you keep on writing!
Powerwalker