Goodbye Little Red Car. Hello 2008.
January 1st, 2008
This photo was taken yesterday. That’s my car, begin towed away from me forever. How’s that for some not at all subtle end of year symbolism?
I donated the car to KPBS, partially because they told me to, every five minutes on the air. By the time I heard the “donate your car” spot for the one thousandth time this year, it transformed into mind control. Donate my car, you say? Well of course! Here it is. Take. My. Car.
The other reason I donated is for a big fat tax write off. Oh, and just sheer generosity, of course.
I try not to get too sentimental about things, especially cars. But I have to admit to some tears hitting my cheeks as the tow truck pulled away.
This car was my I-can-parallel-park-like-a-rock-star in Chicago car.
It was my aren’t-you-jealous-of-my-seat-warmers car.
It moved me from the midwest to southern California, making it over the Rocky Mountains with a UHaul trailer in tow. At $10,000, it’s the most expensive thing I have ever purchased. It’s one of the few remaining vestiges of my pre-San Diego life. And it’s given me years of both freedom and reliability.
But letting go of the car has given me a different sense of freedom. I stood in the middle of the road yesterday, watching the car get smaller as the tow truck moved down the street, feeling energized by the combination of a significant deacquisition and the start of a brand new year. The 2008 slate now has a little more blank space. And I like that.
I don’t know what my next car will be, or exactly when I will buy it. In the meantime, The Husband and I are going to attempt to be green(er) for a few months. We’ll be sharing one car, and no doubt countless conversations and negotiations about who will use it and when.
I experimented with taking the trolley to work last Friday, and aside from the fact that it adds an hour each way onto my 20 minute commute, it wasn’t so bad. Perhaps this is the reading time I need to keep up with my New Yorker subscription?
As the owner of a 97 Golf… I’m not sure I totally approve.
It must be rough… forced to drive old man York’s clunker.
You know I’m against it.
Get a scooter and ride public transit! With one car already in the household, it’s doable in San Diego. Really!
as someone who could parallel park the little red car WITH the u-haul trailer attached IN the rocky mountains like a rock star (sorry. its true) i mourn. i do. goodbye little red car. goodbye broken antennae. we’ll always have vegas.
Kristen speaks the truth. She could turn that bitch around on a dime even when hauling a one-bedroom apartment attached to the trailer hitch. She piloted Little Red Car through it’s most challenging journey. Thank you, friend