I Love My Car

I have a 2006 350Z.  I bought it as one of the presents I gave myself after I retired.  Having spinal desease, I knew there would come a day when I would not be able to get into a sports car.  Sooo, I thought that the longer I waited the less likely I would be able to have one.

I researched sports cars in my price bracket.  The Z was rated as the best car and it has lived up to the Consumer Reports' ratings.  Today, while nursing a cold, I took a step back and thought about why I loved my car.

In the five years I've had my car I have only changed the oil.  This is the most reliable car I've had.  That makes me happy.  Reliability is critical to me because of a bad experience I had with a beautiful Caddy I purchased in the late seventies.

A gas crisis was going on.  It wasn't just the price of gas was high. You could only get ten gallons every other day.  The Cadillac Biritz was the best looking car I had ever seen.  On top of that, it was a Cadillac.  At that time, an ego boast was important to me (I've learned later that ego was one of the things holding me back from happiness).

The big mistake I made was, because of the gas crisis, I bought the Cadillac Biritz Diesel - UGH.  Cadillac thru together a diesel car to compete with the Mercedes diesel.  They didn't have any experience with a USA diesel car.  The first mistake they made was the car did not have a water separator.  Diesel runs dirty and needs a water separator.  The Mercedes had two.

The lack of a water separator caused my car's engine to freeze up twice.  It was under warranty, but I had two engines replaced in the eighteen months I had the car.  Each time they replaced the engine, I had to rent a Chevy that, by the way, ran great.

The second thing Cadillac didn't realize was a diesel engine vibrates much more than a non-diesel.  The vibration would make my fan belt fly off while I was driving.  This happened to me three times.  Twice when I was on the freeway.  I had to carry replacement fan belts in my trunk so I could be assured I would be able to make a thirty mile trip.

The third thing Cadillac didn't take care of was that fact that a diesel engine runs much hotter than a non-diesel.  They knew it would run hotter.  Their solution was to put a metal pan under the engine.  It would have been a good idea if the bolts they used to secure the pan were larger.  Because they didn't,  the heat of the engine would melt the bolts and the pan would rattle so loud people inside and outside would think the car was going to explode at any minute.

Can you image ego me in my beautiful Cadillac Biritz pulling up to a expensive restaurant valet with everybody looking at a car that might explode.  I hated my beautiful car.  It goes without saying, reliability is the most important benefit I must have in a car.

My car hugs the road and therefore, I feel safe.  My car has only the features I need.  It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of today's cars.  To me that's a good thing because there is less things to break.  My car is a color that looks clean when it's dirty.  I wax my car every six months.  I wash my car every four months.  Less washing makes me happy.

Lastly, my car gets me from one place to another (without changing a fan belt).  Isn't that the reason we have a car?  Everything else is cosmetic.  Turning on the engine and knowing I'm going to get from one location to another makes me happy.

Think about your car.  Does it make you happy?  Do you appreciate it?  Are you in a car that makes you unhappy because it looks beautiful?  Are in a car that makes you unhappy because it is a fake status symbol?

My car gives me positive energy.  I appreciate it.  It is just one of the things in my life that brings me happiness.  Take a step back and appreciate all the things in your life (big or little) that makes you happy.  You can start with your car.