Cars

They are most people's second largest outlay of money. I am car crazy. I even give them names. My current car is Greta. Ask just about anyone who knows me...I'm usually talking about the next new car I'm going to get. But boy, can they drive you crazy! This is what my 7 year old VW Golf looked like on the 4th of July 2006:

Pretty isn't it? Here's the same car, exactly one month later:

It's not much cleaner either!! It's hard to believe that the same problem reared its ugly head one month to the day after it's first manifestation. The problem is with the window regulator clips inside the door. The fine folks at Volkswagen extended the warranty to 7 years to fix this problem...unfortunately, it happened 3 months too late. When this happened, I screamed at the top of my lungs using some expletives and dropping some F-bombs. That's the effect cars have on us.

Maybe I'm a little too particular about cars. When I first got it and for a few years after, I would park far away from other cars. The first time I got a rock chip, I ran to the dealership to by touch up paint specific to my car. A month or two after buying my car, I drove up to Pennsylvania for a wedding the same year the locusts came out. My poor car was bombarded with locust carcasses and a spot remains to this day. It was like my child had been injured and permanently scarred. I got very angry when a co-worker told me my then new car reminded her of a Dodge Omni she once owned! During her first scheduled maintenance, I had the service guy look at the windshield because it seemed a little wavy to me. Almost all windshields are like this. I wouldn't even pass gas in Greta. I had her valet parked one time at a hotel in Pittsburgh. When she came back, the driver's side mirror had swiped another car...a white one. I called hotel security to have it investigated. Yeah, I'm that crazy. I feel like I'm being unfaithful if I go to a car lot to check out what's new. And sometimes my car will be hard to start right after that.

Maybe this obsessiveness about my car has allowed it to remain in good condition for so long. But really, if you look at it, a car is just metal, rubber, plastic, foam and fluids all put together in a package that keep you relatively safe while travelling at speeds humans never thought they'd attain while still on the ground. We put total trust into these things, carrying precious cargo daily. They don't have a soul, yet it kills the soul when something bad happens to them. I have a strong emotional bond with Greta and the day I trade her in will be very sad. I'll feel like I've betrayed her. I don't get mad at my house when I have to get a plumber or a repairman. Car repairs have a totally different impact on me. I'll pace the waiting room at the service department anxiously awaiting word...like a parent or spouse or other family member would do while waiting for their loved one to come out of surgery. Or if I do leave her there, I'll constantly check my phone for missed calls or voice mails just dying to know what's wrong.

Are there others out there like this? I hope so. If not, maybe I need some help. So boys and girls, keep your autos maintained well and remember to give them words of encouragement when times get tough. They'll love you in return.