Wednesday, May 27, 2009

The only car I ever really wanted...

is the car I currently have--a Honda Odyssey. I know, completely geeky, but I was not the typical teen with dreams of any sports coupe. I drove a Ford Tempo (horrid!) in high school, and it got me around to where I had to be. A car was simply my means to an end.

I always figured that when my high profile lifestyle and uber-successful career took off that I would then seriously buy the serious, falutin' car.

Instead of a high profile lifestyle befitting a coupe, the boys began to multiply in our home--we went from one to three in a year--and I started my research on minivans in earnest. I fell in love with the Odyssey, although Husband was a harder sell. I think he was thinking more SUV back then. When Husband bought this minivan for me back in 2000,  I was pregnant with the Chairman. I was completely surprised. Actually, I think he was too because it was the first new car he had ever purchased. (And the last.)

We bought this minivan with the pledge, "we will drive this van until the wheels fall off." Having made 150,000 miles this week, certain recent events have led me to believe that before I'm really ready to give up the van that my wheels may indeed be about to fall off.

This has made me sad. Because I love my minivan. Even though it has a busted taillight. (How else should you meet your neighbors than by hitting their mailbox?) Even though it has funky smells inside. (Isn't that life with boys after all?) Even though the check engine light is constantly on. (If it goes off, now, that's a problem.)

It is the only car I ever really wanted. The minivan has been a good car for me, seeing me through days of triple car seats to only a booster now, from broken crayons to notebooks and pens, from Legos and light sabers to...well, there are still Legos and light sabers.  But honestly, this minivan has really stood as a symbol in my life of what God has done in my heart to want to be a minivan-driving Mom and not the flashy coupe careerist who has never touched a sticky steering wheel.

I'm grateful for that.

What comes next, if the wheels do fall off, is squarely in the Lord's hands right now. Everyone's opinion that NOW is the Perfect Time To Buy A Car really only means if you have the Perfect Money To Buy A Car. Some things are still ridiculously overpriced. I have the sticker shock to prove it from two days of test driving.

I'll let you know what happens. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to enjoy my days with the only car I ever really wanted.

5 comments:

  1. I'm still driving my 94 Camry a and hope to keep it at least two or three more years. Why give it up? It runs great and I love it!

    We just bought a new Camry--talk about sticker shock!! But hopefully, we'll get as many years and as many miles out of this Camry as we have out of mine.

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  2. I feel the need to go hug my minivan now. Funky smell and all.

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  3. Funky smells = life with boys. Amen, sister, amen.

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  4. Well, just one more thing we have in common: I drive a 2000 Odyssey AND our check engine light never goes off either. The thing is, I'm shocked every time I do the math and realize it's 9 years old because I consider it our new car (the hubby drives a '97). If you do get a new car, you should do an experiment to see how long it takes the boys to replace "new car smell" with "boy funk"!

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