Sunday, December 26, 2010

Saying Farewell to a Four-Wheeled Friend

My old Tiburon and all the "junk in my trunk" haha!
What do my wedding veil, a derby hat, a tool set and a pizza baking stone all have in common? Well, not much, except for I found them all in the trunk of my car yesterday.

I cleaned out my 2004 Hyundai Tiburon yesterday, and the six years of memories packed into it, because it was time to buy a new car. The key fob had stopped working, a headlight was out, the air bag light wouldn’t turn off and it would randomly make loud noises when I’d turn a tight corner.

Back in June, I wrote about my Tiburon, and how I had a strange affinity for that car. And to be honest, I always will love it. I bought it my senior year of college after working three jobs to afford it. I drove it back and forth to Philly and Cincinnati more times than I can count when I was working up there with a long distance relationship back here.

It was that car I stuffed my friends into the trunk to see a drive-in movie in college. It was that car that helped me figure my way around Philadelphia, my first city away from home. It was that car that helped me keep a long a long distance relationship alive with the man I later married. It was in that car I developed the idea for Cincy Chic.
 
My new car! (2006 Lexus IS350 sedan)
I had a really tough time letting her go yesterday.

I started her up one last time, heard all the familiar coughs and clanks coming from the engine. I then took the years of random things that slowly accumulated in the trunk, glove box, and any other crevice I could find. After I was done, I just sat in that tired old shell of a car and put my head on the steering wheel. I thanked her for keeping me safe all these years, thanked her for all the memories… and said a tearful goodbye.

I climbed out and into my new (well, it’s pre-owned, but it’s new to me!) Lexus IS350! Those tears quickly turned into tears of joy! I love my new car! I got it at the Lexus RiverCenter. They’re a client of mine, so they took very good care of me and I know I’m getting a good car from them. I love that they treat you like a millionaire the second you walk in no matter if you bought the most expensive car on the lot or a pre-owned like me.

So, I apologize for not blogging much this week. I’ve been saying farewell to an old friend and hello to a new one.

(originally written on 10/22/10 on my Cincinnati.com "Chic This Week" blog)