Letting go is hard for me. I tend to hold tightly to what is mine until it has completely worn out. Sometimes, that's not a great idea. There comes a time when we need to move on. That time came, but I wasn't ready.
Labor Day weekend, I took the plunge and bought a new car. Well, it's new to me. I bought a 2023 Dodge Charger with just shy of 17,000 miles on it. I hadn't planned to buy a car that day. I'd been working with a salesman in search of an SUV. I wanted something easy to get in and out of with enough room to haul my grandkids around with me.
I drove at least a dozen different SUVs, both new and used. None of them were quite right. If I could see myself in one, the price was far more than I wanted to pay. I felt like I was settling. We had just sat down to discuss numbers on a GMC Terraine, when my husband asked if I'd seen the used Charger on the lot.
I hadn't seen it, but I was very interested. Unfortunately, it's one of the three colors I absolutely did not want - black. I vowed I wouldn't buy one that was black, white, or silver. It seems everything I liked was either black or white.
I told the salesman I wanted to test drive the Charger. It handled just right. The power was perfect, even though it's a V6. It felt comfortable. It felt familiar. It felt right. Something deep inside me told me I needed to buy this car. So, I did.
My new Charger isn't nearly as nice as my old one. There's no navigation or heated seats. No fog lights. No Hemi. Let's face it, last year was the last year of the model. They aren't making them anymore. I've heard they'll be back as electric vehicles, which is something I am not interested in having. Also, the price was right. With the generous offer for my trade-in, I only financed a fraction of what I had planned.
Because we were in my husband's truck when I bought my car, I had to take Black Pearl to the dealership the following Monday. It was our last drive, and I cried nearly the entire way to Frontenac, Kansas, where the dealership was located. I cried when I turned over the title and keys. My heart was full of regret and sorrow.
Wise words my uncle shared with me when I was just a teen came back to me on that final drive. He told me I should never fall in the love with a machine. They are not meant to last forever. Of course, I did fall in the love with Black Pearl.
The next day, I took my new car for a drive. I did the same the next day. By the third day, I liked the new Charger. It's not perfect, but it is a used car, after all. The trunk has a problem with not closing properly, and it didn't come with a spare tire or a jack. I don't know if the warranty covers trunk issues or not. There's a dent in the side of the trunk lid that may be the problem. Luckily, I don't use it too much.
I think this new car, which I've named Raven, will be a good one for me. I sure hope so. If not, maybe I won't have such a tough time letting go next time.
Do you ever get attached to your vehicle?
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