New Car!
It's been about three weeks now since I got my new car. Well, actually, it's a 2016 Dodge Journey--new to me--with only 32,000 miles on it. It looks new, inside and out--I should probably thank the previous owner for taking such good care of it-- and it smells new, probably thanks to the "new car spray" that car dealerships are rumored to use.
I've been researching cars for several months, mainly because my grandkids have outgrown the Jag that Bill got such a good deal on, more than nine years ago. He was a little sad to trade in the Jag, but I'm ready for a car that provides the space and reliability that my 14-year-old car just couldn't deliver.
My new car is defined as a "crossover" vehicle, with a third row of comfortable seats that fold down easily when they are not needed, so I will have plenty of room for the grandkids and their car seats. And did I mention that the Journey is red?
Years ago, when Bill and I lived in Michigan, we bought the only truly new car I've ever driven, a little red, 5-speed Mazda GLC. I loved everything about that car, from its wooden steering wheel to it's excellent gas mileage. We kept that car for nine or ten years, even after we moved back to Nebraska, where we soon regretted the Mazda's black interior and lack of air conditioning, at least during the summer months.
Since then, I've driven a series of spacious Dodge and Plymouth mini-vans, keeping each one the requisite seven to ten years before upgrading to something a little newer and more reliable. By the time we bought the Jag, I was tired of driving (and parking) mini-vans.
I was somewhat bored with driving white vehicles, like the last two, so I was ready for something a little brighter. That desire for a brightly colored car is more than just a whim, though. When I was living with sub-standard vision, I noticed that many neutral colored cars were hard for me to see until they got dangerously close to me. I see much better now, but it's inevitable that some of the aging Baby Boomers on the roads around us will also experience declining vision, so I figure I'll be pro-active and try to avoid an accident caused by someone else's poor vision. And besides, how can I go wrong, driving a Husker red car here in Nebraska?
The Jag, as you might expect, had lots of bells and whistles, including heated, leather seats and a cool little jaguar on the front of the hood. And, remarkably, it stood up quite well to a growing, active boy. But now, I need a newer, bigger car, large enough to haul seven people and their stuff, but smaller than a mini-van, or even a typical SUV like the Ford Expedition Bill drives. It seems as though bigger is better right now, at least in the local car lots I've been frequenting, but I don't want a big vehicle. It just has to have plenty of room on the inside.
For a while, it seemed as though the car I was looking for didn't exist, but last month, I happened to see, and test drive, a red Journey in Scottsbluff. The size and color were perfect, and I liked many other things about it, but I wasn't sure the cloth seats would stand up to Levi's antics, and it was lacking the heated seats and a few other amenities I have grown to appreciate. So, Bill found me an upgraded model, for a lower price, just 90 miles away, in Cheyenne.
In the whole scheme of things, I suppose that my new, red car is a first world luxury that I don't really need. I could certainly make do with an older, smaller car if I had to. Yet, God knows that it will make my life much easier in the years to come, so I'm thankful that he has provided a vehicle that will meet my needs. I love the way God cares about even the seemingly unimportant things in our lives.
I've been researching cars for several months, mainly because my grandkids have outgrown the Jag that Bill got such a good deal on, more than nine years ago. He was a little sad to trade in the Jag, but I'm ready for a car that provides the space and reliability that my 14-year-old car just couldn't deliver.
My new car is defined as a "crossover" vehicle, with a third row of comfortable seats that fold down easily when they are not needed, so I will have plenty of room for the grandkids and their car seats. And did I mention that the Journey is red?
Years ago, when Bill and I lived in Michigan, we bought the only truly new car I've ever driven, a little red, 5-speed Mazda GLC. I loved everything about that car, from its wooden steering wheel to it's excellent gas mileage. We kept that car for nine or ten years, even after we moved back to Nebraska, where we soon regretted the Mazda's black interior and lack of air conditioning, at least during the summer months.
Since then, I've driven a series of spacious Dodge and Plymouth mini-vans, keeping each one the requisite seven to ten years before upgrading to something a little newer and more reliable. By the time we bought the Jag, I was tired of driving (and parking) mini-vans.
I was somewhat bored with driving white vehicles, like the last two, so I was ready for something a little brighter. That desire for a brightly colored car is more than just a whim, though. When I was living with sub-standard vision, I noticed that many neutral colored cars were hard for me to see until they got dangerously close to me. I see much better now, but it's inevitable that some of the aging Baby Boomers on the roads around us will also experience declining vision, so I figure I'll be pro-active and try to avoid an accident caused by someone else's poor vision. And besides, how can I go wrong, driving a Husker red car here in Nebraska?
The Jag, as you might expect, had lots of bells and whistles, including heated, leather seats and a cool little jaguar on the front of the hood. And, remarkably, it stood up quite well to a growing, active boy. But now, I need a newer, bigger car, large enough to haul seven people and their stuff, but smaller than a mini-van, or even a typical SUV like the Ford Expedition Bill drives. It seems as though bigger is better right now, at least in the local car lots I've been frequenting, but I don't want a big vehicle. It just has to have plenty of room on the inside.
For a while, it seemed as though the car I was looking for didn't exist, but last month, I happened to see, and test drive, a red Journey in Scottsbluff. The size and color were perfect, and I liked many other things about it, but I wasn't sure the cloth seats would stand up to Levi's antics, and it was lacking the heated seats and a few other amenities I have grown to appreciate. So, Bill found me an upgraded model, for a lower price, just 90 miles away, in Cheyenne.
In the whole scheme of things, I suppose that my new, red car is a first world luxury that I don't really need. I could certainly make do with an older, smaller car if I had to. Yet, God knows that it will make my life much easier in the years to come, so I'm thankful that he has provided a vehicle that will meet my needs. I love the way God cares about even the seemingly unimportant things in our lives.
And, have I mentioned that I love my new car?
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