It's official. I've got new car syndrome. You know what it's like - you've been there. Parking waaaaay out in the lot so no one will ding your doors. Wiping off every fleck of dirt you find every time you get near it. Keeping the GM Goodwrench paper mats on the floorboards so you don't actually put your feet on the floor mats. Breathing deep the new car smell every time you get in. Yep. I've got it bad.
And I wonder: when does it stop?
In Chattanooga on Saturday night, we parked in a public lot, and then wandered around until we found the stadium. In about the second inning, I got my bearings and realized the lot we parked in was just past the center field wall. I panicked. What if someone hits one out?!?!?! What if it hits the new car!?!?!? I realized that had we driven the Olds, I sooo wouldn't have cared if we got dinged by a moonshot. I probably would have been happy about it. I could have told people "See this crater in my hood? Got that from a guy who now plays third base for the Brewers. Good times."
See what I mean? The Olds used to be a new car. And I had new car syndrome with the Olds. MAJOR new car syndrome. We bought it brand-spanking new eleven and a half years ago. It was the first car I was ever really jazzed about. I'm not a car person, but I loved that car. I still loved it when we traded it on Saturday. But it was not the same car. Not the same car at all.
When we traded it, only one station on the radio worked. There was a foot and a half gash cut into the driver seat upholstery. The carpet on the floorboards was stained to a whole new color family, or just completely worn down into nothingness. The window tinting was peeling away, and the paint on the back was chipping off.
When did these things stop bothering me? I don't remember being bothered by any of it, really. How do I not remember slicing open the upholstery? Where did those stains come from? Where did the newness go?
When does a new car stop being a new car? It's a hypothetical question, but comments are welcome.
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6 comments:
It will stop being the new car after the first scratch, stain or dent. I got my last new car on 09/26/03, I wrecked it on 10/26/03, got it back on 11/26/03 and stayed home on 12/26/03! I hope your new car lasts longer then mine! Nice ride and congrats!
You NEED to kick the fender or door hard enough to make the first dent. After that you'll be surprised how easy it is to let the future dings and dents slide.
We bought a Honda Odyssey last October, and it's still MY NEW CAR. I still love it. So enjoy the newness while it lasts. I am wearing thin on my new car feelings, though, because the Odyssey hasn't had a bath since about July . . .
What was the radio station?
98.5. Slow stuff. Some eighties pop. Horrible morning show. Delilah at night. Well, it used to be Delilah at night. I got to the point where I just preferred the silence, so maybe they canned her.
It stops being the new car when the scent wears off - so, keep a "new car scent" fragrance handy. It could go on indefinitely.
On distant tangent from the last comment - I used to teach Delilah's kid. She lives in Seattle. Dopey show, but a really cool person.
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