A Reliable Vehicle
A year and a half ago, I had made the 150 mile drive from Oklahoma City to Wichita to drop my daughter off at her grandparents’ house so she could spend some of her summer reveling in their attention while I worked on some of my own projects at home. This was August, and we happened to be weathering a heat wave. Soon after I left Wichita on my return journey, my car’s air conditioner went out. It was 98ºF outside, I had two furry dogs in my car, and I had a two+ hour drive ahead of me.
My expectation based on years of experience was that my car’s air conditioner would work normally to keep the cabin temperature comfortable. The outcome for this event was falling well short of my expectation. Furthermore, I was enduring a physiological test with a high core body temperature, and I was very concerned about the dogs panting away in the backseat (safety). I stopped at a fast food restaurant and ordered a cup of ice to place between the dogs (and one to cool me off!), but in short order the ice melted. I pressed ahead, figuring that the quicker we forged through this ordeal, the quicker we could return to our pampered cool air lifestyle.
On reflection I was grateful that neither Pumpkin nor Mr. Transportation had been with me through this experience (worrying about either of them would have increased my stress levels), and I was also grateful that nothing worse had happened. I’m not sure what I would have done if the car had broken down completely. However, the thought that the car, at the time 13 years old, could have broken down with Pumpkin in it had me suddenly panicking (safety).
I took the car to the shop to get the A/C fixed, and then I spent months researching cars (growth): Did I want to buy used or new? What features were most important to me? Which cars were highly rated for safety and reliability? What were my financing options? I did end up coming up with a shortlist of vehicles, but Mr. Transportation and I decided to table the purchase decision while we saved for a down payment and waited for interest rates to come down.
Well, we recently emerged from that polar vortex and into a false spring with temperatures in the 70s. I went to turn on the A/C in my now 15 year old car and… nothing. The symptom was different from the last A/C issue—then the vents were blowing hot air, now the vents were not blowing any air at all. Nevertheless, I experienced a traumatic flashback to that hellish drive and decided then and there that the time had come to replace my car.
It’s been a process. I’ve been slightly grumpy about it because I feel like I was forced into the decision by my aging vehicle (autonomy), and everything from going on test drives to finding space in the garage for the new car takes time that my husband and I don’t feel like we have (the added stress of juggling schedules to fit it all in—safety). However, I am so relieved that the fear of breakdowns has been lifted from my shoulders (at least for a few years) (safety), and it’s been a blast to experience firsthand how much car technology has advanced since the last time I bought a car (growth). I’ve been driving an old jalopy for so long that my expectations for a car have dropped sub-basement level low: get me from point A to point B, maybe. Driving a recent model with fun features such as Apple CarPlay and automatic liftgate? I feel like I’ve won the lottery every time I get in my car now.
What circumstances led to your last vehicle purchase? Were you happy going into it or a little grumpy (like me)? Have you been satisfied with your purchase?
